PROGRESSION

The one thing you must do at the gym is to increase the weight you lift over time. Everything else is a tool to achieve this. Progression is caused by sufficient intensity, consistency and recovery. Progressing is a byproduct of muscle growth and neural adaptation mostly.

You can measure progression with a few metrics. Lifting heavier weight over time is the most obvious one. Then you can increase reps. Then you can increase sets. Simply lifting with better form over time, even if its on the same weight for the same reps, also counts as progression.

Theres two main ways of progression, of which only one has variations. Linear and non-linear. Non-linear progression is usually used by more advanced lifters since it is slower, but more effective at keeping the intensity high. On a linear progression model only the last set should be at a high intensity. Meaning you have to pick a weight that’s easy for the first 4 sets, but hard on the last one for the same amount of reps.

For compound movements, increase weight by 5lb (2.5kg) for upper body and 10lb (5kg) for lower body.

For isolation movements, increase by the lowest amount of weight that your equipment allows.

Linear progression – adding weight every session, or every other session. Usually done with straight sets in a strength program. You only add weight when you successfully complete the prescribed reps and sets. If you fail, you lower the weight 10%, then progress from there.

Double progression – adding weight to the next session once you hit a predetermined rep cap for at least one set. Usually used on isolation movements due to bigger relative jumps in weight. For example, 2 sets of 8-12 reps. If the top set you do hits 12 reps, then the next hits 11, you can progress to the next weight.

Step loading – like double progression but can be done with sets as well as reps and weight. At first you do a minimum number of sets and reps, then increase sets and reps to a cap. Only once you hit the cap do you increase the weight. Once you increase the weight, you drop the reps and sets back to the minimum, and progress back to the cap. For example, you start with 2 sets, each of them being 5, 4 reps. As you progress, you hit a set cap of 5 sets for 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps. If you didn’t hit the rep goal within the set goal, then you keep increasing reps done in each set by 1. If you hit the rep goal, then you lower the sets and reps back to minimum, now with a heavier weight the next session.

Double progression and step loading are useful in that they provide a mini volume deload with each bump up in weight. That can allow you to train without having to deload for longer. These are both non-linear progression methods.

These are the main methods that you need to know as a hypertrophy focused lifter.

Sometimes when you increase the weight you will struggle to keep your form strict and that is normal. In that case, simply focus on lifting with better form each session as a way of progression.

Periodization would be another section of progression, however non-linear progression methods have that build in. In a muscle growth context, block periodization has not been shown to be any better than an indefinite program with a good progression method.

If you’re seriously struggling to progress, you will need to check if you’re actually recovering properly. This is way more important than you think. If you’re sleeping bad, and your cortisol levels are high and you’re not eating enough food – you will not grow as fast and you will stop growing way earlier. Fixing those habits will resume that growth, and make it faster than before. This is based on studies and anecdotal evidence.