How to progress on a training program

Table of content

• Different ways to implement progressive overload

• How to implement progressive overload - practical applications

• How to track progress

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Have you ever felt like you've hit a plateau in your training and don't know how to progress?

As discussed in previous articles, one of the fundamental principles of effective training is progressive overload.

This principle involves gradually increasing the demands placed on the body, whether through heavier weights, more repetitions, or additional sets, to continuously challenge your muscles and drive strength and growth.

But how exactly should you implement progressive overload into your routine? In this article, we’ll explore the most effective strategies to ensure continued progress in your training program.

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DIFFERENT WAYS

TO IMPLEMENT

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD

When creating a training program, we often select our exercises, sets, and repetitions, then consider the job done. However, to achieve our desired outcomes—whether it’s increased strength, power, or endurance—we must incorporate a form of progression into our plan.

Simply repeating the same exercises, sets, reps, and weights over time will eventually lead to a plateau, where progress stagnates. This happens because the body adapts to the stimulus being provided. While the initial program might be enough to elicit positive adaptations, over time, the same stimulus becomes insufficient to drive further improvement.

To continue progressing, we must gradually and consistently increase the training stimulus over time. This creates a constant challenge for the body, compelling it to adapt and grow stronger.

We need, in other words, a form of Progressive Overload.

Progressive Overload can be achieved in different ways:

- By increase the weight we are lifting (increase in intensity)

- By increasing the repetitions or the sets we are performing (increase in volume)

Which option is best depends on three main factors: the end goal, the trainee’s experience level, and the type of exercise being performed.

Let’s break them down.

1. End goal

   
   

When we engage in resistance training, we typically have one of two goals in mind: improving body composition (increasing muscle mass, reducing fat) or enhancing sport performance (using resistance training as a way to get better at our sport).

If our interest is body composition, any type of progression (intensity or volume) can be effective, as long as the rep range falls between 6–20. This is because muscle growth (hypertrophy) can occur with both high and low loads. Generally, the higher the load, the fewer repetitions can be performed, and vice versa.

If our goal is sport performance,the primary focus is usually on increasing strength, as it underpins improvements in raw strength itself, as well as power, explosiveness, jump height, and speed. Strength is best developed using higher loads and a lower rep range (typically 1–5 reps). For this reason, athletes should prioritize increasing intensity (weight) over time.

1. Training Level of the Individual

Beginners are less accustomed to resistance training and, as a result, have a higher potential for rapid gains in muscle and strength. Because their bodies are not yet used to the demands of weight training, they have a broad “room for improvement”. This is the reason why beginners are usually able to make increases in loads almost on a session-to-session basis.

For this reason they can keep their training program pretty simple: performing every week the same amount of sets and reps while trying to increase the weight session after session. This form of progression is called Linear Progression.

On the other hands, intermediate and advanced trainee have more experience and more developed lean mass. Since they are further along their training journey, their room for improvement is smaller, and load increases are harder to achieve on a session by session basis, as they approach their genetic potential.

A more suitable method for these individuals is Linear Periodization. This involves gradually decreasing repetitions over the course of a program while increasing the weight lifted.

1. Type of Exercise

   
   

The nature of the exercise also influences the most effective way to implement progressive overload.

• Compound exercises (e.g., Squats, Bench Press, Deadlifts) target multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making it easier to increase the weight over time. These exercises generally allow for greater progression in load because they recruit a larger number of muscles.

• Isolation exercises (e.g., Lateral Raises, Bicep Curls) focus on a single muscle group. Because only one muscle is primarily engaged, making consistent weight increases is more challenging. In these cases, adding extra sets or reps might be a more practical way to achieve progressive overload.

HOW

TO IMPLEMENT

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Assuming we are Beginners and we use a Linear Progression this is what it looks like:

Exercise : Squat

Rep scheme : 3x5

Training Session	Load	Total repetitions	Decision for next session	Volume
1	50 Kg	5x5x5	Increase load	750
2	55 Kg	5x5x5	Increase load	825
3	60 Kg	5x5x3	Same load	780
4	60 Kg	5x5x5	Increase load	900
5	65 Kg	5x5x3	Same load	845
6	65 Kg	5x5x3	Decrease load 10%	845
7	58,5 Kg	5x5x5	Increase load	877,5
8	63,5 Kg	5x5x5	Increase load	952,5

The explanation is simple : as long as we are able to perform 3 sets of 5 repetitions, the load is increased by 5 Kg on the next session (as you can see, we increased the load on the second training session); if we are not able to complete the 3 sets of 5 repetitions (as in the thrid training session), the load will stay the same in the next session; if we are not able to complete the 3 sets of 5 repetitions with a given load for 2 sessions in a row, we will decrease the load by 10% on the next session.

Once we pass the beginner stage, however, this kind of progression stops working, simply because our body will not be able anymore to sustain load increases on a session-by-session basis. In this case, an alternative progression is the “Linear Periodization”.

In this case, instead of having a fixed rep scheme (as we did before with the 3x5), we set up a “flexible” rep scheme, for example 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions. The progression is then as follows:

Training Session	Load	Repetitions	Volume
1	80 Kg	8,8,8	1920
2	82 Kg	7,7,7	1722
3	84 Kg	6,6,6	1512
4	80 Kg	8,8,8	1968
5	82 Kg	7,7,7	1764
6	84 Kg	6,6,6	1548
7	80 Kg	8,8,8	2016
...	...	...	...

We basically hit, on our first session, the upper range of our rep scheme and we then decrease the repetitions while increasing the load on the following sessions.

Once we complete our rep scheme (in this case session 1 with a 3x8, session 2 with a 3x7 and session 3 with a 3x6) we then repeat the process but with a slightly higher load.

As you can see, in session one we did 24 repetitions with 80 Kg and, in session 4, we increased the load to 82 Kg.

The drawback of these kinds of progressions is that they are very much load focus; meaning that it implies a weight increase almost on a session-by-session basis (even if the repetitions decrease over time).

This can be easily achieved with big compound exercises such as Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, but not with isolation exercises (as we already discusse before).

For isolation movements, we need to implement some other form of progression; one of the most effective ons is the “Double Progression”.

We still select a flexible rep range to hit (for example 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions) and we use the same weight every session until we are able to hit the upper end of this range (in this case 3 sets of 15 repetitions); once done, we increase the weight and try to hit again 15 repetitions on each set). Example:

Training Session	Load	Repetitions	Volume
1	10 Kg	14,13,12	390
2	10 Kg	14,14,12	400
3	10 Kg	15,15,15	450
4	12 Kg	13,12,12	444
5	12 Kg	14,13,13	480
6	12 Kg	14,14,14	504
7	12 Kg	15,15,15	540
...	...	...	...

HOW TO TRACK PROGRESS

After establishing a training routine and selecting the appropriate progression for each exercise, it’s crucial to have a way to measure whether your plan is delivering the desired results.

Depending on your goal—strength or hypertrophy—tracking progress can vary slightly.

For Strength Goals: The process is straightforward. If you are lifting heavier weights over time within the 1-5 rep range, you are getting stronger.

For Hypertrophy Goals: Tracking progress can be a bit more complex since accurately measuring muscle mass is challenging.

However, as a general rule, if you’re consistently increasing the weight you can lift in the 6-20 rep range, it’s a strong indicator that you’re building muscle (especially if your diet is correctly set up).

Being able to lift heavier loads over time in a medium-to-high rep range is only possible if your muscles are growing.

Thus, tracking strength gains in this rep range is the first step to monitoring hypertrophy.

To complement performance tracking, here are additional methods to assess muscle growth:

1. Progress Photos : Taking photos every 4-6 weeks can help you visually track changes in your body composition. Ensure that all photos are taken under the same conditions—same location, lighting, and time of day—to make comparisons as objective as possible.

   
   

2. Body Measurements : For individuals with more muscle mass, visual changes can be subtle and harder to notice. In this case, taking regular measurements of specific body parts (e.g., arms, chest, waist, thighs) can be more effective. Comparing these measurements over time can indicate whether you are gaining muscle, especially if combined with gym performance data. If both measurements and strength are increasing, it’s a reliable sign that muscle gain is occurring.

   
   

3. Bodyweight Changes : Weighing yourself daily and tracking bodyweight trends can provide insight into your progress. If your goal is to gain muscle, you’ll want to see your weight gradually increase. Conversely, if fat loss is your goal, weight should decrease over time. Always weigh yourself under consistent conditions—in the morning, on an empty stomach, and after using the bathroom—to ensure accurate comparisons.

By using a combination of these methods, you can effectively track your progress and make informed adjustments to your training program as needed.

Thank you for reading.