What follows are the exact initial guidelines on training progression that I give to clients. They are an abbreviated version of the guidelines in The Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid book that I co-authored with Eric Helms and Andrea Valdez.
They are exceptionally logical and structured, the antithesis of just hitting the gym, smashing some weights and hoping for progress. They will stop you from wrecking your joints when starting out by increasing the weight you lift too quickly, and they will help prevent you from stalling for months on end, often without you realizing it.
If you put the effort to read, understand, and implement these instructions they are going to pay off for you big time. I will be waiting in Tokyo for you to buy me an overpriced craft beer as a thank you.
Linear PROGRESSION: WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO MAKE LOAD INCREASES SESSION TO SESSION
The following linear progression rules work well for exercises you are able to make incremental progressions in weight session to session with.
In the book, we call this “novice progression,” but it would be a mistake to skip this section just because of the title.
This is not about how long you have been lifting, or how much you can lift. My friend Greg Nuckols took his deadlift and squat to over 500 lbs before he needed to use some form of non-linear progression (periodization) as you will when you get to the “intermediate progression” rules, and yet no-one would look at those lifting stats and call him a novice. Admittedly, he is a genetic freak and was born to lift, but the point is that I want you to separate your ego from the name of each of the progression rules.
Novice progression is faster than intermediate progression, so use these rules while you can.
You will progress more quickly with some exercises than others. You may have more experience with some exercises already than others. You may have taken some time off from performing an exercise which means you would benefit from changing your progression style from “intermediate” to the novice style temporarily. Therefore, for some exercises in your program you may use novice progression rules, but for others, you may need to use intermediate progression rules.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE WEIGHT YOU LIFT INITIALLY
If you are new to a lift or returning to a lift after some time off, on the first workout just choose a weight where you feel comfortable performing all the sets and reps listed, with that same weight. You don’t want to be pushing to a maximum here because you will be learning (or relearning) the movement.
If you see, Squat 2×8, listed in your program for example, then choose a weight you feel comfortable performing 8 reps for, for two sets.
Sometimes you may see exercise listed like this, Squat 2×8 (~70% 1RM). This means perform 2 sets of 8 reps, using a weight that is approximately equivalent to 70% of your one rep maximum (1RM) for the first workout. Now, it’s important to note that this is just a guideline to help you choose a weight. If you are new to an exercise you will just have to guess at the initial weight you use because you won’t know your 1RM, and it doesn’t make any sense to test for it at this stage because you will get better quickly with practice.
For those that have experience with a lift but don’t know their 1RM, it’s possible to use a 1RM calculator. Just plug in the number of reps and the weight you can lift it for and it will tell you your estimated 1RM. You can then take a percentage of that number to set the weight you will lift with.
For example, if you know the maximum you can squat for a single set of 5 reps is 200 (5RM), and your program lists, Squat 2×8 (~70% 1RM) on the one day, and Squat 3×4 (~85% 1RM), on the other, you have two options for choosing a starting weight:
- Guess how much you can lift for 2 sets of 8 reps, and 3 sets of 4 reps. Your guess might be 150 lbs on the first day and 180 lbs on the other day.
- Plug those numbers into my beautiful 1RM calculator and find that your estimated 1RM, then just calculate 70% and 85% of that respectively. Using the calculator for a 5RM of 200 lbs gives us an estimated 1RM of 225 lbs, so from that you can get your starting weight for the first day of 157.5 lbs (225*0.7) and second day ~190 lbs (225*0.85).
Either option is fine, the calculation method is just an estimation anyway and you are only doing this for the first workout.
HOW TO Use Linear Progression AFTER THE FIRST SESSION
After the first session, just add weight in steady increments each time. (This is where ‘linear’ in linear progression comes from.)
For the heavy full and lower body compound movements (e.g., squats and deadlifts) I’d suggest you increase 10 lbs each session initially, assuming you can do so with good form. For other exercises that work less overall musculature, (e.g., the bench press, overhead presses, rows, and any isolation exercises) you’ll want to progress in 5 lb or 2.5 lb increments.
There will be a point where linear progression slows down and it is not possible to make increases session to session. If you have microplates (1 lb, 0.5 lb) you can use those to keep increasing the weight each session. If you don’t have access to these (as with most gyms) just increase the weight every other session, focusing on the feeling of it being easier in that second session. Meaning, use the same weight, sets, and reps, but there will be a lower rating of perceived exertion (RPE). More on RPE later.
Here is an example of how someone would progress with this system. I’ve chosen 5×5 just to keep the numbers simple.
This is just an example of how to use linear progression, and obviously, you will want to adjust according to how you progress, but pay attention to the following points:
- The load is increased linearly using the same rep range. This is called “single progression” (of load). Note that by increasing the load, the volume is also increased.
- When the target repetitions cannot be completed, the load is maintained for the next session, and the repetition targets are attempted again.
- Reduce the load by 10% if you fail to achieve your target reps in two consecutive workouts. The next workout, return to the weight you were unable to complete the target repetitions with and you will more than likely succeed. This is a very simple method of “deloading.” This is a strategy that allows built-up fatigue from weeks of training to dissipate, which in turn lets us continue progressing. There is no need to set this at specific time intervals for novice progression, but it will become necessary for intermediate progression.
If your progress starts to stall after implementing the deload as described above without a return to progress afterward (assuming sleep, nutrition, etc. are in check), it will be time to consider changing from linear progression to the intermediate progression models.
USING RPE With Linear Progression
You’ll see that I have numbers and “RPE” noted next to the exercises in your training plan.
RPE is a useful method of measuring intensity when lifting called Reps In Reserve (RIR) based on Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). This was popularized and developed by powerlifting coach Michael Tuchscherer and has been researched by Dr. Mike Zourdos and my co-author on The Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid, Eric Helms.
RPE when using this scale is based on how close to failure you get at the conclusion of each set. You simply do your sets and choose how close to failure you wish to get. A 10 RPE would be at failure (or rather, no additional load or reps could have been performed), a 9 RPE would be one rep left, an 8RPE would be two. Have a look at the table:
Sometimes we may use an RPE target to prescribe load on its own (e.g. Seated Cable Rows 3×5 @8-9 RPE), or used in combination with a %1RM (e.g. Squat 3×8 @6-7 RPE, 67.5-72.5% 1RM). This is useful because sometimes when you are in a fatigued state, you may under perform, and by doing this I am able to tell you how much stress you should be experiencing, versus what is being prescribed.
For example, let’s say your performance was slightly suppressed due to residual fatigue, but you had 5 reps at 85% of 1RM programmed. Feeling great, you might finish this set with 1 RIR (a 9 RPE). However, in a fatigued state, this might end up being to failure or you might even miss the final rep. To avoid this, I’ll prescribe not only a percentage of 1RM target but also an RPE rating so that you can adjust the load as needed to match the intended stress.
So, if one day you have Squat 3×8 @6-7 RPE (67.5-72.5% 1RM) programmed for example, but the weight feels heavier than usual today, and though you can get your target of 8 reps, you feel that you could only have performed one more rep (which would be an RPE of 9, not 6-7), then you’ll reduce the weight you lift for the next set to around the level where you will hit your RPE target. You’ll then finish any subsequent sets using that weight.
Note: Subsequent sets will be more difficult as you fatigue so use the lower end of the RPE rating for the first set. Also, bear in mind that on some days the latter sets can be disproportionately hard, and for that reason, we don’t want to go more than 2 RPE points higher than the starting setting. So, if your initial RPE setting is 7, then don’t perform any sets over an RPE of 9. If you do then stop your set, and if you have another set to perform, choose a lower weight so that you can hit the target number of reps.
This system works best when you have training experience with a lift. So for any exercises in your plan that are new to you, just bear in mind that you will get better at using this system over time with them.
[For a fuller explanation of RPE and how to implement it in your training programs check out this free email course Eric Helms and I put together.]
I Recommend You Avoid TRAINING TO FAILURE With This Style Of Linear Progression
As it is related to RPE, I’ll include some notes here on training to failure.
Training to failure is something I was a fan of for years, but have moved further and further away from as I’ve gained more experience as a coach.
“Failure” has two common meanings:
- Where there is a breakdown in form during a rep but maybe an additional repetition could be performed with poor form (“form failure”), and
- Where the weight can no longer be physically moved (“mechanical failure”).
In general, we don’t want to perform the big, multi-joint compound lifts to mechanical failure (squat variations, deadlift, overhead press, etc.) as the risk of injury when form breaks down is too high. Even performing these lifts to form failure on a regular basis is a bad idea for the same reasons and because the systemic fatigue generated is also very high (which can limit your ability to perform for the rest of the session). That said, it is much safer to train to failure with isolation exercises that don’t require full body efforts such as bicep curls, leg extensions, or even some machine compound movements like rows, pulldowns or perhaps the leg press.
You may be thinking at this point, “Why would I ever not want to go to failure? Doesn’t failure increase the amount of muscle activation I get and ensure that I have trained the fiber completely?” Those things are true for the most part, however, that’s looking at each exercise in isolation, rather than the big picture.
If you were to do 3 sets of bench with your 5 RM load, and on your first set you maxed out and went to failure, you would probably drop down to 3 and then possibly 2 reps on your next two sets depending on your rest interval. This will be 10 reps total. However, if you were to stop and just do 4 reps on the first set, you may be able to maintain 4 reps for all 3 sets. This will be 12 reps total.
In this way, it’s easy to see that we can hurt the amount of volume that we can do by going to failure too frequently. Thinking even bigger picture, going past just the single exercise, and thinking about subsequent training sessions, there are further negative implications of training to failure all the time.
As volume is a key driver of training progress, and training to failure can hurt the amount of volume we can perform, I do not want you to go to failure with any sets unless instructed.
INTERMEDIATE PROGRESSION: WHEN Linear Progression No Longer Works
When linear progression no longer works, it is time to use “intermediate progression.”
Intermediate progression refers to either “linear periodization” or “double progression.” The former is better suited to compound movements, the latter for isolation movements. We will have a deload every 4th week for both.
DELOADS
With novice progression, a simple 10% reduction in weight was all that was necessary to deload, and you did this whenever additional weight could not be added. Managing fatigue is a little more complex however for the intermediate trainee (which is probably best defined as someone who needs to use intermediate progression techniques for the majority of their lifts).
You will have lift-specific, periodical deloads built into the progression pattern every four weeks. This allows residual fatigue dissipate before it can build to a point where it hampers performance and prevents you from progressing with the workout plan as intended. It will also reduce the risk of injury by allowing your connective tissues to recover. You must resist the temptation to not deload.
Occasionally, we will have a full deload week where I will instruct you to reduce volume (and sometimes intensity) for all exercises. I will typically do this at times where life or work stresses are high and I feel you could use a break. I may also suggest one when progress just seem a little off with expectation and I think you could benefit from one. For exercises with 2-3 sets, I want you to reduce the set number by one. For exercises with 4+ sets, reduce the set number by two. If I want you to reduce the intensity also I will give a percentage I wish you to reduce the loads lifted by, typically, 10%.
Linear Periodization Rules: PROGRESSION FOR COMPOUND MOVEMENTS
Let’s say that you have Bench Press 3×6-8, 70-75% 1RM listed in your training program.
- Choose a weight where you can complete 3 sets of 8, without needing a spot and rarely hitting failure on the last set (RPE no higher than 9.5 on last set and typically lower). If you unsure of what weight that might be, use the percentage of 1RM listed to guide you. So, if you can lift 200 lbs, choose 70% of that to start with, so 140 lbs.
- For each successive workout, increase the load by 5 lbs and reduce the number of reps for each set by one.
- The 4th workout is a deload day where you intentionally reduce both the load and reps.
- On the 5th workout, get back to 3×8 and increase the load to slightly more than what you used the prior time you used 8 repetitions.
Here is how that looks in a table:
You can see that load, reps and volume will fluctuate workout to workout, but the load being used will increase every four weeks. This is called “linear periodization,” meaning that intensity goes up as volume goes down. It is a wave loading intermediate progression because the volume increases every fourth week.
For the 3-5, 4-6, 5-7, and 6-8 rep ranges, drop the rep target by 1 rep each week with only a 5-10 lb (2.5-5 kg) increase in load week to week.
For the higher rep ranges of 8-12, reduce the rep target by 2 rather than 1 each week. So for example, if you see Incline Press 3×8-12 listed you would do a week of 12’s, then 10’s, and then 8’s, while increasing the load 5-10 lbs each week. (In most cases I’d recommend 5 lbs.)
Double Progression Rules: PROGRESSION FOR ISOLATION MOVEMENTS
For isolation exercises, it is not realistic to increase load as quickly. Imagine trying to add 5 lbs to your dumbbell bicep curl every fifth week – it is simply an unrealistic amount of progress. That would be an increase 10 times every year, requiring an addition of 50 lbs (~22 kg) to your bicep curl each year when most people can’t even dumbbell curl 50 lbs for one rep strict. Think about it in relative terms. If your max squat is 355 lbs (~160 kg), a 5 lb increase is an increase of about 1.5%. if your max dumbbell curl is 50 lbs a 5 lb increase is an increase of 10%. So that same 5 lb increase is over six times more of an increase for a curl than a squat. Therefore, we need another approach for isolation exercises.
The approach that I’d suggest we use is to add reps week by week, instead of increasing load. This is almost a reverse linear approach, where we are adding volume before increasing intensity, rather than adding intensity while decreasing volume. This is called double progression – we don’t progress the second variable until we progress the first; we don’t progress load before we progress repetitions.
Let’s say that you have Bicep Curl 3×12-15 @7-8 RPE listed in your training program.
- Choose a load where you feel you can get pretty close to 15 reps for 3 sets (but not quite). (Note that we won’t set load based on a percentage of 1RM for isolation movements as it doesn’t work very well.)
- Add reps each week, trying to get to the goal of 3×15. Take as many sessions as you need to achieve this. Avoid hitting failure until the last set, or you’ll sabotage your next sets.
- Take the 4th week as a light week (a deload week). Regardless of what happens in the week prior to the deload, in the deload week go to the bottom of the rep range and just do two sets (12, 12).
- After the deload you will hopefully come back, find yourself recovered and improve performance (in the example we get 15, 15, 14). Then in the next week, we get 15, 15, 15.
- Thus in the next session, we increase the load, once again working back towards 3×15.
This is an example of how you as an intermediate trainee can still make pretty visible linear progress on a more or less week to week basis. (As a side note, if adding reps is too difficult in a narrow rep range such as 8-12 or 12-15, you can widen the rep range to allow slower progression, i.e., 8-15.)
Linear PROGRESSION and Linear Periodization FAQ
Linear progression is the fastest way to make progress and should last as long as you can continue to progress using it.
You should stop using linear progression when you can no longer continue to add load for two sessions in a row, despite taking a deload of 10% to dump fatigue. This advice assumes that you are sleeping well, eating well, and keeping stress low.
Here is an example of linear progression with deloads:
Once you can no longer progress, use linear periodization as instructed in that section.
Linear strength describes adding weight to the barbell each session. It is more commonly known as linear progression.
Linear training, similar to “linear strength,” describes adding the same amount of incremental weight to the load lifted each session. It is more commonly known as linear progression.
The line between “compound movement” and “isolation movement” can be a little blurry. Furthermore, for some exercises that are technically compound movements, the isolation movement progression rules can be better suited as they will allow you to progress between the jumps in weight.
The dumbbell overhead press is one such exercise that immediately comes to mind. You may be able to progress using the compound movement progression rules for only a short while before the jump to the next set of dumbbells (which is usually in 5 lb increments) becomes too great. At this point, you want to move to using the isolation progression rules.
In terms of progression speed: Linear progression > linear periodization > double progression > advanced periodization techniques.
For all exercises, choose the one furthest to the left of the continuum that you can actually progress with. This is the way you’ll progress fastest. When you can’t do the one, you move onto the next.
Yes. Whatever lift you can do novice progression for, do so, as you’ll progress fastest.
I’d assume it’s just a bad workout in that case and continue with the progression next week. Also, consider checking out these two articles:
• How to Break Training Plateaus
• What is Realistic Progress While Cutting?
This is for people who have gained 80–90% of their genetic potential in terms of strength and/or hypertrophy and are seeking to get the remaining 10–20%. This can get complicated and beyond the scope of this article. If you enjoyed this though, I think you’ll get a lot out of the book.
If you have found this helpful, you might be pleased to know it is just a small section taken from our Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid book. The second edition, along with the Nutrition companion book, was released this January 3rd, 2019.
Join 16,000+ other readers, get your copies here.
Thank you for reading. Questions welcomed in the comments.
– Andy
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The rest periods for compound exercises are around 3 minutes whereas isolation exercises only need 90seconds.
How long should I rest for horizontal and vertical pulls such as seated rows/ pull ups?
Hi Nick, you can consider those compound exercises. Also, bear in mind these are just recommendations, not rules set in stone.
Hi Andy
Thank you for writing this it’s really helpful and on point. I was an experienced lifter, training for 5 years, but last year I was diagnosed with bone cancer and lost a lot of my strength/mass so should I go back to novice progression? I am really wanting to get back to weightlifting now I am recovered.
Also for linear progression is it ok to increase in increments of 1kg a session to keep the progression going longer or is that to little stimulus since the example has increments of 2.5kg?
Thank you again
Hi Josh, I think starting conservatively is never a bad idea, especially in your case. But 1 kg increments may be overly cautious, especially at the start as you build things up. You’ll have to feel it out.
Congrats on beating the bone cancer. You’ll get the muscle mass back. Stay consistent. You got this. 💪🏻
Thank you you for the reply Andy much appreciated! I think I understand linear load increases now so should I start at 2.5kg increments then when i can’t increase session to session use the micro plates I have to keep it going?
Thank you Andy that’s really encouraging 💪 I’m so looking forward to starting training again never taking it for granted again
Sure. Or use the intermediate progression instructions. Most people don’t have microplates.
Thank you Andy that’s really cleared it up.
I’ve bought both the books and coupled with this website they’re the best weightlifting resource by far out there. Absolutely incredible job with both the content and how it’s explained. Cannot fault either
Thank you, Josh. Most appreciated!
For double progression, when do we take deloads? Every 4th week?
Hi Kevin,
Every fourth week is a good start point but it’s not set in stone.
Hey, Andy! Thanks for writing the article. Great information!
One question:
On the intermediate linear periodization, with wave loading (8,7,6,deload,8,7…etc)
what will be the best way to use RIR.. Would you recommend a decrease in RIR from week to week (8 reps – 2-4RIR, 7 reps – 3-1RIR, 6 reps – 2-0RIR) as the weights gets heavier OR keep the Reps in reserve same through the whole cycle (8 reps – 3-1RIR, 7 reps – 3-1RIR, 6 reps – 3-1RIR)
Just bought the book, looking forward to reading it!
Hi Magnus, we have more on RPE here, A Guide To Using RPE In Your Training, but the book covers this thoroughly. Thank you for getting it.
hey andy,
if i do one strength day for upper and one volume day for upper, do i only use the progress model on the strength day or on both of those days?
Hi Rick, thank you for the question and your patience.
Both days but treat each day independently.
Hi Andy, women are generally smaller than men and they usually can’t gain as much as muscle as men do. So, should women progress with 2.5 kg increments on compound exercises or use microplates?
Feel free to use microplates if you have them available.
Ok , what if I don’t have microplates available?
Then just follow the guidelines above.
Hi Andy,
In the book you mentioned that when increasing the weight of a compound exercise, we should use the next smallest increment. On a barbell exercise, the smallest increment is 2.5 kg whereas on a dumbbell exercise, its 4 kg.
Does this mean that barbell exercises are better than dumbbell exercises in terms of progression?
Hi Johnson, thank you for the question.
Barbell exercises typically allow for smaller progression increments, which can be better at the point someone is stuck, yes.
Hi Andy,
I had a quick question about linear progression as I couldn’t find the answer in the second edition of the book.
All progression schemes above have you hit the target reps and weight before you add more reps or weight.
But the linear progression doesn’t specify what to do if you can’t hit those reps.
The example above given for e.g.
Week 1 – 100 kg – 8 8 8
Week 2 – 105 kg – 7 7 7
Week 3 – 110 kg – 6 6 6
If I achieve all reps in week one and come week two, I can only get 7 6 6, do I continue the following week with same weight till I hit 7 7 7 then move to week four which is a deload?
Regards,
Hi Muhamed, thank you for the question.
Yes, strength can fluctuate, so just assume it was a bad workout. If this consistently happens, this guide will help: How to Break Training Plateaus [Decision Tree & Checklist]
Thank you so much for your this. I’ve been training intelligently for 20 years. I’m 40 years old. Been referencing this and the pyramids as my goto. I‘ve been grinding away with double progression on most lifts inc compounds trying to get reps up but months past at not moving. Calories, sleep, etc at good. Have i reached my limit? 🙁
Hi Oskar, thank you for the comment. This should help: How to Break Training Plateaus [Decision Tree & Checklist]
Legend!
🙏🏻🤗
Does time in between sets matter?
You want to make sure you’re rested enough that you can still perform well, but it’s a good idea to keep the interval consistent so that you can fairly log progress.
The newer you are, the less you’ll lift, so the time for recovery between sets is generally lower. (Same applies for full-body exercises like squats and deadlifts, vs bicep curls and lateral raises.)
Therefore, I can’t give a fixed guide for everyone, but something like the following will be right for most:
Newbies: 2 minutes between large compound movements and 60 seconds for the isolation stuff
Intermediate to Advanced: 3–4 minutes / 90–120 seconds
Elite (I’m thinking mainly of powerlifters here): ~5 minutes isn’t uncommon.
Hi Andy,
Loved the article!
Regarding deloads during a controlled bulk – should I reduce my daily calories/macros to maintenance levels during this week, or is it fine to keep them as they are? Would your advice differ for novices and/or intermediates? Also, I presume I would keep them as they are during a cutting period?
Cheers,
George
Hi George, thank you for the question.
I’d just keep the nutrition side of things constant in both cases (cut and bulk).
Great stuff, cheers Andy!
Most welcome.
For the linear periodaization:
It’s menioned that:
*For the 3-5, 4-6, 5-7, and 6-8 rep ranges, drop the rep target by 1 rep each week with only a 5-10 lb (2.5-5 kg) increase in load week to week.
*For the higher rep ranges of 8-12, reduce the rep target by 2 rather than 1 each week
* what about 12+ reps or say 12-30 reps, should I also reduce the rep target by 2 reps each week or is the rep reduction even more than that?
Asking cause I’m a novice and implementing the linear periodazation progression on isolation movments I do in those higher rep ranges 12+ but not sure how many reps to reduce.
Hi Ali. Two should be fine.
Thank you for the reply Andy. I really respect you and appreciate all the time you spend responding to the replys and making the informative articles.
Most welcome, Ali! 🙂
Hey, great work.
Would you suggest deloading every 4th week rather than autoregulating deloads?
For me, I’m quite sure I don’t need to deload every 4th week (I’m intermediate).
It also seems inefficient to spend 1/4 of the time deloading.
TIA
Hi Magnus. Feel free to deload less often, 4 weeks is just a guide.
Love your work and perspective, Andy! Question, if the goal is muscle size/hypertrophy, why are squats, bench, deadlifts trained in the 4-6 or 6 to 8 rep range?
Your question is based on the assumption that higher rep ranges are better for hypertrophy, which a bit of an old myth with a partial truth in it.
Based on the current body of literature, I recommend the following when building a program:
For a focus skewed more toward strength: ⅔–¾ of volume in the 1–6 rep range, remaining volume in the 6–15 rep range at a 5–10 RPE
For a focus skewed more toward hypertrophy: ⅔–¾ of volume in the 6–12 rep range, remaining volume in the 1–6 and 12–20 rep range at a 5–10 RPE
More here: A 6-Step Guide to Building Training Programs
Hi Andy,
I’m an intermediate lifter in that I can’t add weight workout to workout. I am not able to do the suggested intermediate powerlifting routine as I can’ t workout 4 days a week. Can I take the same exercises and do 5 sets of 5, using the progression you suggest for beginners (adding reps until I can complete 5 sets of 5) Alternatively, can I do the progressive wave loading, doing 4 or even 5 sets instead of just 3?
Thank you
Hi David. Yes to both.
Ultimately, the proof of any pudding is in the eating. (Try it and see.)
You’ll find our guide to building programs here which will cover how to build your own 3-day powerlifting program.
is wave loading periodization any more effective than more traditional (or older) cycling methods – for example, dropping the weight by 10 to 20% and building back up to a new PR over several weeks?
Thank you
I’d say so, yes.
The issue is, how do you know to drop 10% or 20%? That’s a big difference. It’s a simple rule of thumb but there is far more guesswork with this method.
You’re guessing as to whether this is the right amount of recovery time to dump fatigue and allow further progress,
…too much recovery time that fitness drops overall and you regress,
…or somewhere in between that leads to stagnation.
(^ This is in reference to the Fitness-Fatigue model we have in our book if you have it.)
Hi Andy,
Could you apply the intermediate progression suggestions for the novice program rather than adding weight each week? Say if an exercise has 5 reps, could I tailor that by aiming to get 6 or 7 reps? Or increase weight but instead of trying to grind for the target rep?
Hi Pat. Yes, absolutely, though I usually get people to do as follows:
If an exercise has anywhere between 3–8 reps programmed, make the rep range one either side. If higher, make the range two either side. So, for example:
• Squat Variant 3*5 » 3*4–6
• Single-Leg Variant 3*8 » 3*7–9
• Leg Extension 3*12 » 3*10–14
(These examples are exercises from the Novice Bodybuilding Program but they apply to all.)
Answers my question perfectly!
Thanks a lot Andy, I’ll look to apply that once the weight increase weekly begins to stall
Most welcome, Pat.
Hey Andy,
I’ve been running an upper/lower routine using double progression (for everything) for a while now, yet I continue to frequently stall. I wonder if I need to look into more advanced techniques. Where can I find those?
On the other hand, I rarely deload. I’m going to get better about it, shooting for a 50% volume reduction every 6 weeks. Could this more likely be my problem?
Finally, I’ve been running the same high-volume routine for over a year. This is a long time, but I’ve made stellar gains on this program and I don’t want to sacrifice them by jumping on another routine with less volume and different lifts. What do you think?
Hi James, here’s my guide to breaking training plateaus.
Hi Andy. I am a new too your platform and have been reading a lot of the articals on your web page. I have a question regards to the linear periodization method and how best to apply it. In the bench press example given it said to move from 3×8 to 3×7 in week 2. Is that assuming that BP is being done once a week? If being done twice a week would it be the second workout that moves to 3×7 or still the second week?
Thanks
Daniel
Hi Daniel, thanks for the question.
Yes, this assumes once per week. When benching more than once, you’ll see in the example programs that the rep ranges are different, so you’ll progress each day independently of the other, on a weekly basis.
I just want to point out how amazing it is how diligently you reply to the questions here. You’re being a huge help to a bunch of people, hope you don’t do too much free work or burn yourself out, but I feel you’ve got this thing figured. I’m currently doing my best to find the answers you’ve already written out in detail. Keep it up!
Hi Joel, thank you.
Frankly, I see comments — whether questions, praise, or hate — are the greatest gift a reader can give me.
The comments…
1. Have been the single most helpful thing in helping me to see areas I need to improve my writing. After I publish something, I get to see where my explanations were unclear, and so I go back and edit. — Teaching something is a true test of whether you’ve understood something thoroughly.
2. Give me a constant source of ideas for articles.
3. Keep me on the pulse of the latest bullshit that’s been peddled in the industry.
4. Help me to demonstrate how I think through problems for people, which shows people that there really aren’t many one-size-fits-all answers.
5. Build trust with readers, which I think must affect someone’s decision on whether they buy a book or apply for coaching.
6. May also help the site with the rank in Google because it sees an active site. (This is speculative.)
Hey Andy,
Is it possible I use another form of progression instead of wave loading? I find it too confusing and slow, and feel that it wont take advantage of my good days and might overshoot my bad days (bc ill be too concerned with RPE and trying to get the perfect rep range)
Is it possible for me to progress week to week with this workout but with novice progression rules?
Or is wave loading the best option?
Thanks
Is it possible I use another form of progression instead of wave loading?
Yes. Keep the weight the same, aim to gradually increase the number of reps you can do in each set, until you’re strong enough to make a jump in the weight lifted.
Is it possible for me to progress week to week with this workout but with novice progression rules?
You’ll have to try and see.
Hi Andy I’m on my 3rd week and should deload next week. I train thuesday wendsday and Friday Saturday. I have become sick and have therefore not trained since wendsday. If I take days of from the gym until next Tuesday could that be seen as my deload week and I can start a new cycle on Tuesday?
Hi Michael. Well, it’s definitely a deload but the question is over whether your body has sufficiently recovered. Possibly not. You’ll have to train and see. If you need to start lighter, do so. It’s just one week which is a drop in the bucket of your training career.
Thx. Im curently bulking should i reduce calorie intake while sick and during deload week?
I don’t think it’s necessary.