Progressive overload: what it is, week-by-week examples and what to do when the weight cannot go up

The simplest way to apply it is double progression. Pick a rep range, stay at one weight until you reach the top of the range on every set, then add weight and drop back to the bottom. Each session gives you one thing to beat: one more rep.

A double progression example, week by week

Bench press, 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, finishing with 1 or 2 reps in reserve. The rule: when you hit 12 on all three sets, add 2.5 kg.

These numbers are made up to show the method; real training has weeks where nothing moves. Look at week 7: total load falls from 2,160 to 1,812.5 kg, and you have not gone backwards, you have changed weight. The one-rep max calculator uses the Epley formula, which reflects this: 60 × (1 + 12/30) = 84 kg estimated in week 6 and 62.5 × (1 + 11/30) = 85.4 kg in week 8.

For the comparison to hold, keep your range of motion, your form and your rest between sets the same. Otherwise you cannot tell what changed.

Three routes, with numbers

Adding sets moves the number most and also takes the most time, so it makes sense to keep it for when the other two routes run out. That is practical judgement, not a result. The guide to sets per muscle per week shows how to count them.

What the evidence says

Kraemer & Ratamess, 2004 set out the general principle: training variables (exercises, order, rest, reps, sets and intensity) have to change over time to keep moving towards a goal. It is a review of fundamentals, and its abstract gives no figures for how much to add.

Plotkin et al., 2022 compared two routes. 43 people with at least a year of lower-body training did 4 sets of 4 exercises, twice a week, for 8 weeks. One group raised the load and kept reps constant. The other raised the reps and kept load constant.

• Rectus femoris growth: modestly in favour of adding reps, 2.8 mm summed across the sites measured (90% CI −0.5 to 5.8).
• Strength (1RM on the Smith machine squat): slightly in favour of adding load, 2.0 kg (90% CI −2.4 to 7.8). The authors question whether that matters in practice.
• Everything else: no notable differences.

The authors conclude both routes look viable. The study did not test double progression as such, which combines the two: it is a coaching convention, not a protocol compared in these papers.

When the load cannot go up

Often the problem is arithmetic: the next jump available is too big.

On a barbell, 2.5 kg is 1.25 kg a side; the plate calculator works out the loading. A machine is another matter. If you do 12 reps at 30 kg, Epley estimates a 1RM of 30 × (1 + 12/30) = 42 kg, and at 35 kg you would get about 30 × (42/35 − 1) = 6 reps, below an 8 to 12 range. Stay at 30 kg up to 15 reps and the estimated 1RM is 45 kg, which gives about 8 reps at 35 kg. So with big jumps, it pays to stretch the top of your range. These are estimates, not promises.

Other ways out when no jump is possible:

• Add reps within a wider range. This route has the most backing here (Plotkin et al., 2022).
• Add a set. More volume goes with more gains, with diminishing returns (Pelland et al., 2026).
• Use small plates, if your gym has them.
• Move to a harder variation: one arm, more range of motion or a slower lowering phase. It is hard to compare, and nothing cited here measures it.

Resting less does not count as progress. The set gets harder, but you can easily end up with fewer total reps.

When not to add weight

One bad session is not a plateau: repeat it. After three sessions without progress, the usual move is to drop about 10% and build back up: from 60 to 54 kg, so 55 kg on the bar. That recipe is habit, not evidence. Do not add weight if your form gets worse to do it, because that rep is no longer comparable. If you feel pain rather than effort, stop and talk to a professional.

In GoForIt

GoForIt is not out yet: it is listed as «Coming soon». It estimates 1RM with the Epley formula and shows working-set volume and personal records.