How to pick weights for progression

The whole game is doing a little more over time. Not heroically more; just a little, consistently. Here is how to add load without stalling out in a month.

The only rule that matters

Progressive overload means the demand on a muscle goes up over weeks and months. You can add it in several ways: more weight, more reps, more sets, better control, shorter rest. Weight and reps are the two you should track first, because they are objective and they drive most of the early progress.

Everything below is just a sensible order for spending those two levers.

Start with linear progression

If you are new or coming back, add a small fixed amount every session while the reps stay in range. For most people that is 2.5 kg on lower-body lifts and 1.25 to 2.5 kg on upper-body lifts each time you hit your target.

Example: bench press, 3 sets of 5. You hit 3x5 at 60 kg? Next session try 62.5 kg. Hit that? Keep climbing. This works for a surprisingly long time when you are fresh, and it is the fastest way to add real strength.

Switch to double progression when it slows

Sooner or later you cannot add weight every session. That is normal, not failure. Switch to double progression: pick a rep range instead of a fixed number, add reps first, then weight.

• Choose a range, say 6 to 10 reps.
• Start at the bottom. Add a rep each session until you hit the top of the range on all sets.
• Once you get 3x10, add weight and drop back to 3x6. Climb again.

This gives you two dials to turn, so progress keeps coming long after straight weight jumps dry up.

Know when to hold

Hold the weight, do not force it, when: your reps drop across sets faster than usual, your form breaks on the last rep, or you have missed the target two sessions running. Repeat the same weight until it feels solid, then move. A held session is not a wasted one; it is the rep quality you needed.

Deload before you have to

Every 4 to 8 weeks, take a lighter week: same movements, roughly 10 percent less weight or a set fewer. You will come back stronger, not weaker. Most stalls are not a strength problem; they are accumulated fatigue hiding your real numbers.