Progressive Weight Lifting

Silkysausage
Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Progressivly adding weight to your lift sounds easy... but if you're me and you struggle to do this what do you do?

I read that you should be adding 10 pounds every session.

Please tell me this is off!!!

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    That's wrong. Add weight when you can. Sometimes that means bumping it up 2.5 pounds for the first set of the exercise then trying to do two sets with the new weight the next week.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    A lot of programs will say to add 10 lbs to lower body lifts (squats and deads) and 5 lbs to upper body lifts (bench and OHP), but that's not a hard and fast rule. Progression isn't just about adding weights, it's about adding reps as well. Say you can squat 5x5 at 135#. Next week, you squat 5x4 at 140# because you can't get that 5th rep on your sets. The following week, you might get that 5x5 at 140#. Each week, the goal is progression in some form.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
    I often add reps before I add weight. Example for an 8-12 rep range, if I can do the lift at 45# for 8 reps, next time I'll go for 9 or 10. When I can lift the weight at 12 reps then I will increase the weight.
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  • billkansas
    billkansas Posts: 267 Member
    There's a point where adding 10 lbs can get you hurt.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    Another method is to add reps. There are many ways to do this. It’s fun to make it a game.

    One method I’ll share is to think of total reps. So, if you’re trying for 5x5, that’s 25 total reps.

    What if on the first set, you can do 10, next you do 8, then 8, then 6, then 3. That’s 35. You crushed it. I call this taking advantage of strength in the early sets. So, since your goal was a total of 25 and you did 36, add weight for next time.

    This is how I do all my accessory lifts. In Steve Shaw's book Massive Iron, he calls it the rep goal system.
  • sedj241
    sedj241 Posts: 36 Member
    I agree with JerSchmare. I go months before I can add more weight. A lot of times I focus on adding more reps, then add the weigh later on. It helps me with being more comfortable with the weight I'm at and also helps with me with proper form, so I don't hurt myself. Another factor is going to be how much energy you're playing around with that day. I maybe able to add that 2.5 this week, but next week maybe another story. Slow is good and good is slow!
  • ricka1962
    ricka1962 Posts: 84 Member
    I usually add weight on days when the weights feel light. Many times I’ll up the weight, 5 or 10 pounds, if it feels good that’s the new weight. If it doesn’t I’ll go back down and try again another time. It’s my home gym. I’ll do what I want.
  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    Awesome replies, it's nice to hear people's thoughts on this subject.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I found I couldn't progress well on a 3x5 or 5x5 programme and felt defeated.

    I switched to AllPro's 3x8-12 rep over weight progression with a heavy medium and light day and found that worked much better for me. I felt as though I was progressing.
    I could add a rep a week much easier than I could add the weight, even 2.5 lbs.

    You may want to look at this as an option @Silkysausage.

    It does mean I don't move as much weight per lift as those that do a linear progression, but the volume is there.

    I am taking a break right now and doing the Hepburn Method for a few months.
    Just 2 main lifts a day, four day split.

    Heck I'm old and am much more suited to doing a strong medium weight without injury, than trying to go heavy fast and keep getting side lined.

    Cheers, h.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Silkysausage wrote: »
    Progressivly adding weight to your lift sounds easy... but if you're me and you struggle to do this what do you do?

    I read that you should be adding 10 pounds every session.

    Please tell me this is off!!!

    10 lbs is the standard for the beginning of a novice progression for squat and/or deads for the first month or two. Eventually one would move to 5lbs jumps. There are ways to extend the LP such as adding only to one or more of the sets per session or the like.

    Once the body no longer progresses at the rate of every session, it's reasonable to move on to intermediate programming where you might start at 5lb jumps per week.

    Personally I'm lucky to get 5-10lbs jumps a month.

    Basically the longer you lift, the more volume and stress you must add to adapt.

  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    sedj241 wrote: »
    I agree with JerSchmare. I go months before I can add more weight. A lot of times I focus on adding more reps, then add the weigh later on. It helps me with being more comfortable with the weight I'm at and also helps with me with proper form, so I don't hurt myself. Another factor is going to be how much energy you're playing around with that day. I maybe able to add that 2.5 this week, but next week maybe another story. Slow is good and good is slow!

    This for sure, the day to day strength is so unpredictable for me.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    Experienced power lifters (who are not on drugs) can only expect to increase their lifts by 10-20 lbs a year.

    So if the lifter had a max bench of 300 lbs he would probably only get to 310-320 after a year. That would if he trained really smart and consistently.

    How could you expect to add 10 lbs each workout? Over a years time that would be many hundreds of lbs.

    Here's an idea for you.

    If you do an exercise for 3 sets of 8-12 reps, only add weight when you get all three sets with 12 reps.

    Then add a small amount of weight. Some people have their own small plates such as 1.25 lb and 2.5 lbs. and take them to the gym with them.

    When you add weight only add very small amounts and work your reps back up to for example 12 reps for 3 sets.

    Workout #
    1 - 3 sets 12,10,8
    2 - 3 sets 12,11,9
    3 - 3 sets 12,12,10
    4 - 12,12,10
    5 - 12,12,11
    6 - 12,12,12
    Add 2.5 lbs
    7 - 12,10,8
    etc.

    Rinse and repeat.

  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    Gym was great today! Static lunge, rdl's and squats 4x12 20kg amongst others...my biggest and longest yet because of the encouragement from you guys :o
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    How much you are eating relative to maintenance will also impact progress. As well as recovery time.
  • TheHobbit2017
    TheHobbit2017 Posts: 96 Member
    It’s probably been mentioned but fractional weights are a great help. I found some .5kg ones which are small enough to even take the the gym without looking odd. I’ve found them great for OHP when I struggled with 22.5kg. I’m now banging out 25kg for reps so they do help build you up
  • Nama_Slay
    Nama_Slay Posts: 24 Member
    Silkysausage wrote: »
    Progressivly adding weight to your lift sounds easy... but if you're me and you struggle to do this what do you do?

    I read that you should be adding 10 pounds every session.

    Please tell me this is off!!!

    I use the Wendler app! Great tool!
  • se015
    se015 Posts: 583 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    That's wrong. Add weight when you can. Sometimes that means bumping it up 2.5 pounds for the first set of the exercise then trying to do two sets with the new weight the next week.

    I agree with the second response, you can progress in any way it doesn't always have to be weight. You might not be able to always increase weight each week but try reps mainly that's what I do and it works, all about PR's
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