Progressive overload: when to add weight, and how much

Ways to progress

• Weight: the same sets and reps with more load. The simplest, and the main one for compound lifts.
• Reps: the same weight for more reps, then add weight and drop back (double progression, e.g. 3 x 8–12).
• Sets: more weekly sets for a muscle, useful for size when weight progress slows.

A rule you can follow

• All sets and reps done with good form: add weight next time. 2.5 kg for bench, rows and presses; 5 kg for squats and deadlifts while you're a beginner, 2.5 kg later.
• Missed reps once: repeat the same weight.
• Missed reps twice in a row on the same weight: drop about 10% and build back up.
• Stalled on several lifts at once, sleeping badly or very tired: take a lighter week (deload) at about 60% of the usual volume.

On isolation lifts such as curls and lateral raises, use double progression: weight jumps are too big a share of the load.

Track it, or you're guessing

None of this works without a record of what you lifted last time. A workout log with the previous weights prefilled lets you see at a glance whether today is a "add weight" day.

LiftBrain goes a step further: your AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) reads your log, applies a rule like the one above lift by lift, and writes the next weights into the app. It can also weigh in sleep, resting heart rate and how much you ate, and hold the weight on a bad week.