How and when to add weight

The simple rule for progress: complete your sets, add a little and repeat. And what to do when it doesn't work.

The body adapts to what you ask of it. If you always lift the same, it has no reason to change. Progressing means asking for a little more in an orderly way, and that's called progressive overload.

The rule

Add weight when you complete every set at the target reps with good form, leaving at least one or two reps in reserve. If you fall short on any set, repeat the same weight next session. If the target is a range, such as 8-10, you add reps first and the weight goes up once you reach the top of the range on every set. That's exactly what AppGym does when you finish each exercise.

How much to add

• Lower-body big lifts (squat, deadlift): 5 kg.
• Upper-body big lifts (bench press, row, overhead press): 2.5 kg.
• Accessories (curls, raises, extensions): 1 or 2 kg.

Small jumps last longer. Someone who adds 2.5 kg every session stalls quickly; someone who adds just enough keeps progressing for months. On the bench press and overhead press, once the weight gets hard, it's worth using small 0.5 to 1.25 kg plates.

If you train an exercise twice a week

Adding the normal increment every session would mean progressing at twice the pace, and that isn't sustainable. The sensible thing is to add half each time. AppGym does this automatically when an exercise appears on two or more days of your plan.

Exercises with no weight

On push-ups, lunges or the plank you progress differently: more reps, more seconds or a harder variation. The logic is the same: once you hit the target, the next one is a little higher.

When you can't add weight

Missing one day is normal: you slept badly, ate too little or it's simply an off day. Repeat the weight. If you miss three sessions in a row at the same weight, don't keep pushing: it's time for a deload.