Linear vs double progression: when to add weight

Every strength plan comes down to one question: when do you add weight? The two simplest answers are linear progression and double progression, and knowing which to use saves you months of spinning your wheels.

Linear progression

Add a fixed amount of weight every session. Squat 60 kg for 5×5 on Monday, 62.5 kg on Wednesday, 65 kg on Friday. It's the fastest way to get strong as a beginner, because your body adapts that quickly at first. The 5×5 workout runs on it.

The catch: it stops. Eventually a session's jump is bigger than what you can recover from, and you start missing reps. For most people that comes after three to six months on the big lifts, and much sooner on small lifts like the overhead press or curls.

Double progression

Pick a rep range, say 8 to 12. Use the same weight until you hit 12 on every set. Then add the smallest step of weight and you'll be back near 8. Build back up to 12, and repeat. You progress reps first and weight second: two kinds of progress, hence the name.

• Session 1: 20 kg × 10, 9, 8
• Session 2: 20 kg × 11, 10, 9
• Session 3: 20 kg × 12, 12, 11
• Session 4: 20 kg × 12, 12, 12. Next time, add weight.
• Session 5: 22 kg × 9, 8, 8

Which should you use?

• Brand new to lifting: linear on the big barbell lifts. Enjoy it while it lasts.
• Dumbbells and machines: double progression. The jumps between dumbbells are too big to add every session.
• Small muscles: double progression from the start. A 2.5 kg jump on a lateral raise is a huge percentage.
• After the first few months: double progression on almost everything, with weekly or block-to-block jumps on your main lifts.

Tip: Use the smallest plates you have. A 1 kg jump you can make every week beats a 5 kg jump you stall on for a month.

When either one stalls

Missing reps three sessions running usually means fatigue, not lost strength. Take a deload week or drop the weight 10% and build back. If one lift stalls while the rest move, read how to break a strength plateau.

How Liftsmith handles it

Liftsmith's adaptive plans use double progression with your effort feedback: hit the top of the range and it adds the smallest step your plates and dumbbells can make; miss reps and it holds or pulls back. The fixed programs, like Classic 5×5, use their own linear rules. Either way, the next session is filled in before you arrive.