Understanding Double Progression in Strength Training

Strength training is a vital component of any fitness routine, and one popular method to continuously challenge your muscles and make progress is through a technique called double progression. Whether you are a beginner looking to build a solid foundation of strength or an experienced lifter aiming to break through plateaus, double progression can be a valuable tool in your training arsenal.

What is Double Progression?

Double progression is a training method that involves increasing the weight lifted only after a certain rep range has been reached. This approach allows for a balance between volume and intensity, ensuring that you are progressively overloading your muscles over time. The two components of double progression are:

First Progression: This involves increasing the number of repetitions while maintaining the same weight. For example, if you are performing squats with 100 pounds and aiming for 3 sets of 8 reps, you would increase the weight to 105 pounds only after you can complete all sets and reps with good form.
Second Progression: Once you reach the top of the rep range with good form consistently, you then increase the weight for the next workout. Continuing with the previous example, if you were successfully doing 3 sets of 12 reps with 100 pounds, you would increase the weight to 105 pounds and go back to aiming for 3 sets of 8 reps.

How to Implement Double Progression

1. Choose Your Exercises

Primarily select compound exercises that target major muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, rows, and pull-ups. These exercises allow for maximal muscle recruitment and provide a solid foundation for strength gains.

If you are particularly aesthetically minded or have a sports-specific reason for strengthening a particular attribute, then some additional isolation exercises may be added. Treat these as the icing on the cake, you still need the compound exercises as the foundation.

2. Establish Your Rep Ranges

Determine a rep range for each exercise based on your goals. A common range for strength is 4-6 reps, hypertrophy is 8-12 reps, and endurance is 12-15+ reps. Choose a range that aligns with your objectives.

If you are a woman or smaller individual, it may be useful to use a broader repetition bracket before attempting to increase the weight: 4-10 reps, 8-14 reps and 12-20 reps.

For example, if your body-weight is only 50 to 60 kilos, jumping up from 6 to 8 kilos on a dumbbell is a much larger relative to your body-weight than it would be for a individual who is 80 to 90 kilos in body-weight.

This same rule can apply to isolation exercises where the leverage is not as good. Here a broader repetition bracket can work better.

3. Start Light

Begin with a weight that is challenging but allows you to complete the desired reps with proper form. This sets the baseline for your progression.

In the quest to increase your repetitions and, eventually, the weight do not allow your form to deviate from how you started, and you might find you may need to stick to a particular set and rep range to help hone your form before progressing further.

A common trap is to decrease the range of motion as the reps and weight increase, which gives you a false sense of progression. If you are unsure, film yourself to keep it honest.

4. Track Your Workouts

Maintain a workout log to record the weight used, sets, and reps completed for each exercise. Tracking your progress is essential to ensuring continual growth.

You can use an app, spreadsheet or simply a pen and some paper, whatever keeps you consistent.

5. Progress Wisely

Focus on gradual increments in weight to avoid stalling or risking injury. Aim for small additions, such as 2.5-5 pounds for upper body exercises and 5-10 pounds for lower body exercises. Again, this is relative to your own body-weight. The smaller the person, the smaller the progressions should be.

6. Listen to Your Body

Pay attention to how your body responds to the training stimulus. If you experience excessive fatigue, persistent soreness, or joint discomfort, adjust your training accordingly to prevent overtraining. Sometimes back cycling the weight to a slightly lighter load may be needed. Its a long game and 2 step forwards 1/2-1 step back is better than hitting a plateau.

Benefits of Double Progression

Structured Progression: Double progression provides a clear framework for advancing your strength levels systematically.
Prevents Plateaus: By consistently challenging your muscles with increased reps before adding weight, you can overcome plateaus and continue making gains.
Balanced Approach: The method combines volume and intensity in a harmonious manner, promoting both muscle endurance and strength development.
Adaptable and Scalable: Double progression can be applied to various training programs and adapted to different fitness levels, making it a versatile strategy for all individuals.

In conclusion, double progression is a practical and effective method for advancing your strength training goals. By intelligently manipulating rep ranges and weights, you can foster continuous progress and enhance your overall performance in the gym. Remember to stay patient, stay consistent, and embrace the journey of strength development with the double progression approach.

Using Double Progression for Better Results