Progression schemes you can actually write down: linear, double progression, RIR-based, and relative loads
Progression is the rule that turns one week's prescription into the next. This guide gives four schemes as written prescriptions, shows what each asks you to decide, and maps each to Method's prescription fields so you can build it rather than describe it.
GuideUpdated 5 min readMarkdown version
What a scheme has to specify
Every scheme answers the same three questions. What changes from session to session, what triggers the change, and what stays fixed. Write those down and you have a prescription. The table below gives each scheme in those terms and then in Method's fields.
| Scheme | What changes | Trigger | Fixed | In Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Load, by a set step | Every session, as long as the reps were completed | Sets and reps | Exact reps, set load per week in the plan |
| Double progression | Reps within a range, then load | Top of the range reached on every set | Sets, the range | Rep range, raise load in the next week when the log shows the top |
| RIR-based | Load, chosen on the day | Hold the RIR target; load follows | Sets, reps, RIR target | Exact reps plus RIR target, suggested loads as the starting point |
| Top set plus back-offs | The top set's load | Top set at a target RIR; back-offs follow it | Back-off percentage and reps | One set at a RIR target, remaining sets as a percentage of the top set |
Linear progression
Add a fixed amount to the bar each session. Five kilograms on squat and deadlift, two and a half on presses is the classic pattern. Reps and sets stay put. When a session's reps are missed, repeat the weight; when they are missed again, reduce and rebuild.
Written. Squat, 3 sets of 5, 100 kg this week, 105 kg next week, 110 kg the week after.
In Method. Exact reps, one load per week written into the program. Duplicate the week and raise the loads in the copy. Bulk edit can change the load across a week if the step is uniform. Linear progression runs out; when it does, switch the lift to one of the schemes below.
Double progression
Pick a rep range, say 8 to 12, and a weight you can do for 8 on every set. Each session, try for more reps. When every set reaches 12, add weight next time and drop back to 8. The weight moves slowly and only after the reps earned it.
Written. Dumbbell row, 3 sets of 8 to 12, 30 kg until 3 by 12, then 32.5 kg.
In Method. A rep range prescription. The log shows the reps you got on each set; when the top of the range is reached across the sets, raise the load in the following week. Suggested loads will propose a starting weight from your last eligible set and the target, so the first set of a new load is pre-filled.
Progressing reps before load has a direct test. In 43 trained participants over 8 weeks, a group that added repetitions at a fixed load and a group that added load at fixed repetitions saw similar changes in muscle size, strength, endurance, and jump height, with differences the authors called of questionable practical significance; both were judged viable [1].
RIR-based progression
Hold the reps and the RIR target constant and let the weight follow. A set of 6 at 2 RIR will weigh more on a good day than a bad one, and the load over weeks tracks your strength without a fixed schedule of increases. This is a form of autoregulation, adjusting training from measured or perceived capability rather than a fixed plan [4].
The comparisons with fixed loading are mixed in size but not in direction. In 21 trained men over 8 weeks, RPE-based loading and percentage-of-1RM loading produced similar strength and muscle thickness gains with no significant difference between groups [2]. A 12-week study reported greater strength improvements with RIR-based autoregulation than with fixed loading [3]. Taken together, RIR-based loading is at least as effective as fixed percentages in these trials, with the practical advantage that it adapts to the day.
Written. Bench press, 4 sets of 6 at 2 RIR. The weight is whatever 6 at 2 RIR is today.
In Method. Exact reps with an RIR or RPE target on every set, decimals allowed. Turn on suggested loads and the first set proposes a weight from your most recent eligible set inverted for today's reps and RIR; later sets anchor to the set you just did. Judging the RIR honestly is the whole scheme, so see how to judge reps in reserve. The load you log each week is your progression record; estimated 1RM shows it as one point per training day.
Top set and back-offs
Work up to one heavy set at a target RIR, then do volume at a percentage of that set's load. The top set sets the day's level; the back-offs follow it.
Written. Deadlift, 1 set of 3 at 1 RIR, then 3 sets of 5 at 85 percent of the top set.
In Method. The top set is an exact rep prescription with an RIR target. The back-off sets carry a load instruction relative to another set, with the reference as the top set and the percentage you choose. Method resolves the back-off load from what you actually log for the top set on the day. This is a percentage of a set in the session; Method has no percent-of-1RM prescription, and estimated 1RM is an analytics number, not a programming input.
Mixing schemes by exercise
Most programs are not one scheme. A block might run RIR-based progression on the main lift, top set and back-offs on the second compound, and double progression on every accessory. Method holds them side by side in the same session because the prescription is per set; the scheme is whatever rule you applied when you wrote the sets.
Where the deload fits
Any scheme accumulates fatigue. Write the deload into the end of the block when you build it, so the reset is planned rather than forced. See deload weeks.
Common questions
- What is double progression?
- Work inside a rep range at a fixed weight. When you hit the top of the range on every set, add weight next session and drop back to the bottom of the range. In Method that is a rep range prescription; you raise the load when the log shows the top of the range was reached.
- Does Method progress the weight for me?
- No. You write the progression by editing the program. Method's suggested load proposes a starting weight from your last eligible set, inverted for the next set's reps and RIR, and shows the arithmetic. It is a starting point, not a progression rule.
- Can I prescribe a percentage of 1RM in Method?
- No. Method has no percent-of-1RM prescription. You can prescribe a load relative to another set in the session, for example 90 percent of the top set, which is how back-off sets are usually written.
- Which scheme should I use?
- Linear for new lifters and early blocks, double progression for most accessory work, RIR-based for experienced lifters on main lifts, and top set plus back-offs when you want one heavy exposure and volume behind it. Many programs mix them by exercise.
References
Numbered citations in the text refer to this list. Each entry links to the paper on PubMed or by DOI.
- Plotkin D, Coleman M, Van Every D, Maldonado J, Oberlin D, Israetel M, Feather J, Alto A, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ. Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 2022. PubMed 36199287
- Helms ER, Byrnes RK, Cooke DM, Haischer MH, Carzoli JP, Johnson TK, Cross MR, Cronin JB, Storey AG, Zourdos MC. RPE vs. Percentage 1RM Loading in Periodized Programs Matched for Sets and Repetitions. Frontiers in Physiology, 2018. PubMed 29628895
- Graham T, Cleather DJ. Autoregulation by 'Repetitions in Reserve' Leads to Greater Improvements in Strength Over a 12-Week Training Program Than Fixed Loading. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2021. PubMed 31009432
- Greig L, Stephens Hemingway BH, Aspe RR, Cooper K, Comfort P, Swinton PA. Autoregulation in Resistance Training: Addressing the Inconsistencies. Sports Medicine, 2020. PubMed 32813181
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