Struggling to Increase Strength on Your Lifts? Try This Method to Master Heavier Weights

6 min readWorking out at the gym and lifting weights seems fairly simple. Go to the gym. Pick up weights. Lift them a few times. Repeat. Sounds easy enough, but if you never change up the way you approach your training, you might never get stronger or build more muscle.Progressive overload (a.k.a, gradually increasing the challenge you put on your muscles) is really what sparks change. And there are several methods worth implementing to make progressing second nature. If your goal is to increase reps, weights, or both—the double progression method might be for you.Whether you are struggling to increase strength or you are just looking for ways to better master heavier weights on your strength training days, the double progression method may be just what you need in your weekly workout lineup.What Is the Double Progression Method? “The double progression method is a straightforward method that focuses on two variables to adjust in your workout, per exercise, to help increase your overall volume of the workout,” explains Garrett Kriegseis, CPT, CSCS, and Level 1 Weightlifting Coach. “All you have to do is adjust your reps and weight. It is as simple as that!”Okay, but what exactly does that look like in action? First, come up with a rep range. Kriegseis says to choose a weight range you know you can successfully execute. For example, if you know you can do a solid 8 reps of bicep curls using 20-pound dumbbells, choose 8 reps as your lower target number and add a few additional reps—so 8 to 12 reps in total.Then, keep grabbing the 20-pound dumbbells and try to increase your reps each week. Once you start hitting 12 reps consistently, you will want to increase the weight you were using by 5-10 pounds and start back at the bottom of the rep range, which would be 8 reps in this case.Take squats, for example. Say you do 135 pounds for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. The first week you might hit 8, 8, 7, but then the next week you might bump up to 9, 9, 9. Keep hitting this exercise, aiming for that extra rep each time, until you hit all 3 sets at 12 reps, and then bump up the weight to 145 and go back down to doing 3 sets of 8 reps.If you are having trouble figuring out what rep ranges you should use consider your goals, Tabthea Lomo, Certified Fitness Trainer with Planet Fitness, Pain-Free Performance Specialist Certification, and ISSA Certified Transformation Specialist, says. “Aim for 3 to 5 reps for strength, 6 to 12 for muscle growth, and 12 to 15 for muscular endurance.”If you are not sure what your goal is currently, no worries! “Whatever range you land on, increasing reps and weight over time builds strength and muscle while helping you avoid injury and plateaus, because you’re always progressing on purpose instead of guessing.”How to Use the Double Progression Method in Your Own Training Introducing the double progression method into your training regimen is pretty easy and straightforward, but there are a few tips to keep in mind.Always Focus on Form FirstForm is always first and foremost one of the most important things when lifting. “Form will always be the main priority,” states Kriegseis. “If you are ever doing a rep that starts to compromise your form, that is when you have reached failure.”Make sure your form is solid before implementing any progressive overload method.Apply It to Bigger Compound LiftsKriegseis suggests implementing the double progression method for your big compound movements like the bench press, deadlifts, rows, and squats, where the workload is easier to control.“You most certainly can do this method with isolated movements and machines, but you will see more results with compound movements,” he says. “Using this method on the compound lifts will not only assist in building up your larger muscle groups, but also your smaller ones for your isolated movements.” Try our Strong After 50 Workout Plan Try It in ClassIf you are an avid member of group fitness classes, the double progression method may be tricky to implement, but you can still get creative.“Group fitness classes limit how much control you have over load, but you can still create the same effect by slowing down the movement,” shares Lomo. “You’re not adding weight, but you’re increasing time under tension, which makes the same weight feel heavier. The goal of Double Progression is to challenge the muscle every time you train. As long as you’re doing that, you’re getting the benefit, class or no class.”Benefits of the Double Progression MethodIf you think you are getting double benefits with the double progression method, you may be right. Progressive overload is really the key to increased muscle strength and size, Kriegeis says—and this method provides a way to do that and more.“Since the weight only is increased once you hit the highest of the rep range, you truly start to build some very genuine strength in multiple ways,” adds Kriegeis. “Since you will be increasing your weight, you will be building your overall strength, but since you are also focusing on a higher rep range, you will also be building up that strength endurance, too. Not only are you strong, but you can be strong for a long time. You're not just able to lift a heavy weight once, but for a long time. That, in my book, is true strength.”Tips for Using the Double Progression MethodKeep a JournalOne of the biggest tips for using the double progression method is keeping a journal. “This can be a small notepad, a journal you get online, a phone app, or even just a note on your phone,” shares Kriegseis. “It does not need to be fancy, just something that you can bring to the gym consistently.”Track your reps, weights, and how you feel on sets so you can replicate and build on them from week to week (and see how much stronger you’re getting!).“In general, it is always good to keep track of your workouts, so you know what you may need to focus on, see what to push harder on, as well as see how much you have been improving,” says Kriegseis.Be PatientNext, never rush to get to the top range as quickly as possible. “This method does require patience. It is a bit slow by design, but it comes with very sweet rewards,” explains Kriegseis. “You may not be adding weight on the bar week by week, but you will be adding weight overall by increasing the reps week by week. It is very normal to take several weeks of training to progress to the next weight,” so don’t get discouraged.Do you have to lift heavy to do the double progression method? Lomo explains that there’s a stigma that building muscle requires lifting heavy, and that’s only partially true. “Heavy loads do stress the muscle and create fiber damage, and when the muscle repairs itself, with proper nutrition and recovery, it grows back stronger to protect itself from that stress in the future, but that’s not the only way to create the stimulus: Slowing down a movement, adding a pause at the hardest point of the rep, or pushing a set to failure with lighter weight can all trigger the same adaptation.”If you are thinking of using the double progression method, Lomo says pick exercises you actually enjoy, choose your rep ranges according to your goal, and rotate them every 4–6 weeks. “The two nonnegotiables are tracking and consistency,” notes Lomo. “Double progression is about giving your training a clear system, so you always know your next step. Track it, stay consistent, and trust the process.”Find the Perfect Women’s Health Training Program for YouJustin SteeleRona Ahdout//Hearst OwnedAshley Martens, C.S.C.S. is a wellness writer based in Chicago. With a lifelong passion for all things health and wellness, Ashley enjoys writing about topics to help people live happier and healthier lives. With a foundation in fitness, food, and nutrition, Ashley covers it all including sexual health and travel topics. Ashley is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor.