Progressive Overload Calculator: Week-by-Week Double Progression

How double progression works

Progressive overload means asking a little more of your muscles over time. The simplest way to do it on any exercise is double progression:

1. Pick a rep range, for example 8 to 12.
2. Each week, add one rep to every set.
3. When every set reaches the top of the range, add weight and drop back to the bottom.

The calculator follows exactly those rules. It starts from the weight and reps you hit on every set today and lays out the next weeks, marking the weeks where the weight goes up.

This matches a long-standing guideline: add 2 to 10% to the load once you can do one or two reps more than your target (American College of Sports Medicine, 2009).

A worked example

Made-up numbers: you do 60 kg for 8 reps on all sets, your range is 8 to 12 and your weight jump is 2.5 kg.

The 2.5 kg jump is about 4% of 60 kg, inside the 2 to 10% guideline.

Picking the range and the jump

• Big lifts like squats and deadlifts handle bigger jumps. Presses, rows and isolation work do better with small ones.
• On a barbell the smallest jump is usually 2.5 kg (a 1.25 kg plate per side).
• Dumbbells often go up in steps of 2 kg or 2.5 kg. On light dumbbells that is a large percentage, so a wider range like 10 to 15 gives you room to absorb it.

When real weeks don't match the plan

The plan assumes you add one rep a week, which beginners often manage and experienced lifters often don't. If you miss the target, repeat the same week until you hit it. Never trade form for an extra rep: a rep with sloppy technique doesn't count.

Warm up before your working sets, and stop if something hurts. Writing down every set is what makes this work, because each week you know exactly what you need to beat.