Strength Progression Planner

Model {{ resultsReady ? analysis.model_label : '—' }} Block {{ resultsReady ? `${analysis.weeks} weeks` : '—' }} Change {{ resultsReady ? formatSignedPercent(analysis.peak_change_percent) : '—' }}

Progression model:

Choose a projection pattern that matches how you intend to earn the next increase.

Lift:

The selected lift labels the plan; you still control every load and progression input.

Current working load:

Changing units converts the load and increment while preserving the physical quantities.

Work sets per exposure:

The deload percentage reduces this count and rounds to a whole set.

sets

Starting reps per set:

Linear and wave plans keep this target; double progression builds from it.

reps

Rep cap before adding load:

Keep this above the starting target so the rep range has at least two steps.

reps

Block length:

A shorter block is easier to revise when actual repetitions or recovery differ from the projection.

weeks

Weekly exposures:

This multiplies the projected weekly volume; it does not schedule particular weekdays.

per week

Load increment:

The planner projects your selection; it does not infer readiness from logged performance.

Plate rounding:

Choose a step that matches the smallest practical whole-bar change in your gym.

Planned deload:

This is a planning control, not a claim that a fixed cadence is necessary for everyone.

Deload load:

Applied to the preceding unrounded loading-week target before plate rounding.

Deload set volume:

The schedule rounds the result to a whole number of work sets.

Block note:

The neutral default is blank and leaves every computed result unchanged.

Block plan

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Progression rules

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Week	Phase	Target load	Prescription	Copy
{{ row.week }}	{{ row.phase }}	{{ formatLoad(row.target_load) }}	{{ row.sets }} × {{ row.reps }} × {{ row.sessions }}/week

Progress in strength training is earned by completed work, not by a rising spreadsheet line. A useful block gives the next few weeks a clear direction while leaving room to change the plan when technique, pain, recovery, or actual repetitions disagree with the projection.

Progressive overload means increasing training demand over time. Load is one lever, but repetitions, sets, weekly exposures, range of motion, effort, and exercise difficulty also change the demand. Adding 2.5 kg every week may be manageable on one lift and too aggressive on another because the same increment represents a different percentage of the current working load.

Three common progression patterns handle that problem differently:

Linear progression adds the chosen load increment on every loading week.
Double progression raises repetitions within a range before adding load and returning to the starting repetitions.
Wave progression cycles through base, build, and heavy targets, then raises the next wave's base.

A working load should represent repeatable work sets, not a one-repetition maximum or an exceptional best day. The plan also needs an equipment-sized rounding step. A mathematically neat target such as 101.25 kg is not useful when the available plates only allow 2.5 kg changes, and rounding can cause several projected weeks to land on the same practical load.

Deloads are planned reductions in load, set volume, or both. They can create space for fatigue to settle, but a fixed cadence is not necessary for everyone. Training age, proximity to failure, exercise selection, sport practice, injury history, sleep, and life stress all affect whether a planned reduction is timely.

A block projection cannot decide readiness. Pain, numbness, dizziness, repeated technique breakdown, or performance that falls well below the plan should override the next increase. People returning from injury or managing a medical condition should use individualized guidance rather than treating a generated schedule as clearance.

How to Use This Tool:

Plan one main lift at a time so the working load, increment, and available plates describe the same exercise.

Choose the Progression model and lift, then enter a repeatable Current working load in kilograms or pounds.
Set work sets, starting repetitions, block length, and weekly exposures. For double progression, make the Rep cap greater than the starting target.
Enter the load increment and select Plate rounding that matches the smallest practical whole-bar change in your gym.
Choose a deload cadence or leave it off. If enabled, set the percentage of the preceding loading target and the percentage of normal sets to retain.
Read the peak target together with the weekly schedule and progression rules. Revise the block when actual training stops matching the projected repetitions, technique, or recovery.

Interpreting Results:

Projected peak working load is the highest rounded target among loading weeks. A deload never becomes the peak, and the peak is not an estimated one-repetition maximum. The percentage change compares that peak with the entered working load.

Projected block volume adds load × sets × repetitions × weekly exposures across all weeks. It is useful for comparing versions of the same lift and unit, but it does not measure fatigue, effort, range of motion, exercise difficulty, or the volume of other training.

A review flag appears when the peak increase exceeds 20%.
For linear and wave plans, another flag appears when plate rounding creates more than one adjacent repeated loading target.
Repeated loads are expected in double progression because repetitions rise before the next load increase.
Zero flags mean only that these two repository-authored checks did not trigger; they do not prove readiness or safety.

Technical Details:

Loading weeks are indexed separately from calendar weeks. A deload does not advance the loading index, so the next loading week resumes the selected progression sequence. The arithmetic is deterministic and repository-authored; the cited exercise guidance provides context for progressive resistance training, not authority for these exact week-by-week rules.

Formula Core

Linear progression adds one increment for every completed loading index after the first.

L_{k} = L_{0} + (k - 1) d

L₀ is the current working load, d is the chosen increment, and k counts loading weeks only. With 100 kg and a 2.5 kg increment, loading indices 1, 2, and 3 produce 100, 102.5, and 105 kg before rounding.

Every raw target is rounded to the selected whole-bar step. Exact mode keeps four decimal places.

L_{target} = s \times round (\frac{L_{raw}}{s})

Weekly volume uses the rounded target and the planned weekly exposure count.

V = L_{target} \times sets \times reps \times sessions

Rule Core: progression models

Strength progression model rules
Model	Load rule	Repetition rule
Linear	Add one increment each loading week.	Keep starting repetitions.
Double progression	Hold load through the rep range, then add one increment.	Add one repetition each loading week from the start through the cap, then reset.
Three-week wave	Base, build, and heavy add 0, 1, and 2 increments within the first wave; the next base begins one increment above the prior base.	Keep starting repetitions.

For double progression, the number of rep steps is q = top reps − starting reps + 1. At loading index k, load increases by floor((k − 1) / q) increments and repetitions equal starting reps + ((k − 1) mod q).

Rule Core: deloads

A calendar week is a deload when its number is evenly divisible by the selected interval. Raw deload load equals the previous loading week's unrounded target multiplied by the deload-load percentage. Sets equal the normal work sets multiplied by the deload-set percentage, rounded to a whole number with a minimum of one. Repetitions return to the starting target, then plate rounding is applied to the deload load.

Accepted ranges are 1 to 2,000 for working load, 1 to 10 work sets, 1 to 20 starting reps, 3 to 16 weeks, 1 to 6 weekly exposures, and 0 to 200 for the load increment. Deload load accepts 40% to 100%; deload set volume accepts 20% to 100%.

Safety and Accuracy Notes:

The schedule projects selected rules and assumes every loading week is earned. It does not ingest completed sets, reps in reserve, velocity, pain, technique, sleep, or recovery, so it cannot adapt after a missed repetition or unusually easy session.

Use working loads you can repeat with consistent technique, not an all-time maximum.
Change one major lever at a time when possible; simultaneous jumps in load, sets, reps, and frequency are harder to evaluate.
Plate rounding can enlarge, shrink, or erase a planned increment.
Stop or modify training for pain, numbness, dizziness, or repeated technique breakdown, and seek qualified help when needed.

References:

Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults, American College of Sports Medicine, 2026.
ACSM Publishes Updated Resistance Training Guidelines, American College of Sports Medicine, 2026.