How to Progress in Strength Training: Adjust the Load, Reps, or Rest Period?

Steadily increasing the difficulty of your workouts is key to building muscle and strength over time. But how should you approach progression? Should you lift heavier, do more reps, shorten rest periods, or something else entirely?

Let’s break it down.

Where to Start

Effective progression begins with a solid foundation. Starting too light may delay your progress, while starting too heavy can lead to early burnout.

To set yourself up for success, select a weight that allows you to stay within your target rep range for your specific goal. Here's a general guide:

• 3-6 reps for building pure strength
• 5-10 reps for a mix of strength and muscle gain
• 10-20 reps primarily for muscle growth

Choose a weight that challenges you but leaves you with 2-3 reps in the tank for each set.

Test and Adjust

You won’t always pick the perfect weight for your target rep range on the first try—and that’s fine. The key is to experiment. Find a weight that feels challenging but doesn’t compromise your form or feel too light.

For instance, if your target is 6-8 reps on the bench press but you can comfortably do 10, add 5 lbs to the bar for the next set. Conversely, reduce the load by 5 lbs if the weight feels too heavy and you can’t complete the set properly.

Adding Weight and Reps

Progression depends on the exercises and your goals. If your focus is on getting stronger, aim to gradually increase the weight and train in a lower rep range, such as 3-6.

For those more interested in muscle growth than sheer strength, there's more flexibility. You can train in higher rep ranges and focus on adding reps before increasing the weight.

For example, when doing lat pulldowns, pick a weight that allows you to perform 10 solid reps. Over time, work up to 15 reps before increasing the weight and going back to 10 reps. The same approach works for isolation exercises like bicep curls—if maintaining good form is difficult at 10-12 reps, focus on lighter weights and higher reps (up to 20) before adding more weight.

Train Fitness AI can help make this process even easier by automatically progressing your weights and suggesting smart weight increases based on your performance. This ensures that you're always challenging yourself at the right level, removing the guesswork from your progression.

A Brief Note on Rest Periods

Rest periods play an important role in your performance. The goal is to rest just long enough to maintain your rep count across sets. If you hit 10 reps in the first set, aim to get at least 8 reps in the last.

Here’s a general guide for rest times:

• 3-5 minutes for heavy sets (3-6 reps)
• 2-3 minutes for moderate sets (6-10 reps)
• 1.5-2.5 minutes for lighter sets (10-15 reps)
• 1-2 minutes for the lightest sets (15+ reps)

While shortening rest periods can be a form of progression, it’s not usually the best method unless time is tight. Reducing rest can negatively affect performance and increase injury risk when lifting close to your maximum capacity.

Conclusion

Progression is personal and typically a blend of adding weight and reps, depending on your goals and the exercises you're performing.