Module 4: Building a Training Program

If tension is what grows muscle, progressive overload is how you keep producing it week after week. The same weight for the same reps next week is an easier stimulus, and the muscle has no reason to keep growing.

The rule a client can hold in their head

• Same weight, one more rep = progress
• Same reps, a bit more weight (usually 2.5 kg) = progress

That's it. No complicated periodisation. One more rep is real progress. Coach clients out of waiting for a big jump before they count a win.

Double progression inside a rep range

Each exercise gets a rep range, like 8–12.

flowchart LR
    A[Pick a weight<br/>inside the range] --> B[Add reps each<br/>week at that weight]
    B --> C[Beat the top<br/>of the range]
    C --> D[Add the smallest<br/>weight jump]
    D --> B

• Inside the range: same weight next time, push for one more rep
• Past the top of the range: add the smallest weight increase available
• Well short of the bottom (3 or more reps under): drop the weight slightly and rebuild

The client doesn't need to wait for you to tell them what to lift. They climb the range, jump the weight, then climb again. You read the log and confirm it's moving.

One bad session doesn't break it. Sick, tired, one rep down? Hold the weight and try again next week.

The log is non-negotiable

Every set, every rep, every weight. Without the log, you're guessing. A photo of a notebook is fine. The numbers are what matter.

Check in at week 4

At about week 4 of a block, read the log:

• Are weights and reps moving up?
• Is anything stuck at the same numbers for 3+ weeks?

If two or more exercises have stalled, fix them specifically: a small weight reset, or a check that effort is really there (4.2). Don't rewrite the whole program.