Progressive Overload Made Easy

Pick 9-12 exercises. Find your 5-6 rep max for each of those exercises. Stick with that weight until you're able to get 10-12 reps with your former 5-6 rep max weight.

Progressive overloading via repetition ramping is a simple, effective, under-utilized method for maximizing muscle gains without sapping your nervous system or putting unnecessary stress on your tendons and joints.

This method is ideal for those whose goal is hypertrophy and general health & fitness. It is less ideal if your primary goal is strength gain – specifically limit strength. 

If you primarily train for strength, you'd be better off doing linear progression until plateauing, and then switch to a wave periodized approach, such as a 5/3/1 program.

But if you are primarily training for body composition, health, and day to day performance – which is the case for most of my followers and clients – you need to focus on increasing muscle mass (hypertrophy). This is the method I recommend for those people. It's perfect for improving body composition and hypertrophy.

It's simple. 

It's sustainable. 

It's fun.

Put your ego aside. Don't become obsessed with increasing weight until you double the reps you're able to do. Become obsessed with increasing the amount of reps you can complete in a set with a heavy weight.

It may seem like progress is slow, but the accumulation of reps with these heavy loads over time will result in a massive accumulation of muscle tissue. This is what we want.

Here's a few simple, sample training templates you can use to help you apply this broad rep accumulation method, while focusing on less total exercises. Sessions should take about 30 minutes to complete.

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Full Body Program: FB4X (2-4 days per week)

Warm up: 1-2 rounds of calf raise or jump rope, abs or loaded carries, glute bridges or clam shells. 

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Session A

Ex 1: row variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: horizontal push (chest) variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: squat/lunge variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 4: tricep isolation variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

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Session B

Ex 1: pullup variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: vertical push or shoulder variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: hinge/posterior chain variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps 

Ex 4: bicep isolation variation x 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps 

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Upper/Lower: UL43X (2-5 days per week)

Warmup with 1-2 rounds of glute bridges or clam shells and an ab exercise or loaded carry

Upper A

Ex 1: vertical pull-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: vertical push or lateral raise-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: bicep curl variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 4: tricep extension variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

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Legs A

Ex 1: squat or lunge variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: hinge variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: calf raise-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

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Upper B

Ex 1: horizontal pull-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: horizontal push-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: bicep curl variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 4: tricep extension variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

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Legs B

Ex 1: alternate squat or lunge variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: alternate hinge variation-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: calf raise-3-4 sets x 6-12 reps

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Pull/Push/Legs: PPL 3X (3-6 days per week)

Warmup with 1-2 rounds of glute bridges or clam shells and an ab exercise or loaded carry

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Pull

Ex 1: vertical pull x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: horizontal pull x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: bicep isolation x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps 

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Push

Ex 1: horizontal push x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: vertical push or shoulder isolation (lateral raise or upright rows) x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps 

Ex 3: tricep isolation x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps

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Legs

Ex 1: squat/split squat or lunge x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 2: hinge x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps

Ex 3: calf isolation OR secondary squat/lunge exercise x 3-5 sets x 6-12 reps 

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Let's all get jacked this year!