A few posts ago I published the weight programs (upper & lower body) that I did that week. In the last couple of days, I repeated those two programs again…but with progressions. I got to thinking that it might be interesting to look at how I progressed those programs & to examine some of the key issues surrounding weight program progressions. So…let’s do it!

The primary reason for progressing your weight program is that your body adapts to your exercise routine. Pretty obvious, right? I mean…the whole reason we exercise is to push our bodies to get stronger, fitter, leaner, etc. The beautiful thing is that all it takes is a small change to the exercise program & our bodies have to go through a whole new adaption process.

With weight programs there are multiple variables that can be changed (the reps, the sets & the weight used). However, we can easily compare workouts by combining all of these variables into one measurement:

Volume = Reps x Sets x Weight Lifted

Let’s take a look at how I manipulated volume to progress my program. I’ll use the lower body workout as an example. To keep things relatively simple not including my body weight in volume calculations. Also, isometric exercise (like the Wall Sits) are trickier to quantify. I’ll use a calculation called Isometric Volume for those.

Lower Body Workout (week of Aug 23)

Circuit 1

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 30 (15 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x No Weight (NW) + 1 set of 30 reps x 15 lbs = 10 + 450 = 460 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 60 sec = 60 sec

Circuit 2

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Supine Hip Extension in Smith Machine – 10 (50 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 15sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 30 (15 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x NW + 1 set of 10 reps x 50 lbs + 1 set of 30 reps x 15 lbs = 10 + 500 + 450 = 960 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 75 sec = 75 sec

Circuit 3

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Supine Hip Extension in Smith Machine – 10 (50 lbs)
• Leg Extension Machine – 10 (70 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 30sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 30 (15 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x NW + 1 set of 10 reps x 50 lbs + 1 set of 10 reps x 70 lbs + 1 set of 30 reps x 15 lbs = 10 + 500 + 700 + 450 = 1,660 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 90 sec = 90 sec

Circuit 4

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Supine Hip Extension in Smith Machine – 10 (50 lbs)
• Leg Extension Machine – 10 (70 lbs)
• 1-Leg Straight Leg Deadlift – 10 each leg (20 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 45sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 30 (15 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x NW + 1 set of 10 reps x 50 lbs + 1 set of 10 reps x 70 lbs + 1 set x 10 rep x 20 lbs + 1 set of 30 reps x 15 lbs = 10 + 500 + 700 + 200 + 450 = 1,860 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 105 sec = 105 sec

Total Volume for Aug 23 workout = 4,940 lbs + 330 sec Isometric Volume

Now, here’s how I progressed this workout. The specifics of each exercise are listed…but you can simply look at the total Volume numbers to get a broader understanding.

Lower Body Workout (week of Sept 6)

Circuit 1

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 10sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 20 (20 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x No Weight (NW) + 1 set of 20 reps x 20 lbs = 10 + 400 = 410 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 70 sec = 70 sec

Circuit 2

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Supine Hip Extension in Smith Machine – 10 (50 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 25sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 15 (25 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x NW + 1 set of 10 reps x 50 lbs + 1 set of 15 reps x 25 lbs = 10 + 500 + 375 = 885 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 85 sec = 85 sec

Circuit 3

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Supine Hip Extension in Smith Machine – 10 (50 lbs)
• 1-Leg Straight Leg Deadlift – 10 each leg (30 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 40sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 10 (30 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x NW + 1 set of 10 reps x 50 lbs + 1 set of 10 reps x 30 lbs + 1 set of 10 reps x 30 lbs = 10 + 500 + 300 + 300 = 1,110 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 100 sec = 100 sec

Circuit 4

• Walking Lunges w/ Hands Behind Head (elbows out) – 10 each leg (0 lbs)
• Supine Hip Extension in Smith Machine – 10 (50 lbs)
• Leg Extension Machine – 20 (60 lbs)
• 1-Leg Straight Leg Deadlift – 10 each leg (35 lbs)
• Wall Sit – 01min 55sec (0 lbs)
• Goblet Squats – 5 (35 lbs)
• Volume = 1 set of 10 reps x NW + 1 set of 10 reps x 50 lbs + 1 set of 20 reps x 60 lbs + 1 set x 10 rep x 35 lbs + 1 set of 5 reps x 35 lbs = 10 + 500 + 1,200 + 350 + 175 = 2,235 lbs
• Isometric Volume = 1 set x 115 sec = 115 sec

Total Volume for Sept 6 workout = 4,640 lbs + 370 sec Isometric Volume

OK, what does it all mean? Well, basically it means that you want SMALL adjustments from workout to workout. When you compare Aug 23 volumes to Sept 6 volumes you see that my Total Volume decreased, but my Isometric Volume increased. Also notice that the increase was about 12%…not a lot…just a little.

Here are your key points, folks.

1. Don’t “chase weight” on every exercise. Some exercises can be used to warm-up or pre-fatigue a muscle group prior to the main lift. I can lift more than my body weight when doing Lunges, but I used this exercise to tire out my legs a bit prior to the Wall Sit & Hip Extension.
2. Don’t increase the weight on ALL exercises. I did increase the Goblet Squat weight…but I concurrently dropped the reps.
3. Don’t increase the reps on ALL exercises. I increased the reps on the Leg Extension machine…but I concurrently dropped the weight.
4. Remember that isometric holds are quite challenging to the body…even more so than standard lifting procedures. Be careful with these & advance them slowly.
5. Aim for volume increases in the safe, conservative 10% range.

So, there you have it! I hope you found this interesting & helpful. If you have questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to help you find a better way to lift!