Linear progression: hit your reps, add weight.
The simplest way to get strong. No spreadsheets, no RIR guessing. Here's exactly how Swole.fit runs it.
What is linear progression?
Linear progression is the simplest way to get stronger: keep the same exercises, sets and reps, and add a little weight every week you hit all your reps. Miss them and you repeat the weight. It works best in your first one to two years of lifting.
Best for: under 1-2 years of lifting, or a strength block. In Swole.fit a linear plan runs 4-12 weeks, with 3 sets per exercise and no scheduled deload week.
Reps and progression per exercise
Big barbell lifts get low reps and a weight jump every success. Smaller lifts climb in reps first, then weight.
| Exercise | How it progresses | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell compound | Fixed reps, add weight on success | 5 |
| Other compound and weighted bodyweight | Fixed reps, add weight on success | 8 |
| Isolation | Add a rep on success, add weight at 15 | 10 climbing to 15 |
| Bodyweight | Add a rep on success, hold at the cap | 8 climbing to 20 |
How much weight to add
Lower body lifts move bigger loads, so they get bigger jumps. Everything rounds to plates you actually have.
| Unit | Lower body | Upper body | Isolation |
|---|---|---|---|
| kg | +2.5 | +1.25 | +1.25 (+2.5 from 20 kg) |
| lbs | +5 | +2.5 | +2.5 (+5 from 45 lbs) |
A squat, week by week
Three sets of five, starting at 60 kg. Every clean week adds 2.5 kg until the bar fights back.
- Week 160 kgStarting weight
- Week 262.5 kgHit every rep, weight goes up
- Week 365 kgHit every rep, weight goes up
- Week 467.5 kgHit every rep, weight goes up
- Week 570 kgHit every rep, weight goes up
- Week 672.5 kgHit every rep, weight goes up
- Week 775 kgHit every rep, weight goes up
- Week 875 kgMissed reps, same weight again
- Week 975 kgMissed reps, same weight again
- Week 1075 kgMissed reps, same weight again
- Week 1167.5 kgThree misses in a row, reset to 90%
The reset is not a punishment. Lighter weeks rebuild momentum, and most lifters blow past the old stall on the way back up.
When to switch to mesocycles
When resets keep coming within a few weeks on most of your lifts, weekly jumps have run out. That's a win: you're no longer a beginner.
Next stop is a mesocycle, where volume and effort climb across a block instead of weight every week. Not sure which fits? Compare all three plan types.
Linear progression FAQ
- How long does linear progression work?
- Usually three to nine months for a new lifter, sometimes longer on lower body lifts. Once you stall and reset on most lifts within a few weeks, it has done its job and a mesocycle takes over.
- What happens when I miss my reps?
- You repeat the same weight next week. Miss it 3 weeks in a row and Swole.fit drops that lift to 90 percent and you build back up, usually past where you stalled.
- What weight should I start with?
- Week one has no targets. Pick a weight you can lift for every set with two or three reps left in the tank. Starting light is a feature: it buys you weeks of easy progress.
- Do I need a deload week?
- Not a scheduled one. The stall reset is the deload, and it only kicks in for the lift that needs it.
- What if I skip a workout?
- Nothing counts against you. Targets carry forward to the next week and the skipped week is not a failure.
Start a linear plan in two minutes.
Pick your days and lifts. Swole.fit adds the weight, repeats the misses and handles the resets.