Tip Measure Your Gains With This Method Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Measure Your Gains With This Method If you' re only judging the effectiveness of your workouts by how sore you get you' re a newbie Here' s how to gauge actual progress by Christian Thibaudeau June 30, 2016August 18, 2019 Tags Tips, Training Are You Focusing on the Wrong Things The only thing that guarantees progress is progression. Pretty obvious, right? So why are you focusing on anything but progression? Feeling the burn. Getting a huge pump. Driving yourself into the ground. Crippling soreness. Not being able to drive after leg day. That all sounds cool and most are considered badges of honor, but none of that guarantees that your workout was effective and will lead to improvements. Yet we prefer to focus on these elements rather than on objective progression. Here's a training method to keep you focused on what really matters. The Double Progression Method In the double progression model your goal is to complete a certain number of sets for a certain number of reps with the same weight, like 5 x 8 with 200 pounds. Use a rep range where there's a difference of about 3 reps between the low end and the high end. For example, 5-8 reps. Your goal is to complete all your work sets in the upper end of the rep range. If you select the 5-8 rep range, the upper end is 8 reps. If you can get all 8 reps on every set When you're able to complete all your planned work sets with the same weight at the upper end of your selected rep range, you can increase the weight at your next workout. If you can t get all 8 reps on every set If you fail to reach the upper end on some of your sets, for example if you get 8, 8, 8, 7, and 6 reps for your five work sets, that's fine, but it means that at your next workout you have to use the same weight. You don't get to add weight until you can complete ALL your sets with the upper end of the range. That's real progression. And that's what you really need to build muscle and strength. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip How to Do a Regular-Guy Deload If you don't compete in powerlifting, do you still need to deload? Yes, if you train hard. Here's why and what to do. Training Paul Carter June 13 Training 40 Years of Insight - Part 1 Twenty things you need to know to get stronger, train smarter, and lift for the long haul. Motivation, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Dan John September 6 Training Tip Cable Hip Belt Squats Looks odd, but it's brutal on the quads due to the constant tension, even at the top of the rep. Exercise Coaching, Legs, Squat, Tips Ben Bruno August 23 Training Tip A Tough Effective Way to Push Press Do the eccentric accentuated push press. Fancy name, brutal strength exercise. Exercise Coaching, Overhead Press, Tips Joel Seedman, PhD March 30