5.7.2: The Double Progression Model

Because the muscle grows by adapting to the tension it experiences, you must expose it to incrementally greater tension over time. The most reliable method for doing this in hypertrophy training is double progression:

  1. Add reps first. Select a rep range (e.g., 8–12). Start with a weight you can lift for 8 reps at RIR 1–2. Over subsequent sessions, add reps until you reach the top of the range (12 reps) while maintaining the same RIR.
  2. Add load, drop reps. When you can complete all sets at the top of the rep range, increase the load by the smallest available increment. The new heavier weight will drop you back to the bottom of the rep range. Repeat.

The Double Progression Model

This method ensures that progression is earned, not forced. You are not arbitrarily adding weight every week; you are adding weight only when the muscle has demonstrably adapted to the previous dose.