Understanding Your Program & Progression
How double progression, linear, RPE and the other progression methods set your training loads from what you log.
"Progression" is the rule that decides whether your next session's weight goes up, stays the same, or comes down. MuscleBuddy offers several methods: your program (or your coach) picks the one that fits each exercise, and the app applies it after each logged session.
The methods
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Workout | Double | Linear | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 132 lb | 132 lb | 132 lb |
| 2 | 132 lb | 138 lb | 138 lb |
| 3 | 132 lb | 143 lb | 143 lb |
| 4 | 138 lb | 149 lb | 143 lb |
| 5 | 143 lb | 154 lb | 143 lb |
| 6 | 143 lb | 160 lb | 138 lb |
| 7 | 149 lb | 165 lb | 132 lb |
| 8 | 154 lb | 171 lb | 127 lb |
| Method | What moves the bar | Reads your reps | Reads your effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double progression | Reps first, then weight | Yes | No | Most hypertrophy work |
| Linear | A fixed step each session | Only to catch a stall | No | Early strength training |
| RPE-based | How hard the set felt | Only to catch a stall | Yes | Anyone whose weeks vary |
| Percentage-based | A share of your training max | Yes, a better set raises the max | No | Strength-focused blocks |
| Wave | Repeated waves of sets within a session | Yes, a missed top set holds | No | Peaking and intensity blocks |
- Double progression: add a rep each session until every set reaches the top of your rep range, then the weight goes up one step and reps reset to the bottom of the range.
- Linear progression: a fixed weight increase every session, common for beginners on compound lifts.
- RPE-based: your logged RPE or RIR drives the adjustment. The load moves about 3.5% for each point your effort landed from the target: an easy session nudges weight up, a grinding one brings it down. One session can move it by at most three points' worth. See the free RPE calculator if you want to sanity-check a rating against a percentage of your max.
- Percentage-based: working weight is a percentage of a training max (75% unless your program sets another), common in strength-focused blocks. The max is your best estimated one-rep max, so a strong set raises it the moment you log it. Estimate yours with the 1RM calculator.
- Wave: sets run in repeated waves within a session (for example 3, 2, 1 reps), each wave 2.5% heavier than the one before. Sessions get up to three waves as the block goes on, and the top set climbs one step per session.
You don't have to pick one
Different exercises in the same program can run different methods: your squat might be on percentage-based while accessory work uses double progression. You set this per exercise.
Why a lift stalls
If a lift isn't moving, a deload or phase change is usually due, recovery is behind (check the Health hub), or logged RPE has been creeping up for a few sessions in a row. The app responds to each of these and tells you what it changed.
| What you see | What it usually means | What the app does |
|---|---|---|
| Same weight, target reps climbing | Double progression is mid-range | Holds the load until every set hits the top |
| Weight steps down after repeated misses | Three sessions in a row short of the rep floor | Backs the load off 10% so you can build into it again |
| Weight eases while your reps stay fine | Logged effort is above your target RPE | Trims the load toward the effort you asked for |
| Nothing moves for a whole week | A deload or phase transition is due | Prescribes the deload rather than repeating the block |
Why the weight steps down
A lighter prescription after a run of missed sessions is the rule working. Linear, double progression, RPE and wave all back off this way. Percentage-based loads follow your training max instead, so they don't.
Where to go next
More guides
MuscleBuddy 101: What's Where and Why
A quick orientation to the app: what Plan, Train, Nutrition, Health and Community do, and how they connect.
Logging Your First Workout
The logging flow: starting a session, recording sets, RPE/RIR, and how offline mode keeps you covered.
Nutrition Targets & Auto-Adjustment
How your macro targets are calculated and why they shift after weigh-ins.
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