Add weight when every set hits the top of your rep range with a rep in reserve. Here is how big a jump to make on barbells, dumbbells, and cable machines.
Increase the weight when you complete the top of your target rep range on all working sets with at least one rep in reserve. Make the smallest jump your equipment allows, usually 5 lb total on a barbell, 5 lb per hand on dumbbells, or one pin (about 10 lb) on a machine. After the jump, expect reps to fall toward the bottom of the range and build them back up.
"Should I go up this week?" is one of the most common questions in any gym. Go up too early and your form slips, your reps crash, and you stall. Wait too long and you waste weeks weightlifting a weight that stopped challenging you a while ago.
You do not need to decide by feel. A simple rule, based on your rep range and how hard the sets were, answers the question for nearly every lift.
Add weight when every working set reaches the top of your rep range with at least one rep in reserve.
That rule has three parts, and each one matters:
This mirrors guidance from the American College of Sports Medicine's 2009 position stand on progression, which suggests increasing load by about 2 to 10 percent once you can perform one or two reps beyond your target on two consecutive sessions.
Your rep range is the frame for every decision. A good default depends on your goal and whether the lift is a compound or isolation movement:
For muscle growth, the exact range matters less than many people think. A 2021 network meta-analysis by Lopez and colleagues found similar hypertrophy across light, moderate, and heavy loads, while maximal strength favored heavier loads. Pick a range you can train hard in and stick with it long enough to see progress.
The smallest increment your equipment allows. Here are realistic jumps:
| Equipment | Typical smallest jump | As a percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell | 2.5 lb per side, 5 lb total | 2% on a 225 lb squat |
| Dumbbells | 5 lb per hand | 10% going from 50s to 55s |
| Machines and cables | About 10 lb per pin | 10% on a 100 lb stack |
| Kettlebells | Often 8 to 9 lb or more | Varies, often large |
The barbell is the most forgiving. Dumbbells and machines are where most people run into trouble, because the jump is a large share of the load. On those lifts, you will often need to build further into the top of your range before the next step is manageable.
On big barbell lifts, early in training, jumps of 10 lb on squats or deadlifts are common and fine. As you get more experienced, smaller and less frequent increases are normal. If your bench has gone from 135 to 225, adding 5 lb every few weeks is still real progress.
Your reps will drop. That is expected, not a failure. Here is a lifter doing leg press in a 10 to 15 rep range:
| Session | Weight | Reps | RIR on last set | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 300 lb | 13, 12, 12 | 2 | Add reps |
| 2 | 300 lb | 15, 14, 13 | 2 | Add reps |
| 3 | 300 lb | 15, 15, 15 | 2 | Add weight |
| 4 | 320 lb | 12, 11, 11 | 1 | Build again |
| 5 | 320 lb | 13, 12, 12 | 2 | Add reps |
The new weight lands you mid-range, and you climb back up from there. If a jump drops you below the bottom of the range and the set was a grind, the jump was too big. Go back down a little and build more reps first.
That is still progress. A 2022 study by Plotkin and colleagues found that trained lifters who added reps at a fixed load gained similar muscle to those who added load each session. If you are stuck at a weight on a dumbbell exercise because the next pair is 10 percent heavier, push your reps a couple beyond the top of your usual range before moving up. You will have a bigger cushion when you make the jump.
There are times when the rule says go but the smarter call is to wait:
Use a simple back-off rule. If your first working set at the new weight falls well below the range and felt like a max effort, reduce the load by roughly 5 to 10 percent and rebuild. On a 200 lb row, that means dropping to about 185 lb, building to the top of the range, and trying again. Two steps forward, one back is still forward.
Alexandros is an iPhone app that works as a personal weightlifting coach you talk to in a chat, and this rule is how it decides your next session. You can describe a workout in plain English, like "leg press, 4 sets of 12 at 300, felt easy," or tap in sets yourself. Each set gets an effort rating from Very easy to Max effort, or reps in reserve directly.
Your goal and the lift type set the rep range, using the same defaults listed above. Then:
Jumps are sized for real equipment: 5 lb per hand on dumbbells and kettlebells, 2.5 lb per side on a barbell, and about 10 lb per pin on machines and cables. Over time it learns how you respond to increases and tunes the size and timing of the next jump. You can also just ask, "What should I do today?" and get a session plan built from your actual log.
Only if you earn it by hitting the top of your rep range on all sets with a rep in reserve. Beginners often do this weekly on main lifts. More experienced lifters may go weeks between increases on the same exercise, which is normal.
Both work. Adding reps at the same weight builds muscle about as well as adding load, according to a 2022 study by Plotkin and colleagues. Strength gains, though, eventually require heavier weights, so use reps to earn the next weight increase.
Build further past the top of your range before moving up, use a wider rep range, or move up on just one set at first. Pausing reps or slowing the lowering phase can also make a lighter weight harder in the meantime.
Ask yourself honestly whether you could have done one more clean rep. If bar speed was slowing but the rep was not a grind, you probably had one left. If you barely finished, you were at zero.
