Linear Progression (LP)

---

Your Bread and Butter Starting Point.
This is the simplest, and most effective model for beginner trainees.

Your goal: add weight to the bar every session to your 5 key lifts.

• +2.5kg for upper body lifts
• +5kg for lower body lifts

Example

Bench Press

• Week 1 – 60kg × 6
• Week 2 – 62.5kg × 6
• Week 3 – 65kg × 6
• Week 4 – 67.5kg × 6

Back Squat

• Week 1 – 75kg × 6
• Week 2 – 80kg × 6
• Week 3 – 85kg × 6
• Week 4 – 90kg × 6

Eventually, progress will stall.

First action: re-attempt the same weight for the next two sessions.

If you can’t break through after that, audit yourself:

• Am I sleeping enough?
• How’s my diet?
• How’s my stress outside the gym?

If something’s off, address it first before changing your training plan.

Stick with linear progression for as long as it works.
For most beginners, that’s 4 to 9+ months of steady gains. Don’t rush it.

A good gauge for making a change: If sleep, diet, and stress are in check — and just one lift is stalling while the rest progress smoothly — then you’ve likely hit a wall with that particular lift. It’s time to switch gears.

Drop to a smaller progression increment:

• 2.5kg for lower body lifts
• 1kg for upper body lifts (Invest in a pair of micro-plates.)

And eventually, move to a double progression model for your key lifts…