Guide, 2026-11-04

Double progression: track progressive overload in a spreadsheet

Getting stronger depends on doing a little more over time: more weight, more reps or more sets. That idea is called progressive overload, and the hard part is not understanding it but remembering, at the start of each session, exactly what you did last time. A simple training log that applies one clear rule removes the guesswork. This guide shows one of the most common rules, double progression, and how to track it in any spreadsheet.

How double progression works

For each exercise, pick a rep range (for example 6 to 8), a number of working sets and the smallest weight increment you can add (often 2.5 kg or 5 lb). Then:

1. Stay at the same weight and try to add reps each session.
2. When every working set reaches the top of the range, add one increment next session.
3. With the heavier weight you will usually drop back towards the bottom of the range. Build the reps up again and repeat.

There are two ways to progress (reps, then weight), hence the name. It suits most exercises, needs no percentages and adjusts itself to how you are actually performing.

Step 1: Set up an exercise list

One row per exercise: name, muscle group, rep range low and high, number of working sets and increment. Keeping these on one sheet means the rule can look them up.

Step 2: Log every working set

On a log sheet, one row per set: date, exercise, weight and reps. Leave warm-up sets out, or mark them, so they do not distort the numbers. One row per set looks long but makes every calculation a simple filter.

Step 3: Let a formula decide the next target

For the most recent session of an exercise, find the lowest reps across its working sets. If that minimum is at or above the top of the range, the next weight is the last weight plus the increment; otherwise it stays the same. In a spreadsheet: =IF(MinReps >= RepHigh, LastWeight + Increment, LastWeight). Show the target next to the exercise and check it before you train.

Step 4: Estimate your one-rep max

Testing a true one-rep max is tiring and not necessary to measure progress. The Epley formula estimates it from any set: e1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30). Calculate it for every set and keep the highest per exercise with its date: that is your estimated personal record. Estimates like this are most reliable for sets of up to about 12 reps.

A worked example

A fictional lifter benches 3 sets with a 6-8 rep range and a 2.5 kg increment:

Volume is total reps × weight: session 3 is 24 × 60 = 1,440 kg and session 4 is 19 × 62.5 = 1,187.5 kg. The best e1RM in session 1 is 60 × (1 + 8 ÷ 30) = 76.0 kg; in session 4 it is 62.5 × (1 + 7 ÷ 30) = 77.1 kg, a new estimated record. Only session 3 had every set at 8, so only session 3 triggered the weight increase.

Notice that volume dropped in session 4 even though the lifter got stronger. That is normal after a weight increase, and it is why volume is best read as a weekly trend rather than session by session.

Track the week, not just the session

A weekly summary answers different questions: how many workouts you did, total volume compared with last week, and how many working sets each muscle group received. Count sets per muscle group with COUNTIFS on the week and the muscle group looked up from your exercise list.

If you track bodyweight, use a 7-day average rather than single weigh-ins, which jump around with water and food. For example, seven morning readings of 80.4, 80.1, 80.6, 79.9, 80.2, 80.0 and 79.8 kg add up to 561.0 kg, an average of about 80.1 kg. Compare that average with the one from 30 days earlier to see the real direction.

Common mistakes

• Adding weight when only the first set hit the top of the range.
• Mixing warm-up sets with working sets in the log.
• Using an increment too large for the exercise, so reps collapse after every jump.
• Trusting e1RM from sets of 15 or more reps.
• Logging in kg one week and lb the next.

When a ready-made log saves time

The formulas are simple for one exercise; across a full programme, with weekly summaries and records, they become a lot of lookups to maintain. LiftBook applies double progression to give a next-session target for every exercise, tracks estimated one-rep maxes (Epley) and the date of each record, summarises 12 weeks of workouts, volume and sets per muscle group, and shows a 7-day bodyweight average. You set your own exercises, rep ranges, increments and unit label. It is a log, not coaching, medical or nutrition advice.