Add one rep per week

Just add a single rep per week, it’s that simple. This is a plan I have made use of in the past, particularly with difficult gymnastic bodies exercises and with weighted pull ups. If the goal was five sets of five, I would aim to start at three sets of three, then 4x3, then 5x3. Generally, I could reach this point pretty easily. My next step would be to add at least one rep, every week. Sometime I could add more reps, and sometime I had to add a 6^th set just to get the volume in, but the goal was always to add one more. I’m not sure where I got this idea from, so I can’t credit it, but it can’t have been my idea.

A new workout I added this year after lockdown takes this plan and runs with it. This time, the plan is to pick three movements, and for each one I only add one rep, and no more per week. Starting at 5x5 and eventually the goal is to finish at 10x10. This will take a little over one and a half years, all going well.

The workout is pistol squats, pull ups and ring dips. Currently the pistol squats are the most difficult in terms of muscle firing/proprioception/ROM while the ring dips are the hardest in terms of strength. The pull ups are going so well I’m considering changing the grips, or moving to L sit pull ups. In this workout I am also adding in a little bit of additional hamstring training (natural hamstring curls, big assist from the hands), hollow rocks, and arch body holds. This workout is a good place to add this volume as my core isn’t hit too hard by the low reps sets; however the core is not the main focus. I’m ok with these core movements lagging behind, or dropping them entirely to focus more energy on the main three movements.

Pistol squat, pull up, ring dip.

The point of the workout is to get lots of volume and to slowly increase my strength in these basic movements. I should progress slowly enough not to burn out, accumulate too much wear and tear or go too quickly leading to injury. It’s also great to have a workout that requires no planning, I just get stuck in and do it every week; I’m enjoying the predictability of it. Being able to do 10 sets of 10 for any of these movements is a high goal to aim for, but a very achievable too. A year and a half (I think) is a reasonable timeline to achieve this in, so we’ll see how I go.

So far I have gone from 5x5 to almost 8x5, progress that I’m really happy with. Each week I could possibly squeeze out a couple more reps, but I’m enjoying not running on redline, which is also good for injury prevention. Hopefully this gives you some ideas for ways you might structure this into your own training, whether short or long term. I hope it benefits you.