Back to Blog

When do I increase weight on my lifts?

When should you be increasing weights on your lifts? And what should you do if you do go up and can’t complete all the reps?

Chase Morlock

•

As a strength coach, we often get asked “when is the right time to increase my weight on my lifts?” Of course, the answer to that question is going to be different for every person, and our coaches at Rise are experts at determining when it's the right time for each of our members to increase weight in their programs. However, there are some general rules of thumb that can be helpful in deciding when might be a good time to increase weight.

When to increase weight

You should consider increasing the weight when:

  • You can complete all the prescribed sets and reps with good form, and the last 2–3 reps of each set feel challenging but not impossible.

  • Your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) feels too low — if you’re finishing a set and feel like you could easily do 3–4 more reps, it’s time to increase the load.

  • Strength gains have plateaued — if you’ve been at the same weight for 2–3 weeks without noticeable progress, increasing the weight might help you break through.

How to increase weight

  • Increase weight gradually — aim for 2.5% to 5% increases for upper body exercises and 5% to 10% for lower body exercises.

  • Example: If you’re squatting 100 lbs and it feels manageable, try increasing to 105–110 lbs for the next set.

Once you start pushing yourself and increasing those weights, another question that tends to pop up is, “If I go up in weight and can’t get all the reps, what do I do?"

If you can't complete all the reps

If you increase the weight and can’t finish all the reps, here's what you can do:

  1. Reduce the weight slightly — drop by 5% and try to complete all remaining reps with good form.

  2. Adjust reps instead — if your program calls for 10 reps, but you can only get 7–8 with the heavier weight, stick with that weight until you can consistently hit 10 reps.

  3. Add a rest-pause — if you miss a couple of reps, rest for 10–15 seconds and try to squeeze out the last few reps.

Progressive overload takes time

Remember, increasing weight isn’t the only way to progress. You can also improve by:

  • Adding more reps before increasing weight.

  • Increasing the number of sets.

  • Slowing down the tempo to increase time under tension.

Increasing weight on your lifts can feel daunting if you're new to strength training, yet it is a super important part of progressing and seeing results in the gym. If you'd like to learn more about strength training and how our team of coaches can help you achieve your goals with a personal training plan customized to you, we'd love to chat! You can get started with Rise today by scheduling a Free Fitness Consultation.