My "Total Reps Method" Weight Lifting Plan

I'm taking some time to write up a description of the weight lifting training plan that I've been using for the last three seasons, from Autumn '23 until now (spring of '24). Tom Haviland posted a skeleton of a plan like this on Instagram, and I used his post as a template.

Choosing the Lifts

Before I did anything else I determined that I could make time to lift weights regularly four nights a week. I lift at the same time each day: starting when I finish work and ending at dinnertime. My lifting days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I attempted to pick exercises that gave me a well-rounded, full-body workout. Aiming for variety, I decided to schedule each lift only once per week. I was constrained in my lifting choices by the set of equipment that I keep in my home gym.

My plan has a duration of eight weeks and is itself split into two four week cycles: a four week volume progression cycle followed by a four week weight progression cycle.

At a high level: During the volume progression phase the weight on the bar remains constant, but the reps increase each session. During the weight progression phase, the reps never change but the weight increases each session.

This is a Total Reps Method plan with Reps in Reserve (RIR) limits. In the total reps method I have a target number of reps I must do per workout, and I should do those in as few sets as possible, while keeping either one or two reps in reserve, ie avoiding pushing myself to the brink of failure.

Volume Progression

Week 1 begins the volume progression cycle. I choose a weight for each of my main lifts for the week, and when I have done so, I will remain at that weight for the entire four week volume progression cycle. As an example, my squat weight for a recent cycle was 122.5 kg. On Monday, week 1, my job is to do 18 squat reps at 122.5 kg in my workout.

After I've completed some warm ups, I start the first set and do as many reps as I can until I feel I have just two reps in reserve. In my case I stop at 6. On my next set I do the exact same thing, squatting until I feel I only have two reps left in the tank. Maybe I'll get to 6 reps again, or maybe just 5 this time, no worries if so. I continue this process until I've done 18 reps total. Possibly that was three sets of 6 or maybe it took me four sets to get it done. I do this with each of my main lifts for the day, using the weight I selected for the cycle and doing 18 reps, broken up into sets as I go.

I use the total reps method for all of my main lifts, but I don't use it for all of my accessory lifts. I've found for some accessory lifts it feels appropriate but not for others.

On Monday Week 2, I'm doing the exact same lifts as I did the last Monday. and the weight for the main lifts remains the same as well. The only difference is that my target has increased to 20 reps, up from 18. I continue to stop each set when I feel that I have just two reps in reserve.

On Monday Week 3, the cycle continues, and this time I need to do 22 reps. On week 3, there is one other change: my reps in reserve limit drops from two to one. This naturally increases the intensity level a bit as I now need to push myself harder on each set than I did in weeks 1 and 2.

On Week 4, I do 24 reps for my main lifts, leaving one rep in reserve per set. At the end of week 4 the volume progression is complete.

Weight Progression

Monday week 5 begins the weight progression cycle. For each of the main lifts I pick a weight to start the cycle with. I can choose to start at the same weight I did during the volume progression, but likely I will choose a starting weight that is slightly higher. For squats I'll choose 127.5 kg. Now I do the same total reps method as the previous four weeks, but this time with a target of 16 reps.

On Week 6 I continue with the same target of 16 reps, but I increase the weight at least 2.5 kilos. Now I need to do 16 total reps at 130 kg, leaving two reps in reserve.

On Week 7 the weight increases to 132.5 kg, and the reps in reserve limit drops to 1. And on week 8 I increase the weight again to 135 kg.

At this point the main cycle is complete. I could start the cycle over immediately, but I typically use week 9 to test my one rep maxes for several lifts.

Perceived Plan Benefits

One thing about this plan that pleases me is there is an automatic progression included in every lifting session Each time I lift, I am breaking my personal record for most reps done in one session for weight X of lift Y, or at least my personal record as far back as when I started this plan.

In a prototypical 5x5 training plan I would feel more uncertain when I increased the weight. "Can I increase the weight by 2.5 kilograms for my 5x5 lift this week?" Possibly yes, but it depends on what my body is able to handle when the day comes. It could be that by the fifth set hitting five reps at the increased weight is just not in me for that day. By comparison, when using the total reps method, the answer to the question: "Can I increase the weight by 2.5 kilograms this week?" is nearly always "yes", as long as I have enough time to commit to completing the necessary amount of sets.

Potential Changes

I would like to swap out some of lifts from my initial set. If in the future I buy a dip station then I could swap in weighted dips. An adjustable bench would let me do other bench press variations.

I could be persuaded that I am too infrequently pushing myself to do a set at 90+% of my 1 rep max. I could mitigate that by adding planned 1 rep sets at some cadence.

June 12, 2024