Measuring progress: what to log and how to read it
Estimated 1RM, effective volume, RIR and body measurements. Which signal is reliable, how often to look at it, and when to act.
What you do not log, you cannot program. But logging everything does not help either: you need few metrics and a steady review cadence.
The four metrics that matter
- Load × reps per set
- The base
- RIR or RPE
- The context
- Estimated 1RM per exercise
- The trend
- Weekly sets per muscle
- The dose
Without this there is nothing else.
It separates an easy set of 10 from a set of 10 at the limit.
Lets you compare sessions with different rep ranges.
What you actually did, not what you planned.
Estimated 1RM: useful, not sacred
An e1RM translates any set onto a common scale. The two classic formulas:
- Epley:
1RM ≈ weight × (1 + reps/30). Fits better in the 6–10 rep range. - Brzycki:
1RM ≈ weight × 36 / (37 − reps). More reliable at 1–6 reps. - Above 10–12 reps the error grows: muscular endurance weighs more than maximal strength.
- Correct for effort: a set at 3 RIR is not a max. Add the reps in reserve before estimating.
Compare like with like
An e1RM is only comparable with itself: same exercise, same range of motion, same equipment and similar effort. Changing bar or machine resets the time series.
Volume: count what you did
Planned and executed volume always diverge. Count direct sets per muscle group and add indirect ones as half a set; that is the accounting the dose–response meta-regressions use, and the one that best predicts adaptation.
Separating direct from indirect sets changes how you read volume
The dose–response meta-regression explicitly concludes that differentiating direct from indirect sets is essential to predicting the adaptations to a training protocol.
Body measurements and composition
- Body weight: the weekly average, never a single day. It swings with water, salt, glycogen and digestion. What you do with that average —move it up, down, and how fast— is in planning the deficit or the surplus.
- Girths: arm, thigh, waist and hip; always at the same time of day and the same landmark.
- Photos: every 4–6 weeks, same light and same pose. It is the comparison that carries the most signal by eye.
- Bioimpedance scales: useful as a trend, unreliable as an absolute value.
Review cadence
| Every | What you look at | What you decide |
|---|---|---|
| Session | Loads and RIR against last time | Raise, hold or drop today’s weight |
| Week | Sets per muscle and adherence | Adjust volume or recover missed sessions |
| Block (4–6 weeks) | e1RM trend and measurements | Repeat, progress or shift emphasis |
| Quarter | Strength, composition and niggles | Change goal or structure |
Takeaways
- Log load, reps and effort for every set: everything else derives from that.
- e1RM works as a trend per exercise, not as a real record.
- Count direct sets per muscle to know your actual dose.
- Decide at block level, not off a single session.
Sources for this chapter
- [1]Pelland JC, Robinson ZP, Remmert JF, et al. (2025). The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains. Sports Medicine. meta-analysis
- [2]Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). review
- [3]American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Position Stand: Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. position stand