Progressive Overload
Progressive overload means doing more over time — more weight, more reps, or more sets. It's the fundamental driver of muscle growth and strength gains. HyperIron automates this so you don't have to plan it manually.
Two progression modes
When you create a program, you choose how each exercise progresses across the mesocycle:
Weight progression (default)
Weight increases ~2% per week. Rep targets stay fixed — you train to a target RIR each set.
| Week | Weight | Reps | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 lbs | 8 | 3 |
| 2 | 205 lbs | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | 210 lbs | 8 | 2 |
| 4 | 215 lbs | 8 | 2 |
| 5 | 220 lbs | 8 | 2 |
| 6 | 225 lbs | 8 | 1 |
Best for compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, rows) where small weight jumps are practical.
Rep progression
Weight stays fixed. Rep targets increase from the bottom to the top of your rep range.
| Week | Weight | Reps | RIR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 lbs | 8 | 3 |
| 2 | 30 lbs | 9 | 3 |
| 3 | 30 lbs | 10 | 2 |
| 4 | 30 lbs | 10 | 2 |
| 5 | 30 lbs | 11 | 2 |
| 6 | 30 lbs | 12 | 1 |
Once you hit the top of the range, increase weight in the next mesocycle and start over. Best for isolation exercises and movements where weight jumps are large relative to the load (e.g., going from 30 lb to 35 lb dumbbells is a 17% jump).
Starting weight
Week 1 starts conservatively. HyperIron takes your reference weight (typically your estimated 10RM) and sets the starting weight at roughly 85%. This ensures Week 1 feels comfortable with about 3 reps in reserve.
All weights are rounded to your configured increment (e.g., 5 lbs for barbells, 2.5 lbs for dumbbells).
The RIR ramp
Both modes use the same intensity ramp — your RIR target decreases across the mesocycle:
| Phase | Portion of mesocycle | RIR | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | First ~1/3 | 3 | Comfortable — several reps left |
| Moderate | Middle ~1/2 | 2 | Working hard — a couple more possible |
| Aggressive | Final ~1/6 (at least 1 week) | 1 (or 0) | Near failure |
The early weeks feel easy by design. They let you establish movement patterns before intensity peaks.
You can set the minimum RIR to 0 for exercises where training to failure is appropriate (typically isolations). The default of 1 is safer for compound lifts.
Volume auto-regulation
The third axis of progression — volume (sets per exercise) — is driven by your feedback. After each session, you rate your fatigue, and HyperIron adjusts your set count for the following week. See Fatigue & Autoregulation for details.
Deload weeks
A mesocycle can optionally end with a deload week:
- Weight resets to Week 1 levels
- Volume drops to ~2 sets per exercise
- Reps are roughly halved
- Effort is easy — nowhere near failure
Some lifters prefer planned deloads every 4–6 weeks; others deload reactively when needed. Both approaches work — you choose when creating your program.
How it all fits together
HyperIron balances three forces simultaneously:
- Load progression — Weight or reps go up on a schedule
- Intensity ramp — RIR decreases, pushing closer to failure
- Autoregulated volume — Sets adjust based on real recovery
This pushes hard enough to drive adaptation while self-correcting when you're under-recovering or have room for more work. Follow the targets, rate your fatigue honestly, and the system handles the math.