Progression Preview

The progression preview shows you the projected weight, reps, RIR, and sets for every exercise across every remaining week of your mesocycle — before you train them.

Why preview progression?

When targets are computed by formulas, it's natural to want to see what's coming. The preview answers questions like:

"What weight will I be squatting in Week 5?"
"How many sets will I do if my fatigue ratings stay neutral?"
"When does my RIR drop to 1?"
"Is the final week's weight realistic or am I going to crash?"

Seeing the full picture helps you make informed decisions about reference weights, mesocycle length, and when to take a deload.

What the preview shows

For each exercise in each future week, the preview displays:

Column	Description
Week	Week number and phase label (conservative / moderate / aggressive / deload)
Weight	Projected weight based on reference weight and weekly compounding
Reps	Target reps (fixed in weight mode, increasing in rep mode)
RIR	Target Reps in Reserve for that week
Sets	Projected sets (based on current fatigue trajectory)

Summary vs. Detailed view

The preview offers two modes:

Summary shows a compact one-line-per-exercise view with sets×reps for the current week — useful for a quick glance at your training plan
Detailed expands each exercise into a full week-by-week table with weight, reps, RIR, and sets columns

Completed weeks vs. future weeks

Completed weeks show your actual logged data — what you really did, not what was prescribed
Current week shows per-day data: completed workout days display actual results, while pending workout days show projected targets. This means you see a consistent picture even when you're partway through a week — no misleading drops in volume from partial data
Future weeks show projected targets based on your current reference weight and fatigue history

This distinction matters. The preview is not a rigid plan — it's a projection that updates as you train and provide fatigue ratings.

How projections are calculated

Future targets use the same formulas as real-time workout targets:

Weight: round(referenceWeight × 0.85 × 1.02^(loadingWeekIndex-1), increment)
Reps: Fixed (weight mode) or linearly interpolated (rep mode)
RIR: From the RIR schedule scaled to your mesocycle length
Sets: Projected assuming neutral fatigue (rating = 0) for all future weeks — meaning sets hold steady at their current level

Why sets are projected with neutral fatigue

Sets depend on your fatigue ratings, which don't exist yet for future weeks. The preview assumes you'll rate everything as 0 (maintaining current volume). This gives you a baseline — your actual sets will diverge as you provide real ratings.

If you've been rating +1 consistently and want to see what happens if that continues, the AI coaching integration can model that scenario for you.

Reading the preview

Spotting problems early

The preview helps you catch issues before you're stuck mid-workout:

Reference weight too high? Look at the final loading week. If that weight looks impossible, your reference is too aggressive. Lower it now — see Adjusting reference weights mid-cycle.

Reference weight too low? If even the final week looks easy, increase the reference weight. Better to recalibrate early than coast through a mesocycle.

RIR transition too abrupt? Check where the schedule shifts from RIR 3 to RIR 2, and from RIR 2 to your min RIR. For shorter mesocycles the jumps are bigger. If that concerns you, consider a longer mesocycle.

Volume looks high? If sets have been climbing due to positive fatigue ratings and the preview shows 6–7 sets per exercise, you might be approaching your MRV. Watch for signs you need to take a deload.

Comparing weight and rep mode

The preview makes it easy to evaluate which progression mode suits an exercise:

Weight mode shows weight climbing while reps stay fixed — good when you can see clear incremental steps (e.g., 200 → 205 → 210)
Rep mode shows reps climbing while weight stays fixed — better when the weight jumps would be too large (e.g., 30 lb dumbbells can't go to 32.5)

If the preview shows multiple weeks at the same weight (due to rounding), you might get more out of rep progression for that exercise.

How the preview updates

The progression preview is not static — it recalculates whenever the inputs change:

Change	Effect on preview
Submit a fatigue rating	Future set projections update based on new volume level
Edit reference weight	All future weight targets recalculate
Mark a week as deload	Deload week shows reduced targets; surrounding weeks re-index
Change mesocycle length	RIR schedule and total progression recalculate
AI override applied	Overridden weeks show the AI's suggested targets

Example previews

Full mesocycle preview — weight mode

Barbell Bench Press — reference 235 lbs, 5 lb increment, 8 reps, 3 base sets, min RIR 1, 6 loading weeks + deload

You're about to start the mesocycle. Here's the full preview:

Week	Phase	Weight	Reps	RIR	Sets	Notes
1	Conservative	200 lbs	8	3	3	Comfortable start
2	Conservative	205 lbs	8	3	3	+5 lbs
3	Moderate	210 lbs	8	2	3	RIR drops to 2
4	Moderate	210 lbs	8	2	3	Same weight (rounding)
5	Moderate	215 lbs	8	2	3	+5 lbs
6	Aggressive	220 lbs	8	1	3	Peak week
7	Deload	200 lbs	4	—	2	Recovery

Sets show 3 throughout because no fatigue ratings exist yet (all projected as 0). As you train and rate fatigue, the set column will update for remaining weeks.

Full mesocycle preview — rep mode

Dumbbell Lateral Raises — reference 35 lbs, 5 lb increment, rep range 8–12, 2 base sets, min RIR 0, 5 loading weeks + deload

Week	Phase	Weight	Reps	RIR	Sets	Notes
1	Conservative	30 lbs	8	3	2	Bottom of range
2	Conservative	30 lbs	9	3	2	+1 rep
3	Moderate	30 lbs	10	2	2	Midpoint
4	Moderate	30 lbs	11	2	2	Approaching top
5	Aggressive	30 lbs	12	0	2	Top of range, to failure
6	Deload	30 lbs	4	—	2	Recovery

Weight stays at 30 lbs throughout. If you hit 12 reps in Week 5, the next mesocycle bumps to 35 lb dumbbells and resets to 8 reps.

Preview mid-cycle with fatigue history

Barbell Squat — reference 315 lbs, 5 lb increment, 8 reps, 3 base sets, 6 loading weeks + deload. You're on Week 3 and have submitted fatigue ratings for Weeks 1 and 2.

Week	Phase	Weight	Reps	RIR	Sets	Status
1	Conservative	270 lbs	8	3	3	Logged: 270 × 8, 8, 7 (3 sets)
2	Conservative	275 lbs	8	3	4	Logged: 275 × 8, 8, 8, 7 (4 sets) — rated +1
3	Moderate	280 lbs	8	2	4	Current — rated 0 after W2
4	Moderate	280 lbs	8	2	4	Projected (assumes rating 0)
5	Moderate	285 lbs	8	2	4	Projected
6	Aggressive	290 lbs	8	1	4	Projected
7	Deload	270 lbs	4	—	2	Projected

Weeks 1–2 show actual logged data (including the extra set from the +1 rating). Week 3 is the current target. Weeks 4–7 are projections that assume neutral fatigue going forward — if you rate -1 on Week 3, the preview will update to show 3 sets for Weeks 4+.

Preview with deload every 4 weeks

Deadlift — reference 365 lbs, 5 lb increment, 5 reps, 3 base sets, min RIR 1, 10-week mesocycle, deload every 4 weeks

Week	Phase	Weight	Reps	RIR	Sets	Notes
1	Conservative	310 lbs	5	3	3	Loading week 1
2	Conservative	315 lbs	5	3	3	Loading week 2
3	Conservative	320 lbs	5	3	3	Loading week 3
4	Deload	310 lbs	3	—	2	Scheduled deload
5	Moderate	325 lbs	5	2	3	Loading week 4 — continues from W3
6	Moderate	330 lbs	5	2	3	Loading week 5
7	Moderate	340 lbs	5	2	3	Loading week 6
8	Deload	310 lbs	3	—	2	Scheduled deload
9	Aggressive	345 lbs	5	1	3	Loading week 7 — continues from W7
10	Moderate	350 lbs	5	2	3	Loading week 8

Notice how Week 5 (loading week 4) continues the weight progression smoothly from Week 3 (loading week 3) — the deload gap doesn't inflate the curve. Sets reset to base (3) after each deload.

Preview after a mid-cycle reference weight change

Overhead Press — original reference 120 lbs, barbell, 5 lb increment, 6 loading weeks + deload. You changed the reference to 140 lbs after Week 2 because the weights felt trivial.

Week	Phase	Weight	Reps	RIR	Sets	Notes
1	Conservative	~~100 lbs~~	8	3	3	Logged at old reference
2	Conservative	~~105 lbs~~	8	3	3	Logged at old reference
3	Moderate	125 lbs	8	2	3	New ref kicks in: `round(140 × 0.85 × 1.02^2, 5)`
4	Moderate	125 lbs	8	2	3	`round(140 × 0.85 × 1.02^3, 5)`
5	Moderate	125 lbs	8	2	3	`round(140 × 0.85 × 1.02^4, 5)`
6	Aggressive	130 lbs	8	1	3	Peak week
7	Deload	120 lbs	4	—	2	`round(140 × 0.85, 5)`

The preview immediately reflects the new reference. Weeks 1–2 show logged data (unchanged). Weeks 3+ show recalculated targets. The jump from 105 to 125 is large because the original reference was too low — that's expected and the preview makes it visible before you train.

Deload weeks in the preview

Deload weeks appear in the preview with their reduced targets:

Weight resets to the starting weight (or a configured percentage)
Sets drop to the deload set count (default 2)
Reps are roughly halved
RIR shows "—" (easy effort, no target)

The preview also shows how progression resumes after the deload — loading week numbering skips over deload gaps, so the jump from pre-deload to post-deload is the same ~2% as any other week.