Progressive overload bodyweight: what do you add instead of weight?

When your push-ups stall at 12 reps for weeks, it's hard to know what to add. Progressive overload bodyweight comes down to raising reps, sets, variation and load, one at a time and in that order. Here's a push-up log from 12 to 20 reps and a weighted dips log at 10kg (22 lb).

✏️ What is progressive overload for bodyweight training?

Progressive overload for bodyweight training means making a body-only exercise a little harder than last time. Put simply, you raise reps, sets, difficulty or added load, because there's no bar to load.

The order is simple. Add reps first, then sets, then a harder variation, and finally extra load. Move to the next step only when every set hits the target.

The general rule for adding weight is in our progressive overload guide. Rep ranges are covered in the double progression guide. This article carries those rules over to lifts with no weight on them.

🔢 What should you raise first?

Raise whatever is easiest to write down. Reps and sets are plain numbers, so use them first. Variations and load come in when reps hit their limit.

One catch: change only one thing at a time. If you change reps and variation in the same week, you can't tell what caused a stall. Range of motion and tempo matter too, but they drift from day to day, so they stay out of this rule set.

📈 How many weeks does it take to go from 12 to 20 push-ups?

Let's say you can do 3 sets of 12 push-ups to start. When all three sets hit the target, raise it by 2 reps. If even one set falls short, repeat the same target. The total column adds up the reps from all three sets.

Over 9 weeks, the total went from 36 to 60 reps, a gain of 24. Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8 stalled, and the rule said to repeat. The table is an example, and your speed will differ.

Once you hit 20 / 20 / 20, you can add a fourth set or change the variation. This guide changes the variation first.

If 12 reps in one set is your limit, start one stage before week 1. Begin with 3 sets of 6, a total of 18. Add 1 rep per set and the total grows by 3 each time. When all three sets reach 12, you're at week 1 of the table. That also makes it easier to count the last set by the same standard.

🔍 How should you count reps?

A standard rep means the depth and speed you've decided counts as one rep. Put simply, it's your own rule for how low you go.

Let's say your rule is "chest comes down to a fist's height above the floor." Any rep that misses it comes out of the count. You also lock out your arms at the top. If you did 14 but only 12 met the rule, log 12.

With a fixed standard, last week and this week are measured by the same ruler. Half-depth push-ups raise the number while the work stays the same. Write your standard in one line next to the exercise name.

🏋️ When do you change the variation or add load?

Change the variation or add load once every set hits the top rep count. Here the push-up top is 20. A variation means a move that uses your body the same way at a different difficulty.

Log variations by name. For example, "knee push-up → standard push-up → feet-elevated push-up." When you step up, your reps will drop, and that's normal. After 20 / 20 / 20 in the table, a feet-elevated push-up might restart around 12 / 10 / 9. That's an example, and your starting reps will differ.

For moves you can load, like dips, add weight after you hit the top at bodyweight. There's no fixed rep count for that. This guide uses 3 sets of 12 as the line.

Let's say you hit 12 / 12 / 12 on dips and add 10kg (22 lb). Log total reps and load volume, which is added load x reps. Your bodyweight stays out of the math.

Adding weight cuts reps from 12 to 6, which is a big drop. By week 3 every set reached 6, and by week 5 you were at 7. How much load to add each time depends on the equipment you have, so there's no fixed step.

🛑 How should you log it?

Write four things on one line: the variation, your counting standard, reps per set, and added load. For example, "standard push-up, fist-height depth, 16 / 15 / 14." For dips, write "dips +10kg, 6 / 5 / 5."

Add your "next step" right after the workout. You remember best which set faded while it's fresh. Our workout log guide has a layout for logging each set.

At your next push-up session, write your standard in one line and aim for 1 rep more than last week's total.

📱 How does Progro make logging easier?

Progro is a workout log app built for progressive overload. When you start a routine, each set already has a target rep count filled in. You change the number to what you actually did and check it off, and the set is logged.

After your workout, it compares last time and today set by set for each lift. For bodyweight moves, the lift's history shows your best reps. With target setting (Pro, with a 30-day trial at the start), only the sets you hit become the next target, and a missed set's target is never lowered.

Get Progro on the App Store