Common set progressions touted by top trainers feature set sequences of 20/15/12/8 and 12/10/8/6, with high weight targets forcing clients to fight for each and every final rep. While this is sound advice for some, these endurance- and strength- based approaches carry lessened focus on our all-important fast-twitch fibers, while failing to include grace for “off days” or incentive to exceed expectations. My approach, dubbed Golden Ratio Progressive Overload (“GRPO”), supplants existing fitness science while synthesizing human psychology, behavioral economic theory and generalized “laws of nature”.
Following a Fibonacci-inspired rep sequence of 21/13/8/5, GRPO tweaks traditional practices in which clients tend to struggle from start to finish.
The first twenty-one reps constitute a “confidence set”, with weight loaded at roughly 40% of one’s estimated single-rep max weight. Subsequent set loads typically ascend at a proportional rate, such that the final five-rep set load clocks in at roughly 75% of one's single-rep max.
This may sound overly easy. Why might that be?
Because in my book, above all else, self-confidence is key.
If so, you already understand the theory behind GRPO.
In loading your final two sets at 70-75% of your single-rep max weight, you’ll sometimes hit your rep target with extra gas left in the tank.
In these instances, I’ll encourage you to push out “bonus reps”, each of which serves as a satisfying surplus. In my experience, this feeling of overachievement energizes the mind and tends to compound over time, as the brain’s neural pathways solidify the connection between musclebuilding and confidence.
On the flip side, the rep target for sets three and four acts as an insurance policy against inevitable "off" days.
Unpredictable external circumstances, such as work stress, lingering illness, or simply a poor night of sleep, often inhibit one’s ability to maintain mental momentum. Any individual who has ever left the gym “defeated” after undershooting their trainer’s targets understands the feeling. If left unattended to, a vicious psychological cycle often ensues that may flip the brain’s perspective on fitness, incite an extended period of gym absence, and ultimately prevent goal attainment altogether.
Train with me and they won’t have to.
Whether you’re an intermediate lifter looking for a fresh take or new to the weight room altogether, my asks of you are simple: show up with a willingness to listen, a desire to learn, and an ability to trust the process.
I am confident that my own experience will hold true if you do—
and that your muscles, your mind, and your future self will thank you.
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