Linear progression
Linear progression is a training method that increases one primary variable—most often load—in regular, predictable steps when a performance criterion is met. A typical rule is to add a fixed amount to an exercise each workout or each week after completing all prescribed sets and repetitions with acceptable technique.
For example, a program might prescribe three sets of five squats and add 2.5 kg the next time all three sets are completed. The increase creates progressive overload, while the pass-or-repeat rule makes the method easy to follow. Linear progression can also use repetitions or sets, but the term most commonly refers to repeated load increases.
The approach is often effective early in a lifter’s training experience, when adaptation is rapid enough for frequent increments and technique is improving. It is not restricted to complete beginners, nor does it mean progress will form a perfectly straight line. The "linear" part describes the planned step pattern. Actual performance can fluctuate, and the same load may need to be repeated before another increase.
Linear progression is different from linear periodization. Linear progression is usually a performance-driven rule for raising a variable from one exposure to the next. Linear periodization deliberately shifts training emphasis across a longer period, often moving from higher volume and lower loads toward lower volume and higher loads. A program can use one, both, or neither.
When the prescribed increments repeatedly fail, automatically adding more weight usually stops being useful. First check whether the sessions were comparable: technique, range of motion, rest intervals, exercise order, and recovery can all affect the result. The next step may be to repeat the load, use a smaller increment, switch to double progression, reduce accumulated fatigue, or revise training volume. An isolated missed target is not necessarily a plateau. As progress slows, a less frequent or more flexible progression rule generally becomes easier to sustain than forcing the original step indefinitely.