Progression
Your programme is not a religion.
Keep it while it works. Change the smallest thing that needs changing when it does not. This is the decision layer between blindly following a programme and randomly replacing it.
1
Is it actually stalled?
Use comparable recent exposures. One bad session is not a programming diagnosis.
2
Is the problem local?
One lift stalled while everything else moves is a different problem from the whole week going backwards.
3
What is the smallest useful change?
Hold, add reps, add load, reduce stress, change the progression or change the programme. In that order of thought, not all at once.
Common problems
Start with the thing that actually stopped moving.
Bench press plateau
Confirm the stall, then decide whether load, reps, volume or the progression rule needs to change.
Read the guide →
Squat plateau
Separate one bad squat day from a repeated local progression problem.
Read the guide →
Deadlift plateau
Read the deadlift log before you add more heavy pulling.
Read the guide →
Linear progression stopped
Make the smallest change that restores progression before you jump to a complicated programme.
Read the guide →
Finished a programme
The calendar ending is not the same thing as the programme finishing its job.
Read the guide →
Deload or change programme?
One reduces stress temporarily. The other changes the structure. Work out which problem you actually have.
Read the guide →
Free
Check the trend first.
Put three to six recent exposures into the Progression Check. If the lift is still moving, leave it alone. If the data is inconclusive, collect better data.
£19 one-off
One lift genuinely stuck?
Keep the programme. Send the recent sessions. I set the next four exposures, the progression rule, what to do after a miss and when to stop and reassess.