Methodology: how your routine is built

Progrevia does not pick exercises at random or reuse templates. Every routine comes from an engine with explicit rules on volume, intensity and fatigue. This page sets out those rules so you can judge them yourself.

Double progression: reps before load

Within a rep range (say 8-12) you first add reps at the same load. Only once you hit the top of the range on every set does the weight go up and the range reset. This avoids premature jumps in load, the usual cause of stalling and technical breakdown.

The evidence in detail: Progressive overload: what it is and how to apply it.

RIR: intensity measured in reps in reserve

Intensity is expressed as reps in reserve: how many more reps you could complete before failure. RIR 2 means stopping two reps short. It is more reliable than %1RM because it adapts to how you actually feel that day, letting you accumulate quality volume without exhausting recovery.

The evidence in detail: Training to failure: is it needed for muscle?.

MEV and MRV: how much volume per muscle group

Each muscle group has a minimum effective volume (MEV), below which the stimulus does not pay off, and a maximum recoverable volume (MRV), above which fatigue outpaces adaptation. The engine counts weekly sets per group and flags anything outside that range, instead of distributing sets by eye.

The evidence in detail: Training volume: how many sets you really need.

Periodization: accumulation and deload

The mesocycle runs four weeks. The first three accumulate volume at progressively harder RIR; the fourth is a deload that cuts load so adaptation can surface. Training flat out every week does not produce more results, only more fatigue.

The evidence in detail: Linear vs undulating periodization: which to pick.

Fatigue management

Each routine gets a fatigue score based on volume, frequency and overlap between muscle groups. If load concentrates too much, the engine flags it and rebalances, separating groups that share indirect work so they do not stack on consecutive days.

The evidence in detail: Fatigue management: train hard without burning out.

Exercise selection

The catalog holds 161 exercises with movement pattern, muscles involved, equipment and contraindications. Selection respects your equipment, declared injuries and any groups you choose to avoid. No exercise repeats within a session and duration matches the time you specify.

The evidence in detail: Movement patterns: the 5 basics of strength training. You can browse the full catalogue in the exercise library.

What this method does NOT do

It does not replace a professional. It does not diagnose or treat injuries. It does not prescribe diets or supplements. If you have a medical condition, injury or pain, consult a healthcare professional first. The routine is an informed starting point, not a treatment.

The engine's exact numbers

These tables are not written by hand: they are generated from the same constants the engine uses to build your routine. If the engine changes, this page changes with it.

Reps for compound exercises by type of day

Each muscle group is trained on days with a different focus within the week (daily undulating periodization). Beginners have no heavy day: they alternate medium and light. In the deload week every day uses the medium range.

Effort by week of the mesocycle

The mesocycle lasts four weeks and effort is measured in reps in reserve (RIR): how many more you could do before failure. It rises for three weeks and drops in the fourth to deload; from week five the cycle repeats.

Weekly sets per muscle group

For each group the engine uses a minimum effective volume (MEV), an adaptive range (MAV) and a maximum recoverable volume (MRV). It counts the weekly sets in your routine and, in its analysis, flags any group below the minimum or above the maximum.

If you are a woman and do not choose muscle groups to emphasise, the engine prioritises the glutes and hamstrings.

The studies behind it

Each engine rule comes from one of these papers. The articles linked above explain them with their numbers.

1. Double progression. Plotkin D, Coleman M, Van Every D, Maldonado J, Oberlin D, Israetel M, et al. Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. 2022;10:e14142.
2. RIR in programming. Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2016;38(4):42-49.
3. Effort versus percentages. Helms ER, Byrnes RK, Cooke DM, Haischer MH, Carzoli JP, Johnson TK, et al. RPE vs. percentage 1RM loading in periodized programs matched for sets and repetitions. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018;9:247.
4. Close to failure, not to failure. Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2023;53(3):649-665.
5. Volume, frequency and fractional counting. Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Medicine. 2026;56(2):481-505.
6. Weekly volume. Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics. 2022;81:199-210.
7. Frequency for strength. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Davies TB, Lazinica B, Krieger JW, Pedisic Z. Effect of resistance training frequency on gains in muscular strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2018;48(5):1207-1220.
8. Linear and undulating periodization. Grgic J, Mikulic P, Podnar H, Pedisic Z. Effects of linear and daily undulating periodized resistance training programs on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ. 2017;5:e3695.

How we write the blog guides

The guides are drafted with the help of artificial intelligence tools. Every figure is checked against the original study cited at the end of the article, looked up in Europe PMC or PubMed, and anything that cannot be verified is removed before publishing.

The owner of Progrevia (see the legal notice) holds editorial responsibility for everything published and corrects the errors reported to them. If you spot one, write to us from the contact page.

The infographics and videos in each guide are generated automatically by a program from the figures and sources of the article itself. They do not show real people, places or events and do not try to pass as photographs or recordings.

Cover photos come from free image libraries (Wikimedia Commons, Openverse) and are in the public domain or under a CC0 licence.

FAQ

What is the method based on?

Standard strength-training science: double progression, reps in reserve, minimum effective and maximum recoverable volume, and block periodization with a deload week.

Why reps in reserve rather than %1RM?

Because 1RM shifts with rest, sleep and stress. RIR adapts to the day and does not require testing maximal lifts, which is unwise without supervision.

Does it work if I train at home?

Yes. The engine filters by available equipment: full gym, dumbbells only or bodyweight, and substitutes exercises you cannot perform.

Is it free?

Yes. Generating a routine needs no subscription or card.

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