Everything works — until it doesn’t.

Coach Rob here.

One of the most common things I see online and often in our WWLW Facebook group is this advice:

“Just use progressive overload.”

And to be fair… that advice does work.

But only for a while.

You can’t run 3×8 forever and expect progress to magically continue. Eventually your body adapts, strength stalls, motivation drops — and in many cases, progress actually goes backwards.

“Everything works until it doesn’t.”

That’s why I teach something more effective with my clients:

👉 Not just progressive resistance — but progressive stimulation.

In simple terms:
You don’t just challenge the body by adding weight.
You challenge it by changing how the work is done.

One of the easiest ways to do this?
Changing your set & rep schemes.

Below are some of the exact schemes I use inside the WWLW App and with my coaching clients.

So I wrote THIS POST in our WWLW Facebook group to help our members, but I thought I would share it here with you as well.

Set & Rep Schemes I Use Regularly

3×8, 3×10, 3×12
Classic hypertrophy ranges. Great for building muscle, improving technique, and building confidence under the bar.

5×5
A strength staple. Simple, effective, and perfect for big barbell lifts.

5–4–3–2–1
Descending reps with increasing intensity. Excellent for strength focus and peaking phases.

5’s & 8’s
One heavier strength set paired with a higher-rep hypertrophy set. Simple and brutally effective.

10×10 (German Volume Style)
High-volume muscle building. Tough — but incredibly effective when programmed properly.

Additional Schemes I Use Often

4×6
A great middle ground between strength and hypertrophy.

6×3
Higher sets, lower reps. Perfect for power, speed, and technique development.

Wave Progressions (3×5 → 3×8 → 3×10)
Weekly changes in stimulus that keep progress moving forward.

5×3
Low reps, high quality. Excellent for skill-based lifts like squat, bench, and deadlift.

4×12
Higher volume work — great for accessories and fat-loss focused phases.

EMOM Sets (Every Minute on the Minute)
Controlled density work. Fantastic for conditioning while still lifting with intent.

Pyramid Sets (8–10–12 or 12–10–8)
Either increase reps with the same weight or add weight as reps drop.

2×20 High-Rep Sets
Great for movements like kettlebell swings, lunges, or hip thrusts. High metabolic demand, big training effect.

Why This Matters

Here’s the truth:

Everything works — until it doesn’t.

Your body adapts fast.
If the only tool you use is adding weight, you’ll eventually hit a wall.

But when you progress stimulation —
reps, sets, volume, tempo, rest periods, density —
you keep building muscle, getting stronger, and feeling better long-term.

This is exactly how I program inside the WWLW App and with my coaching clients.

Changing the stimulus = continued progress.

If this helped you think differently about your training, save it, revisit it, and apply it.

And as always — if you have questions, just hit reply.
I’m here to help.

Coach Rob
Women Who Lift Weights