This English text is an AI-assisted translation pending human review; the Chinese version is authoritative.
Progress comes in several shapes
Many people watch only one number: the heaviest weight on a particular exercise. It matters, of course, but for beginners and people returning to training, progress more often shows up in other forms:
- Attendance: completing the week as the program planned is progress in itself.
- More reps at the same weight: 8 reps at 20 kg last week, 10 reps this week.
- More weight for the same reps: 8 reps at 20 kg last week, 8 reps at 22.5 kg this week.
- Training volume: the sum of load × reps over working sets, higher than last week.
- Movement quality: the same weight done more steadily and through a fuller range. The numbers cannot show this, but a note can record it.
- Recovery: less soreness the day after, and a better state at the next session.
Where the weekly report's numbers come from
My weekly report is read-only, and every number comes directly from your training records: sessions attended this week, total working sets, volume summed by exercise, the best set of each exercise this week, and the comparison with last week. Warm-up sets are excluded; backfilled records are included and marked. The report does not "score" you or make judgements about your health or physique.
When reading the report, focus on just two or three items, such as attendance and the best set of one or two main exercises; glance at the rest occasionally.
What estimated 1RM means
1RM is the heaviest weight you can lift for one rep. This site does not recommend that beginners actually attempt a maximum, but you can use the 1RM estimator to convert "this weight for this many reps" into an estimate and use it to compare sets done at different weights and reps. The estimation formula is fairly reliable for 1 to 10 reps; beyond that it becomes inaccurate.
The estimate is a reference for comparison, not a training target.
When the numbers stop rising
Two or three weeks in a row with no progress of any kind on an exercise is normal, especially when you are short on sleep, busy at work or have just changed programs. Check these things first:
- Whether you showed up as the program planned in those weeks.
- Whether the load basis changed (a different machine, a different bar weight).
- Whether rest and eating have clearly got worse.
If none of these is the problem, drop the weight on that exercise by one step for a week or two, then return to the original weight; it usually passes. Evaluate overall at the end of the cycle rather than adjusting every week.
Look at longer stretches. A four-week curve means something; a one-week fluctuation is mostly noise.
The content on this site is general training knowledge and does not replace medical advice. If you have persistent pain or discomfort, stop training and consult a professional.
Scope: general training knowledge for adult beginners and people returning to training; competition prep, specialised rehabilitation and individual nutrition prescriptions are out of scope.