Strength coach blog
how-to for online strength coaches
How to set weekly load targets for strength clients
Weekly load targets keep working weights intentional so clients stop ego-jumping bars or sandbagging selections that should progress.
Load is a weekly selection decision, not a slogan
Online strength clients either ego-jump every top set because the card never defines success, or they sandbag because a coach once wrote "use a challenging weight" with no rule. A weekly load target picks one clear selection rule tied to recent performance and the effort band that showed up in the plan. The goal is honest, repeatable working weights—not accidental PR hunting or forever-easy plates.
Pick the rule from performance and effort, then protect it with recovery
Strong recent logs, mixed weeks, stalls, and rebuild blocks need different load rules. Easy effort bands bias holding or slight drops; harder bands allow microloads only when the log supports them. Progress weeks keep one clear selection rule on priority work without turning accessories into max-out circuits. Weak adherence and poor recovery mean simpler hold rules, not more "add five kilos" notes.
Write the prescription so the client can select and log it
Name the load target in a form the client can check—hold last week's best working weight, microload by the smallest plate when bar speed stayed clean, or drop 5-10% while rebuilding. Say which lifts get the rule and which stay conservative. Ambiguous notes like "go heavier" create messy logs and unfinished sessions. A weekly load targets planner can turn recent performance, effort band, week goal, recovery, and adherence into that clear target, and tools that keep programming beside workout logs make it easier to deliver the week from real feedback.
Park ego jumps until the primary load rule sticks
If the client still overshoots or undershoots the target after a clean week of practice, keep or refine the same rule. Only raise load or add a second progression cue when the log shows the first selection rule is mostly honest. Stacking big jumps across every lift recreates the vague challenging-weight problem the weekly target was meant to solve.