Stuck at a weight? Add reps first
Try adding reps before you add plates. In an eight week study of trained lifters, adding reps built about as much muscle as adding weight, and nearly as much strength.
By Anthony Topalides, who lifts and makes Two Plates. Checked against the sources below on 27 October 2026.
What the study did
In 2022, Plotkin and colleagues had trained lifters spend eight weeks on the same leg exercises, the back squat, leg extension and two calf raises, twice a week. Everyone started with sets of 8 to 12. One group added weight as they got stronger and kept the reps in that range. The other kept the same weight all eight weeks and added reps instead.
What they found
Muscle growth came out about the same, and the reps group grew a little more at the front of the thigh. The weight group gained a little more strength, about 2 kg more on the squat, a gap the authors called of questionable practical significance.
So if the weight won't move, the reps still can, and they still build muscle. It's one study of 38 lifters over eight weeks, so treat it as a good option rather than the only way.
Next session
Next session, on the lift that's stuck, keep the weight and go for one more rep.
About the app
I make Two Plates, so I'm biased. Many of the programs it runs already work this way for accessories, adding reps up to the top of the range before the weight goes up.