You don’t outgrow a number, just because you’ve lifted it before!

So, you’re training hard, logging your sessions, doing everything to make progress—but you keep seeing the same damn numbers pop up on your program. Over and over again.

I can't even count how many times I’ve hit a 130-135kg back squat. Singles, triples, pauses, doubles, at tempo, during peaking blocks, during ‘normal’ day-to-day training in 2021, on the platform in 2022, tired at the end of a session in 2023… and I’m still hitting it in my training now, in 2024.

It can be frustrating, right? The repetition... You think, “Am I even getting anywhere? How long do I have to KEEP hitting this same number?”

It feels like you’re stuck on repeat. After all, we’re told “you need to progressively overload to make progress.” And we’re conditioned to believe that progress means new numbers, PRs, and constant upward momentum. 

But here’s the truth: Just because you’ve hit a number before doesn’t mean you’ve outgrown it.

The Reality of Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the cornerstone of training. It’s the gradual increase of stress or stimulus on the body.

But here’s the kicker: Progressive overload isn’t just about slapping more weight on the bar. If you lifted 50kg last week, and you lifted 50kg this week, and it still challenged you—technically, physically, or mentally—that’s still progress.

That load still has its place in helping you get stronger.

Progress isn’t just about moving more weight; it’s about how you move that familiar load, again, and again, and again. Repeating the same weight in your program over weeks, months, and years isn’t a sign of stagnation; it’s a sign you’re mastering the craft. 

Whether you’re new to training, a seasoned lifter, snatching, benching, or squatting, there’s always something to be gained by lifting the same load.

Repetition Isn’t Stagnation—It’s Mastery

When you keep seeing that same number, embrace it. Here’s what’s really happening when that weight shows up on repeat:

Refining your technique: Each rep, each set, you’re honing in on the details.

Conditioning your body: You’re teaching your body to handle that load better every time.

Building mental resilience: That weight becomes a no-brainer because you’ve faced it so many times.

Approaching with confidence: You’re attacking that weight with a stronger mindset each time.

Tougher sessions, better outcomes: Maybe you’re hitting that weight after a grueling session and it’s still moving well.

More control, more precision: You’re nailing the form with better control than ever before.

Faster, more efficient lifts: That weight might be moving faster than it did last month.

Lower RPE: What once felt like a 9/10 now feels like a 7/10.

More sets, less rest: You’re doing more work in less time.

So, if you’re like me and that load keeps showing up in your training, don’t curse it—own it. 
Recognise that every time you face that weight, you’re becoming stronger, more experienced, and more prepared for future jumps in load. 

Each time you revisit that familiar number, you’re layering strength that may not show up in a PB just yet—but it’s setting you up for bigger breakthroughs down the road.

Because in the end, it’s not just about hitting new numbers—it’s about becoming unshakeable at the ones you’ve already faced.

-Coach Brooke