Dumbbell progression when the jumps are uneven
A barbell lets you add 2.5 kg at a time. Dumbbells and machines only go up in the steps your gym has, and those steps are often uneven. This guide shows how to keep track of progression with the weights you actually have, with worked examples, and how Barbells handles it with an equipment profile.
Why dumbbell jumps feel so big
On a barbell you can usually add a small, fixed amount. With dumbbells you move to the next pair on the rack, and the size of that step depends on the rack. A common set runs 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22.5, 25, 27.5 and 30 kg: 2 kg steps up to 20 kg, then 2.5 kg steps.
The same step is a bigger change on a lighter weight. Going from 14 kg to 16 kg is about 14% more, while adding 2.5 kg to a 60 kg barbell is about 4%. That is why a dumbbell press can stall for a while after a jump that would barely register on a barbell.
Machines have the same problem. A pin-loaded stack usually moves in fixed plates, often 5 kg or more, and the stack has a top.
Fixed steps and lists of weights
There are two ways to describe what your equipment can do.
A fixed increment suits equipment that always moves by the same amount, such as a machine stack in 5 kg plates. Every increase adds that amount.
A list of available weights suits equipment with uneven steps, such as the dumbbell rack above. An increase moves to the next weight on the list above the one you are using, and stops at the heaviest.
Worked examples
Take a dumbbell shoulder press: 3 sets of 8 to 12, adding weight once every set reaches 12, using the dumbbell list above. Each row is a session where every set reached 12.
| Equipment | Weight | Next | Jump |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbells | 14 kg | 16 kg | 2 kg |
| Dumbbells | 20 kg | 22.5 kg | 2.5 kg |
| Dumbbells | 30 kg | 30 kg | None |
| Machine | 45 kg | 50 kg | 5 kg |
14 kg to 16 kg. The next pair on the rack is 2 kg heavier, so that is the jump, even if you would rather add 1 kg. A 15 kg dumbbell does not exist on this rack, so a plan that said 15 kg would be a plan you could not follow.
20 kg to 22.5 kg. This is where the rack's steps change, and the jump grows from 2 kg to 2.5 kg.
30 kg stays at 30 kg. It is the heaviest pair, so there is nowhere left to go. The session still counts; there is simply no heavier weight to move to.
Machine, 45 kg to 50 kg. A stack described with a fixed 5 kg increment adds 5 kg each time.
When the next step is too big
A big jump is a training decision, not a bookkeeping one. Common ways lifters handle it:
- Stay at the lighter weight and add repetitions, or a set, before moving up.
- Move up and accept fewer repetitions for a few sessions, as in double progression.
- If you own add-on plates for dumbbells or a machine, include the weights they make possible in your list.
Which one suits you depends on your training, and it is your call. Tracking the weights you really have just makes sure the plan never asks for one that is not there.
Equipment profiles in Barbells
In Barbells you describe your equipment once, as an equipment profile under Settings, and use it for any exercise in your plan. The dumbbell example above is a profile like this:
- Name
- Gym dumbbells
- Type
- Discrete weights
- Weights
- 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22.5, 25, 27.5, 30 kg
The machine is a profile with the type Fixed increment and an increment amount of 5 kg.
Then, in the plan, set the exercise's progression source to Equipment Profile and choose the profile. With Top of range as the target and Standard mode, the shoulder press qualifies when every set reaches 12, as in the examples above. A qualifying increase then uses the profile in place of a manual weight increase: the next weight on the list, or the fixed increment. That can be larger than the increase you would pick yourself.
Nothing changes until you finish. At Finish, Weight increases shows the proposed change, for example 14 kg to 16 kg, and the Apply weight increases to plan checkbox is on by default. Clear it if you would rather stay at the lighter weight for now. At the heaviest weight in a list there is no change to make, so no row appears. Your logged workouts are never rewritten.
Signing up does not create this profile or plan for you. You enter the weights your own gym has, and the example above is one way to set it up.
What Barbells does not do
- It does not invent weights between the ones you list, so it will never propose a 15 kg dumbbell your rack does not have.
- It does not judge whether the next step is safe or appropriate for you, and it does not recommend equipment.
- It does not change your repetition targets or adapt your programme. It only raises plan weights when a session qualifies. This is bookkeeping, not coaching, and it cannot promise a result.
- Per-Set mode, AMRAP sets and linked exercises change when an increase happens. The progression rules cover each case.
Getting started
Barbells runs in the browser. It is free for 14 days, and after that it is £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year. For how a session is logged set by set, see the logging workflow on the home page.