If My Lifts in the Gym Have Stalled What Should I Be Tracking Besides Weight and Reps

The Real Reason Your Lifts Are Stuck (It's Not Weight x Reps)

If your lifts in the gym have stalled what should you be tracking besides weight and reps? The single most important metric is Total Volume, and you are almost certainly calculating it wrong or ignoring it completely. You're showing up, putting in the work, and diligently logging the weight on the bar and the reps you hit. But for the last month, that 225-pound bench press hasn't budged. It feels like you're pushing against a brick wall, and the frustration is starting to kill your motivation. The problem isn't your work ethic; it's your math. You think progress is just about adding more weight to the bar. It's not. True progress is measured by Total Volume, which is calculated as Weight x Reps x Sets. This number represents the total amount of work you did in a session. For example, benching 185 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps is a total volume of 2,775 pounds. But if next week you do 185 lbs for 5 sets of 5 reps, your volume is 4,625 pounds. You didn't add weight, but you did nearly 70% more work. That's what drives progress. Your stall isn't a strength problem; it's a volume problem. You've stopped demanding more from your body, so it has stopped adapting.

Your lifts are stalled. Let's fix that.

Track your total volume and see your strength grow week by week.

The Invisible Metric That Determines Your Progress

Just tracking Total Volume isn't the full picture. Two people can lift the exact same volume and get wildly different results. The variable that changes everything is intensity, and the best way to track it is with RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion. RPE is a simple scale from 1 to 10 that measures how difficult a set felt. A 10 means you had zero reps left in the tank-a true, all-out failure. A 9 means you had one good rep left. An 8 means you had two. Most of your productive work for building strength should happen in the RPE 8-9 range. This is the biggest mistake lifters make: they think every set needs to be an RPE 10 grinder. Training to failure constantly doesn't build strength faster; it fries your central nervous system, tanks your recovery, and grinds your progress to a halt within 3-4 weeks. Someone doing 3 sets of 5 at 225 lbs at an RPE 8 has room to grow. Someone doing the same workout at an RPE 10 is redlining. They lifted the same volume, but their bodies received a completely different signal. One signaled growth, the other signaled survival. You have the two key metrics now: Total Volume and RPE. You know you need to increase volume over time while managing RPE to avoid burnout. But answer this honestly: what was your total squat volume and average RPE from four weeks ago? If you don't know the exact number, you're not managing your training. You're just exercising and hoping for the best.

Weeks of progress. All in one place.

Every workout logged. Proof you're getting stronger, not just guessing.

The 3-Metric System to Break Any Plateau

Getting stuck is a data problem. To fix it, you need to start tracking the right things. This isn't complicated and doesn't require a degree in exercise science. It requires tracking three simple metrics consistently. This is the exact system that breaks people out of frustrating plateaus.

Step 1: Track Total Volume (Weight x Sets x Reps)

This is your primary progress metric. For each of your main compound lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press) in a session, calculate the total volume. Your goal is simple: increase the total volume for each lift by 2-5% from the previous week. You can do this in three ways:

1. Add Reps: If you did 3 sets of 5 last week, aim for 3 sets of 6 this week with the same weight.
2. Add Sets: If you did 3 sets of 5 last week, aim for 4 sets of 5 this week with the same weight.
3. Add Weight: If you hit your target reps and sets easily (e.g., RPE 7), add 5 pounds to the bar and aim for the same sets and reps.

This small, consistent increase is the very definition of progressive overload.

Step 2: Track RPE on Your Top Set

You don't need to track RPE for every single set. That's overkill. Just track it for your heaviest set of each main lift. This gives you a snapshot of your intensity. Your goal is to keep your top sets in the RPE 8-9 range. This is the sweet spot for stimulating strength gains without accumulating excessive fatigue. If you do a set and think, "I definitely had one more rep, but not two," that's a perfect RPE 9. If you hit an RPE 10, it's a warning sign. You've hit your limit for that day. The following week, you should not try to push past that; instead, you should plan for a deload to allow for recovery.

Step 3: Track Your Rest Periods

This is the most overlooked variable. The time you rest between sets directly impacts your performance and RPE. Resting 90 seconds versus 3 minutes between heavy sets of squats is the difference between an RPE 10 struggle and a clean RPE 8 set. Short rest periods don't let your muscles fully recover, meaning each subsequent set is weaker. For heavy strength work on compound lifts (in the 3-8 rep range), you must rest for a full 3-5 minutes. Use the timer on your phone. Don't just guess. This ensures each set is high-quality and that fatigue, not strength, isn't the reason you're failing reps.

What Real Progress Looks Like (It's Not a Straight Line)

Breaking a plateau isn't about a single heroic workout; it's about consistent, intelligent work over time. Your progress won't be a perfect upward line. It will have peaks and valleys, and knowing what to expect will keep you from quitting.

Weeks 1-4: The Data Collection Phase

In the first month, your lifts might not even go up. In fact, you might need to *lower* the weight on the bar to ensure you're working at the correct RPE 8-9, not the RPE 10 you were used to. That's okay. The goal here isn't to set personal records; it's to establish a baseline. You are learning what an RPE 8 feels like and consistently tracking your volume and rest periods. You are building the foundation for future gains. This phase feels slow, but it's the most critical.

Weeks 5-12: The Breakout Phase

This is where the magic happens. With a solid month of data, you can now make intelligent increases in volume. You'll start seeing the numbers climb. A 5-10 pound increase on your bench press or a 10-20 pound increase on your squat and deadlift every 4-6 weeks is realistic and sustainable progress. You'll notice that the weights that felt like an RPE 9 a month ago now feel like an RPE 8. This is concrete proof that you are getting stronger.

The Inevitable Deload

Every 4 to 8 weeks, you will feel run down. Lifts will feel heavy, your motivation will dip, and you'll feel tired. This is not failure; it's a signal from your body that it needs a break. This is when you implement a deload week. For one week, cut your total volume in half (e.g., do 2-3 sets instead of 4-5) and keep the intensity low (RPE 6-7). This strategic rest allows your body to supercompensate, and you will almost always come back the following week feeling stronger and ready to set new records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Total Volume vs. Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the principle of doing more over time to force adaptation. Total Volume is the primary metric you track to ensure you are actually applying that principle. Focusing on increasing your total volume by 2-5% weekly is the most practical way to implement progressive overload.

How to Track RPE Accurately

When you're new to RPE, it's common to overestimate it. A good rule of thumb is to film your top sets. If the bar moves quickly and smoothly, it's likely an RPE 7 or 8, even if it felt hard. A true RPE 9 involves a noticeable slowing of the bar speed on the final rep.

The Role of Recovery Metrics

Your ability to increase volume is directly tied to your recovery. The two most important metrics to be mindful of are sleep and protein. Consistently getting less than 7 hours of sleep or eating less than 0.8g of protein per pound of bodyweight will make it nearly impossible to recover from hard training and break plateaus.

Tracking for Muscle Growth vs. Strength

The principles are identical. For muscle growth (hypertrophy), you will still track total volume, but your training might involve higher rep ranges (8-15 reps), more sets, and shorter rest periods (60-120 seconds). The goal remains the same: do more total work over time.

What to Do if Volume Won't Increase

If you're unable to increase volume for two weeks in a row without your RPE shooting to 10, you have a recovery deficit. Don't try to push through it. Immediately check your sleep and nutrition. If those are in order, it's time for a deload week to let your body catch up.