Three strategies to evolve without increasing weight
This season on the More Train, Less Pain podcast, the focus is on training around injury. It’s a topic I’m deeply passionate about, since I often emphasize tailoring a client’s or athlete’s TRAINABLE MENU. I recently appeared on the show, and a companion piece by Tim complements the theme. If you’re into this topic, give both a listen.
Imagine the early days of solid, consistent squatting—your favorite music in the background, a cloud of pre-workout, chalk in the air—and adding 5–10 pounds almost every week. That’s the honeymoon phase of strength training, when progress feels effortless and you could imagine lifting the weight of a car on your back. But reality eventually arrives. With time, aches, injuries, and movement limitations accumulate, and simply adding more weight isn’t always viable. So what should an iron warrior do when progress stalls?
Tim Richardt, a Colorado-based Doctor of Physical Therapy and Strength and Conditioning Coach, hosts More Train, Less Pain with Dr. Michelle Boland, exploring strategies to keep people training hard despite injuries and mobility limits. This season centers on maintaining a strength practice in the presence of persistent pain—the kind I’ve personally dealt with due to congenital hip defects. Across many episodes, a single theme keeps resurfacing: infinite progression isn’t real. We need smarter ways to train that don’t cause tissue damage or limit range of motion.
Note from Tim: my latest chat with Tim, titled “Easy Training, Stoplights, and Making Bigger Cups,” is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
To stay strong, build muscle, and improve movement quality, we need to evolve our exercise selection and programming so training remains sustainable. Here are three strategies, drawn from this season’s guests and grounded in real-world experience.
1) Timed Sets
Rather than adding load each week while keeping the set/rep/rest scheme the same, try dosing by time under tension over a six-week block. For example:
– Foam Roller Wall Squat: Week 1 — 3×60s; Week 2 — 4×60s; Week 3 — 4×90s; Week 4 — 4×120s
This approach accumulates a substantial workload with less axial loading. It’s especially helpful for movements where increasing weight isn’t practical due to position or setup, such as exercises with a zercher or goblet hold. You’ll still accumulate fatigue and stay engaged with training as you build time under tension.
2) EMOM Supersets
EMOM (every minute on the minute) keeps the load the same but requires a set number of reps at the start of each minute, with the remainder of the minute for rest. A six-week progression might look like:
– A1. Trap Bar Deadlift: Week 1 — 4×3; Week 2 — 5×3; Week 3 — 6×3; Week 4 — 7×3
– A2. Alternate 1-Arm DB Bench Press: Rest for the remainder of the minute; Week 1 — 4×8; Week 2 — 5×8; Week 3 — 6×8; Week 4 — 7×8
EMOMs can dramatically increase total workload without increasing axial load on any single set and provide a mild conditioning stimulus for those who struggle to fit cardio work in. When you compare EMOM deadlifts to conventional progressions, the total workload can look quite different, but the overall emphasis shifts toward sustainable, high-volume work without hammering the spine.
3) Feel-Based Training
The first two strategies push workload in unconventional ways, but feel-based training changes the game by improving efficiency and movement quality without dosing up loading. Depending on goals and injury history, about 20–50% of exercises may progress by “feel” alone. This means no extra load, no extra reps, no faster reps—just better performance.
We deliberately freeze these variables to focus on flawless execution. For example, in a movement like FFESS, you might keep 4 sets of 8 reps per leg with a modest goblet hold, but aim to improve factors such as foot contact, pelvic stability, and pelvic tilt control at various points in the range of motion. Can the back knee descend further? Can the pelvis stay level? Can you drive with proper form to maximize the drill’s joint-opening benefits?
This approach can seem dull, but freezing dosing and prioritizing movement integrity unlocks many other training options and helps people train consistently for the long term. If you enjoyed the content, consider exploring More Train, Less Pain—Engineering the Adaptable Athlete, S3E13 with Tony. It’s available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
About the author
Tim Richardt is a Colorado-based Doctor of Physical Therapy and Strength and Conditioning Coach. He works with runners, climbers, CrossFitters, and tactical/mountain athletes to manage long-standing injuries and reach higher levels of performance. He mentors clinicians and coaches to help them develop their own treatment and training approaches. Learn more at TimRichardt.com or via Instagram.
