Oct 14, 2026 · 37 min · 13 segments
Did your beginner program stop working? Good news: you don't need a brand new program. You need the next small change. In this episode of Mondays with Matt, Matt Reynolds walks through the…
So, um, what do we do when, when that basic linear progression stops working? And I've talked about this some over the last several weeks, so I would love questions that you have as coaches or clients, as you've got to the spot where you feel like either you are plateauing or your clients are plateauing, what is the thing that, that plateaus? Like, where is it that you're hitting a wall? This is like I, I don't know what the next step is because I really...
Do we understand not just the algebraic equation, but do we understand why the equation exists? Do we understand what we're doing with minimum effective dose programming for maximum return on investment? Um, and so I've changed some, as I talked about last week, my philosophy of coaching, especially busy dads over 40, though I think this applies to everyone, is that that programming, if set up correctly from the beginning, I think you can make minimum effective dose changes all along.
I think, yeah, that can be done in, if you take this, the traditional orthodox, say, starting strength linear progression, three days a week, three sets of five on the main lifts, like one set of five on the deadlift.
I, from, I'm at the point now, I just think a four-day split works better for almost everybody.
And as we get older, I've talked about this in previous weeks, I think having those dedicated days, two upper days, two lower days, so that even if you're systemically fatigued after, say, a low- lower body workout, you can come back the next day or two days later and still hit a upper body workout where you often wouldn't be able to be systemically fatigued and, and acutely fatigued, say, in your legs from squats and deadlifts, or your legs and back on a Monday and come back and squat and deadlift again on Wednesday.
So I like the idea of squatting and deadlifting, say, on Monday and not having to do it again until Thursday.
So squat, deadlift on Monday, bench press on, or press and bench on Tuesday, some accessories, certainly something like a chin.
I think that works really, really well to set you up to make progress over time.
And so- In the beginning, linear progression is very simply the volume stays the same, the exer- exercise frequency stays the same, the, uh, frequency of, of training stays the same, four days a week, and we just add a little weight to the bar.
So, um, what do we do when, when that basic linear progression stops working? And I've talked about this some over the last several weeks, so I would love questions that you have as coaches or clients, as you've got to the spot where you feel like either you are plateauing or your clients are plateauing, what is the thing that, that plateaus? Like, where is it that you're hitting a wall? This is like I, I don't know what the next step is because I really...
Do we understand not just the algebraic equation, but do we understand why the equation exists? Do we understand what we're doing with minimum effective dose programming for maximum return on investment? Um, and so I've changed some, as I talked about last week, my philosophy of coaching, especially busy dads over 40, though I think this applies to everyone, is that that programming, if set up correctly from the beginning, I think you can make minimum effective dose changes all along.
I think, yeah, that can be done in, if you take this, the traditional orthodox, say, starting strength linear progression, three days a week, three sets of five on the main lifts, like one set of five on the deadlift.
I, from, I'm at the point now, I just think a four-day split works better for almost everybody.
And as we get older, I've talked about this in previous weeks, I think having those dedicated days, two upper days, two lower days, so that even if you're systemically fatigued after, say, a low- lower body workout, you can come back the next day or two days later and still hit a upper body workout where you often wouldn't be able to be systemically fatigued and, and acutely fatigued, say, in your legs from squats and deadlifts, or your legs and back on a Monday and come back and squat and deadlift again on Wednesday.
So I like the idea of squatting and deadlifting, say, on Monday and not having to do it again until Thursday.
So squat, deadlift on Monday, bench press on, or press and bench on Tuesday, some accessories, certainly something like a chin.
I think that works really, really well to set you up to make progress over time.
And so- In the beginning, linear progression is very simply the volume stays the same, the exer- exercise frequency stays the same, the, uh, frequency of, of training stays the same, four days a week, and we just add a little weight to the bar.
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