Microloading is adding load in steps smaller than the standard jump, usually 0.25-1 kg in total, so progress continues when the next full plate is too big a step. It matters most on lifts where you are light, such as the overhead press, and for lifters whose weekly gains are smaller than the smallest plate in the rack.
If you have ever hit 40 kg for your sets on the overhead press, loaded 42.5 kg the next week, and watched the reps collapse, you have met the problem. The jump was real progress on paper and a different exercise in practice. This guide shows how to measure that jump, the options for making it smaller, a simple rule for deciding when to add weight, and how to log it so the decision is not a guess.
What is microloading?
Microloading is progressive overload in small steps. Instead of moving from 40 kg to 42.5 kg, you move from 40 kg to 40.5 kg or 41 kg. The "micro" part is relative: it means smaller than the usual jump on that lift, not a fixed number.
In a typical gym the smallest plate is 1.25 kg, so the smallest jump on a barbell is 2.5 kg (two plates, one per side). In pounds, the smallest plate is usually 2.5 lb, which gives a 5 lb jump. Fractional plates, often sold in 0.25 kg, 0.5 kg, and 0.75 kg sizes (or 0.25 lb to 1 lb), let you add 0.5-1.5 kg to the bar in total.
Microloading is not a separate training system. It is a way of applying the same principle, progressive overload, with a resolution that fits your current rate of progress. It pairs naturally with double progression, where you add reps inside a range and then add load, because it shrinks the load step that ends each cycle.
Why standard jumps stall
The size of a jump depends on what it is a percentage of. Here is the same plate on different lifts, using round numbers for working weight:
| Lift | Working weight | +2.5 kg jump | +5 kg jump | +1 kg microload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead press | 40 kg | 6.25% | 12.5% | 2.5% |
| Bench press | 80 kg | 3.1% | 6.25% | 1.25% |
| Squat | 100 kg | 2.5% | 5% | 1% |
| Deadlift | 180 kg | 1.4% | 2.8% | 0.6% |
Two things stand out. First, with standard plates the overhead press can only move in 2.5 kg steps, which is more than 6% of the load, and a 5 kg step at 12.5% is effectively a different working weight. Second, the deadlift can tolerate big steps for a long time, which is why microloading is a conversation about the upper body and about advanced lifters far more than about beginners.
There is also a rate problem. Beginners can often add weight every session. Intermediate lifters might add 2.5 kg to a lift over several weeks. If your true rate of improvement is closer to 0.5 kg per week and the smallest step is 2.5 kg, you will spend several weeks failing to bridge the gap, even though you are getting stronger. Rather than a plateau, you are looking at a measurement problem. For help telling the two apart, the strength plateau diagnosis guide covers the real stalls.
What does the evidence say?
No study has tested the word "microloading" specifically, so be wary of anyone who says the research proves it. What the research supports is the general idea that load should go up gradually and by an amount you can handle.
The ACSM position stand on progression models in resistance training, written by Ratamess and colleagues, recommends applying a 2-10% increase in load when you can perform the current workload for one to two repetitions over the desired number (Ratamess et al., 2009). That is a wide range. Look at the table again: for a 40 kg press, the standard 2.5 kg jump already sits at 6.25% and a 5 kg jump is above the range. Microloading lets you pick a step near the 2% end when the lift is light or your recovery is poor.
Plotkin and colleagues compared two ways to apply overload in 43 resistance-trained participants over eight weeks: one group aimed to increase load while keeping reps constant, the other aimed to increase reps while keeping load constant. Hypertrophy was similar, strength increases slightly favoured the load group by an amount the authors called of questionable practical significance, and the authors concluded that both strategies are viable (Plotkin et al., 2022). The study was short, lower body only, and not about fractional plates, so treat it as support for rep progression as a bridge, not as proof that tiny load steps beat large ones.
The rest is practical logic. If a step is too large, your reps or effort will tell you. That is where effort ratings help: Zourdos and colleagues showed that RPE can be anchored to repetitions in reserve, with RPE 10 meaning no repetitions left (Zourdos et al., 2016). Your RPE or RIR at the same load and reps is the measurement that tells you whether the next step should be small.
How do you microload?
You have four practical options. They are not mutually exclusive.
Fractional plates
The most direct option. Small plates in 0.25-0.5 kg sizes slide onto the sleeve next to your normal plates. Buy them in a set, because two 0.25 kg plates give you a 0.5 kg jump, two 0.5 kg plates give 1 kg, and combinations fill in the rest. Many commercial gyms do not stock them, so check before you plan a block around them, and carry your own if the gym allows it. Make sure they fit your barbell sleeves and are secured with a collar.
For machines and cables, look for pin-loaded stacks with half-plates or add-on weights, which are often available. If not, use the rep progression method below.
Rep progression
If the next load is too big and you have no fractional plates, add reps first. Stay at 40 kg, and move from 3 × 6 to 3 × 7 across weeks, then 3 × 8. When you reach the top of a range, add the smallest load you can and drop back to the bottom of the range. This is a plain application of double progression, and it is a good fit when the movement is hard to microload physically. The double progression guide has the full structure.
Set progression
Add a set before you add load. If 3 × 5 at 80 kg feels solid, make it 4 × 5 at the same weight before you step up. This raises weekly volume rather than intensity, so keep an eye on recovery and use your training volume trends to check that the extra work is not costing you reps elsewhere.
Top set and back-off method
Take one heavy top set with a small increase, then drop the load for the remaining sets. This lets you test a microload on one set without committing your whole session to it. The top set and back-off set guide explains how to set the drop.
A note on "tricks": adding weight by holding dumbbells during a squat, or loading things onto the bar that are not plates, trades precision for risk. If fractional plates are not available, use reps or sets instead.
What is a good microloading rule?
A rule removes the in-the-moment guess. A common effort-based rule works well with microloading because it needs only two numbers: the prescribed reps and how hard the last set felt.
| What happened last session | What to do next session |
|---|---|
| All sets hit the target reps at RPE 8 or lower (2+ RIR) | Add the smallest step available |
| All sets hit the target reps at RPE 8.5-9 (about 1 RIR) | Hold the load and try to repeat it or add a rep |
| Reps missed, or the final set was RPE 10 (0 RIR) | Hold the load; drop back by one step if it happens twice |
RPE 10 is no reps left, RPE 9 is one in reserve, RPE 8 is two, and RPE 7 is three. Because effort ratings are subjective, the first few weeks are calibration: you are learning what two reps in reserve feels like for you. Use the same lift under the same conditions to compare.
If the rule says add and you have only 2.5 kg plates, add a rep instead. If you have fractional plates, add 0.5-1 kg. Adding 0.5 kg a week over a 12-week block is a 6 kg gain, which is more than two standard 2.5 kg jumps would deliver if each one takes five weeks to earn.
IronLedger's progression rule uses the same idea on its five load-and-go programs: advance when reported effort stays low, hold when it is high, and show the reason for each target. The RPE vs percentage-based training comparison explains when to use fixed percentages instead.
Which lifts need microloading?
Use the percentage as the filter. If the smallest step on the lift is more than about 3-5% of your working weight, consider something smaller. This is a rule of thumb, not a research threshold.
- Overhead press: usually the first and clearest case, because working weights are low.
- Bench press: useful for intermediate and advanced lifters whose weekly gain is under 2.5 kg.
- Lateral raises, curls, and other isolation work: dumbbells often jump in 1-2.5 kg steps, which is a very large percentage of the load. Rep progression is usually the answer here.
- Squat and deadlift: often fine with standard jumps for a long time, though advanced lifters near their limit also benefit.
- Weighted bodyweight lifts: pull-ups and dips can be microloaded with small plates on a belt, or by tracking reps until the next plate is realistic.
How do you log microloads?
Fractional changes are easy to lose. If you remember "about 40" and the real figure was 40.5 or 41, you will not know whether you progressed. Log the exact load, reps, and RPE or RIR for every working set, plus a note when something affects the set, such as poor sleep or a different bar. The workout tracking metrics guide covers which fields to record.
IronLedger's product page shows set-level logging where the weight is pre-filled from the target and editable per set, RPE is recorded in half steps, RIR can be recorded, and past sessions can be repeated as a starting point. That is what microloading needs: a precise number, an effort rating, and the previous session to compare against. The progressive overload tracker guide explains how to turn those logs into next-session decisions, and estimated one-rep max trends can confirm that small steps are adding up.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Microloading a lift that does not need it. If you can still add 2.5 kg with good reps, do so.
- Adding weight every session out of habit. The rule should decide, not the calendar.
- Ignoring effort. The same weight at RPE 9.5 is not the same as at RPE 7.
- Never testing a bigger jump. Occasionally check whether a standard step is now possible after a few microloads.
- Forgetting recovery. Frequent small increases still accumulate fatigue, so keep your deload week schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Between 0.25 kg and 1 kg in total is typical, depending on the lift. Choose the step so that it is roughly 1-3% of your working weight, within the ACSM range of 2-10% at the low end.
Sources and references
- Ratamess et al., American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults — recommends a 2-10% load increase when you can perform the current workload for one to two repetitions over the desired number (2009).
- Plotkin et al., Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations — 43 resistance-trained participants over eight weeks; load and repetition progression were both viable for muscular adaptations (2022).
- Zourdos et al., Novel resistance training-specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve — anchors RPE to repetitions in reserve, with RPE 10 corresponding to no repetitions left (2016).
- IronLedger product page — shows set-level logging with editable weight, RPE in half steps, RIR, repeated previous sessions, and progression rules.
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