# How to track and improve your squat progress > Updated: 2026-06-28 · Source: https://dorsi.ai/topics/squat-progress Squat progress is rarely a straight line. Most lifters hit a wall around 1.5x bodyweight and start rotating programs. But the plateau isn't always about… I stalled hard on squats for months. My progress just flatlined. Adding weight too fast? That was my mistake, and I see it happen all the time. Neglecting form is the other big one. What finally worked for me was recording every single set and then picking one weak point to fix: feet placement, bracing, or depth. You can't fix everything at once. Three focused sessions a week will beat five sloppy ones every time. That's the real win: consistency. On this page I'm sharing the specific cues that cleaned up my squat and a simple weekly plan that helped me keep adding weight. Try it. I’ve seen so many lifters get frustrated when squat progress stalls. It rarely follows a straight line. Most people hit a wall around 1.5x bodyweight and start jumping between programs, hoping something sticks. But in my experience, the plateau isn’t always about strength. More often, it’s technique breaking down under heavier loads. One bad rep can mess up weeks of work. That’s why I like Dorsi’s real-time bar path analysis. It catches those breakdowns before they turn into habits you have to unlearn. For the first few weeks, most novices can add 2.5 kg every session without thinking about it. Then things slow down. For intermediate lifters, I’m looking at 1-2 kg per week. The real skill is knowing when to push hard and when to back off. That’s exactly where an adaptive coach makes the difference. This page breaks down the three pillars of squat progress: technique consistency, progressive overload pacing, and fatigue management. Each section covers a specific lever you can pull to restart progress, without chasing a new program every month. ## How Much Weight Should You Add Each Week? I’ve tried adding 5 lbs every session. It works until it doesn’t. Most lifters stall around the 4-6 week mark, and I’ve been there myself—stuck, frustrated, wondering what I’m doing wrong. So here’s what I actually do now: aim for a 2.5-5 kg increase every 1-2 weeks. Your nervous system and joints need that time to adapt to heavier loads. Push too fast and you’ll grind to a halt, trust me. Be patient. Let the slow creep do its thing. ## Fix Your Bracing to Unlock Strength I’ve seen too many strong lifters crumble under a heavy squat because their core gave out first. Your squat is only as strong as your core. Period. Take a deep belly breath into your belt, push your abs out like you’re bracing for a punch, and hold that tightness through the whole descent and ascent. Without that intra-abdominal pressure, your spine folds forward under load. I’ve felt that scary forward lean myself. It’s why I swear by planks and dead bugs to drill the bracing pattern before I ever touch a barbell. ## Use a Wave Loading Pattern I’ve tried just piling on weight every session. It never lasts. You hit a wall fast because your body can’t keep taking that abuse. So I use wave loading: heavy, moderate, light days rotating across the week. My Monday looks like 5x5 at 85%. Wednesday I back off to 3x5 at 80%. Friday is a breather, 3x5 at 75%. That structure packs in more volume without torching my central nervous system. I’m building strength, not just grinding myself into the ground. ## When Should You Deload? I’ve been there. When my squat starts feeling like a grindy mess, my sleep goes to hell, or even my warm-up sets feel heavier than they should, I know it’s deload time. Drop your working weight to 60-70% for one full week. That’s it. Your body uses that week to repair connective tissue and reset your nervous system, two things you can’t shortcut. Skipping deloads? That’s the fastest route to a plateau. Don’t be a hero. I learned that the hard way after grinding through three weeks of stalled progress, wondering why nothing moved.