Today's Target Muscles — Shoulders + Legs
Anterior/Lateral Deltoid
Primary — Press + Raise
Quadriceps
Primary — Leg Extension
Hamstrings
Primary — Leg Curl
Triceps Brachii
Secondary — Press
Rotator Cuff / Supraspinatus
Stabilizer — Raise
Trapezius
Stabilizer — Press
Warm-up
Standard warm-up completed. Shoulder press set 1 at 10kg effectively doubled as a feel-out/warm-up set before jumping to the 12kg working weight — a sensible way to handle it.
✓ Done
Session Log · 28 June
1
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Backrest 75° · Seat 15° · 4 sets · 10kg → 12kg → 12kg → 12kg · 3 of 4 sets at/near true failure
📷 Photo reviewed: front-on view mid-press, dumbbells roughly level with the top of the head, elbows tracking close to a straight vertical line rather than flaring wide.
Primary:
Anterior Deltoid
Secondary:
Lateral DeltoidTriceps BrachiiUpper Trapezius
Sets logged
| Set | Weight | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 kg | 12 | ~60s | Hard by the end, not failure — effectively a feel-out set before the jump |
| 2 | 12 kg | 10 | ~60s | Near failure ✓ |
| 3 | 12 kg | 8 full + 1 partial | ~57s | Failure ✓ — right in the 40-60s window |
| 4 | 12 kg | 8 full + 2 failed attempts | ~56s | Failure ✓ — genuine failure, attempted reps count |
Form Analysis
Range of Motion — Press to Ear Line, Not Below
Your pointer to stop the descent around ear level rather than letting the dumbbells travel further down checks out against standard coaching cues for this lift: going below ear level with the elbows tracking back and in line with the torso puts more strain on the shoulder joint without adding useful range for the front delts. In the photo, the bottom position looks close to this — worth keeping a deliberate check on this specifically as fatigue sets in on sets 3 and 4, since that's when range tends to creep lower.
The "A" Shape — Elbows Slightly Forward, Not a Wide "T"
Your cue here matches the standard technique guidance closely: elbows should sit slightly in front of the torso (something closer to a 45° angle, forming that "A" shape you described) rather than flared straight out to the sides in a "T." Flaring wide is the single most common technique error on this lift and is what tends to shift load onto the shoulder joint itself instead of the deltoid muscle fibers. From the photo, the elbow position looks reasonably close to correct — not fully flared — so this is more a maintenance cue than a fix.
Set 1 to Set 2 Weight Jump Was the Right Call
Going from 10kg to 12kg after just one set, once it became clear 10kg wasn't going to be challenging, is good in-session judgment — no wasted sets at a weight that wasn't doing anything.
On your third pointer (why is the weight constant across sets 2-4): this is actually correct programming, not a flaw — see the dedicated section below on why reps should drop while weight holds steady within a single session, and why the real progression happens session-to-session instead.
2
Cable Lateral Raises (Bilateral)
Pulley at knee height for 90° arm-cable angle · 4 sets · 2.5kg → 2.5kg → 5kg → 5kg · First 2 sets undertrained, jump to 5kg too large
Primary:
Lateral Deltoid
Secondary:
Anterior DeltoidSupraspinatusUpper Trapezius
Sets logged — same weight/reps left and right on all sets
| Set | Tension | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.5 kg | 18 | ~60s | ⚠ Hard by the end but not near failure — 18 clean reps means the weight is too light |
| 2 | 2.5 kg | 18 | ~60s | ⚠ Identical to set 1 — no fatigue accumulation, confirms the weight isn't doing enough work |
| 3 | 5 kg | 5 full + 4 failed attempts | ~60s | Failure reached, but the jump size is the concern — see form notes |
| 4 | 5 kg | 5 full + 5 failed attempts | ~60s | Same pattern — high ratio of failed attempts to clean reps |
Form Analysis
Knee-Height Pulley for a 90° Arm-Cable Angle Is a Smart Setup Choice
This is actually a more refined setup than the generic "lowest pulley position" advice most guides default to. Setting the pulley so the arm and cable form roughly a 90° angle at the point of peak stretch is specifically recommended for improving tension timing through the deep-stretch portion of the raise — a detail that a lot of lifters miss entirely. Good instinct here.
Sets 1-2: The Weight Was Too Light to Matter
18 reps at "hard by the end but not near failure" on an isolation raise is a clear signal the load isn't sufficient — lateral raises are typically most effective for the lateral deltoid somewhere in the 10-15 rep range at a weight that genuinely challenges the last few reps. Two identical sets of 18 with no fatigue carryover between them (same reps, same difficulty) confirms the 2.5kg wasn't accumulating meaningful tension.
Sets 3-4: The Jump to 5kg Was Too Large, Not Too Small
Doubling the weight in one jump, going from a load that couldn't produce failure in 18 reps to one that produces failure in just 5, is a big swing. The high number of failed attempts relative to clean reps (4-of-9 and 5-of-10 attempted) suggests the last several reps likely lost the controlled 90° arm path and turned into partial, momentum-assisted attempts rather than clean lateral raise reps — this is a technique breakdown risk, not just a hard set. A more moderate step (something like 3.5-4kg) would likely have produced a cleaner failure point with fewer compromised reps.
Practical Fix for Next Session
Given 2.5kg was clearly too light and 5kg produced a rough failure with several compromised reps, something in the 3.5-4kg range is the logical next test — enough to bring failure into the 10-15 rep range with clean form throughout, rather than either extreme seen today.
3
Leg Extension
4 sets · 35kg constant · 10 reps every set · No time or failure data logged
Primary:
Quadriceps
Secondary:
Hip Flexors (stabilizer)
Sets logged
| Set | Tension | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
| 2 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
| 3 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
| 4 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
Form Analysis
Same Weight, Same Reps, Four Times — No Way to Know If This Was Hard
This is the one exercise in the whole session that breaks from the time-based, near-failure protocol entirely. 10 reps at 35kg on all 4 sets with no time or difficulty note gives no way to tell whether set 4 was as easy as set 1, or whether the muscle actually approached failure at any point. Without that marker, it's impossible to say whether 35kg is even the right working weight right now.
Fix: Apply the Same Time-and-Failure Log Used on the Upper Body Lifts
Log the approximate time per set and whether the last couple of reps felt hard, near failure, or true failure — exactly the same format already being used successfully for shoulder press and lateral raise. Without this, leg extension progress can't actually be evaluated week to week.
4
Leg Curl (Seated)
4 sets · 30kg → 35kg → 35kg → 35kg · 10 reps every set · Form confirmed correct, but data gap same as leg extension
Primary:
Hamstrings (Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus)
Secondary:
Gastrocnemius
Sets logged
| Set | Tension | Reps | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
| 2 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
| 3 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
| 4 | 35 kg | 10 | Not logged | ⚠ No effort marker |
Form Analysis
Form Confirmed Correct
Per your own review, the sitting leg curl form checks out — this is the one exercise today with a confirmed-good technique read, which is genuinely useful given no photo was available to verify independently.
Go Up (Concentric) Slowly — Your Cue Is Well-Founded
Slowing down the curling phase (the concentric, where the leg bends and pulls the pad toward the glutes) rather than yanking it up quickly keeps tension on the hamstring for longer and reduces reliance on momentum. This is a standard and well-supported cue for machine curl variations — good instinct to flag it.
Same Data Gap as Leg Extension
30kg on set 1 followed by 35kg for the remaining three sets, all at 10 reps with no time or effort marker, has the same problem as the previous exercise: no way to tell if 35kg is the right working weight or whether these sets are approaching failure. Apply the same time-and-failure logging here going forward.
Answering Your Recurring Question
Why Does the Weight Stay Constant Across Sets Even Though We're Following the Time/Failure Principle?
This is expected and correct — it's actually a sign the protocol is working, not a flaw in it. The relevant training concept here is double progression: within a single session, at a fixed weight, reps are supposed to drop from set to set as fatigue accumulates (12 → 10 → 8+1 → 8+2 on the shoulder press today is a textbook example of this). If every set produced the same rep count at the same weight, that would actually suggest the earlier sets weren't pushed hard enough.
The progression that matters happens session-to-session, not set-to-set. The rule is: keep the weight the same across sessions until you can hit the top of your rep/time target on all working sets — then increase the weight next session and expect reps to drop again at the new load. Trying to increase weight within a single session, set to set, usually just means the earlier sets weren't taken close enough to failure. Today's shoulder press is a good example of getting this right: 12kg held constant for 3 sets while reps naturally declined (10 → 8+1 → 8+2) as real fatigue built up.
The progression that matters happens session-to-session, not set-to-set. The rule is: keep the weight the same across sessions until you can hit the top of your rep/time target on all working sets — then increase the weight next session and expect reps to drop again at the new load. Trying to increase weight within a single session, set to set, usually just means the earlier sets weren't taken close enough to failure. Today's shoulder press is a good example of getting this right: 12kg held constant for 3 sets while reps naturally declined (10 → 8+1 → 8+2) as real fatigue built up.
A Note on the Lateral Raise Jump
The lateral raise sets today aren't really a double-progression case — they're a calibration problem. 2.5kg producing 18 non-failure reps means that weight was never going to be a good long-term working load; the fix wasn't to add reps at that weight, it was to find the right weight faster. 5kg turned out to be too big a jump in the other direction. The 3.5-4kg range suggested above is a genuine calibration step, not a rep-target problem — once that number is found, the same double-progression logic from the shoulder press applies normally from there.