Blog
The RIRLift blog
Notes from the RIRLift team on training with reps in reserve, planning hypertrophy work, and getting the most out of logging every set on your wrist. Practical, evidence-based, and tied straight back to how the app works.
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Testing Jev in a Lifting App: Where It Won and Lost
A hypertrophy logbook tested TypeSafe's Jev across 20 languages before letting it near Coach. Here is what it did well, and the one job it lost.
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Best workout app for Apple Watch: choose by what you need to log
Choose an Apple Watch workout app by the details you need during and after a session, from lifting sets to running pace and general activity.
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Am I gaining muscle or fat? What the scale won't tell you
The bathroom scale cannot tell muscle from fat. Here is how your training log, a tape measure, and progress photos answer the question the number hides.
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PPLUL split: what the five letters cost you per muscle
PPLUL and ULPPL decoded. What push pull legs upper lower means, the per-muscle frequency the five letters actually deliver, and why the order is not cosmetic.
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High reps vs low reps: which actually builds muscle?
High reps vs low reps, and low weight high reps vs high weight low reps, settled: which builds muscle, which builds strength, and why effort decides more.
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The best free workout tracker apps for lifters (2026)
The best free workout tracker apps for lifters in 2026, what "free" actually means, and which free tiers really log your sets, RIR, and weekly training volume.
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The best workout log apps for lifters (2026), compared
A lifter's comparison of the best workout log apps in 2026, from Hevy and Strong to RIR-native and Apple Watch-first options, and how to actually pick one.
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Macrocycle, mesocycle, microcycle: the three training cycles
Macrocycle, mesocycle, microcycle explained for lifters: what each periodization cycle is, how they nest, and how to build a training week that actually progresses.
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How to use reps in reserve (RIR) in your workouts
Reps in reserve turns effort into a number you can train by. Here is how to pick an RIR target per set, run a full session on it, and log it honestly.
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Pre-exhaustion training: does it build more muscle?
Pre-exhaustion fatigues a muscle with an isolation before a compound. The evidence says it does not add growth. Here is what it buys and how to log it.
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Powerbuilding: how to train for strength and size at once
Powerbuilding blends heavy compound strength work with higher-rep hypertrophy volume. Here is how to structure it, set RIR for each half, and progress both.
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4 day workout split: how to spend four sessions well
A 4 day workout split is a frequency budget, not one template. Compare the four-day structures on per-muscle volume and pick the one your recovery can pay for.
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DC training (Doggcrapp): why the logbook is the program
DC training (Doggcrapp) runs on rest-pause sets and one rule: beat your logbook every session. Here is how it really works, and how to log it honestly.
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Training frequency for hypertrophy: how often to train a muscle
Training frequency for hypertrophy is 2 to 3 sessions per muscle per week, but the real reason is volume. How to set your frequency and track the one you run.
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Rest-pause sets: do they build muscle, and how do you log one?
Rest-pause sets extend one set past failure with short pauses to save time, not add muscle. Here is what the evidence shows and how to log one honestly.
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Cluster sets: do they build muscle, and how do they count?
Cluster sets break one set into mini-sets with short intra-set rest. Here is what the evidence says about hypertrophy, and how to count and log one honestly.
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Should you train to failure? A research-based guide
Should you train to failure for muscle growth? What the research says, the real fatigue cost, when failure earns its place, and how to decide set by set.
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Straight sets: what they are and how to make them work
Straight sets are the baseline every fancier set style is measured against. What a straight set is, whether it builds muscle, and how to keep it progressing.
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Wave loading: what it is and whether it builds muscle
Wave loading alternates rising load and falling reps in waves within one session. How it works, a full e1RM example, and whether it actually builds muscle.
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How to break a lifting plateau and start progressing again
A lifting plateau is a trend you can read in your log, not a mystery. Here is how to tell fatigue from a stalled stimulus, and exactly what to change.
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RPE vs RIR: what's the difference, and which should you log?
RPE and RIR both measure how close a set is to failure. Here is how the two scales convert, when each one fits, and which is easier to log honestly per set.
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Sarcoplasmic vs myofibrillar hypertrophy: the rep-range myth
Sarcoplasmic vs myofibrillar hypertrophy explained, and why picking a rep range to target one is a myth. What actually drives both, and how to log it.
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Giant sets: do they build muscle, and how to log them
A giant set stacks three or more exercises for one muscle back to back. Here is what the evidence shows, what it really costs, and how to count it honestly.
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Mind-muscle connection: does it actually build muscle?
The mind-muscle connection is real, but it is a cue, not a driver. Here is what the evidence shows, when internal focus helps growth, and when to skip it.
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PHUL workout: the split that never tells you how hard to lift
The PHUL workout prescribes sets and reps for power and hypertrophy days, then leaves effort blank. What that costs, and the RIR targets each day needs.
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Muscle groups to train together: what each pairing costs
Which muscle groups to train together, why the second muscle in a pairing gets a quietly discounted dose, and how to pick your pairings by the days you train.
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Progressive overload workout plan: the part every plan skips
A progressive overload workout plan needs more than sets and reps. Without a target effort per set, load and reps cannot tell you if you actually progressed.
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Reverse pyramid training: heaviest set first, and the volume trap
Reverse pyramid training puts your heaviest set first while you are fresh. Why that works, the weekly volume problem it creates, and how to fix it set by set.
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Exercise order: why the last exercise pays for the first
Exercise order does not change how much stimulus a session holds. It decides which muscle gets it. What the research shows and how to order a workout.
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Muscle recovery time: why 48 hours is only a default
Muscle recovery time is usually quoted as 24 to 72 hours by muscle size. The window is set by the dose you gave the muscle, and your own log measures it.
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PPL split: the number push pull legs leaves out
A PPL split names three sessions and no frequency. How 3, 4, 5 and 6 day push pull legs programs change weekly sets per muscle, and which one you actually run.
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What is the Arnold split? The pairing decides it, not six days
What is the Arnold split? A six-day routine pairing two large muscle groups per session, twice a week. That pairing, not the days, decides if it works for you.
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Full body workout split: the arithmetic no template runs
A full body workout split has to serve nine muscle groups three times a week. The set arithmetic decides whether it works, and no routine template runs it for you.
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Newbie gains: how to tell when yours have actually ended
Newbie gains are real, but much of what makes them feel dramatic is not muscle. How long they last, and the log signal that tells you the phase has ended.
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Upper/lower split: how to run the 4-day version well
The 4-day upper/lower split trains every muscle twice a week and it works. The catch is the crowded upper day, and how to run it so nothing gets left behind.
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Bro split: does training a muscle once a week work?
The bro split is not bad because of frequency. Volume-equated research says frequency is close to neutral. Here is the real cost of one session per muscle.
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Machines vs free weights: which builds more muscle?
Machines and free weights build muscle about equally well. The real difference is what ends the set, and whether the RIR you log afterward can be trusted.
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Warm-up sets: how many you need before working sets
How many warm-up sets to do before your working sets, why they should never count toward your weekly hard-set volume, and how a bad ramp wrecks your RIR read.
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German volume training: does 10x10 actually build more muscle?
German volume training promises size from 10 sets of 10. The one head-to-head study found 5 sets beat 10. Here is why the extra sets never counted.
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Lengthened partials: do half reps build more muscle?
Lengthened partials are sold as a muscle-growth hack, but the best controlled trial found a tie. Here is what they really do, and how to log them honestly.
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Mechanical tension: what actually builds muscle
Mechanical tension drives muscle growth, but it is not the same as lifting heavy. Here is what it really means, how to create it, and how to tell if you did.
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Myo-reps for hypertrophy: do they work, and how to log them
Myo-reps pack near-failure volume into short mini-sets to build muscle in less time, not more. Here is what the evidence shows and how to log one honestly.
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What is a superset? Types, benefits, and how to log one
A superset pairs two exercises back to back. Here is what supersets actually buy for muscle growth, what they cost, and how to count and log them honestly.
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Pyramid sets: do they build more muscle than straight sets?
Pyramid sets change load and reps every set, but do they beat straight sets for muscle growth? What the evidence says, and how to count and log them honestly.
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Compound vs isolation exercises for muscle growth
Compound and isolation exercises both build muscle. Here is how each spreads stimulus and weekly volume across your muscles, and how to pick your mix.
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Hypertrophy vs strength training: what actually differs
Hypertrophy vs strength training compared. How rep range, load, rest, and proximity to failure really differ, and how to log and progress each set by set.
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Drop sets for hypertrophy: do they work, and how to log them
Drop sets build the same muscle in less time, not more of it. Here is what a drop set really buys, what it costs in fatigue, and how to log one honestly.
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Time under tension: does it actually build muscle?
Time under tension sounds like a hypertrophy hack, but counting seconds is the wrong lever. Here is what tempo really does, and what to log instead.
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Junk volume: which of your sets actually stopped counting
Junk volume is not a set number you cap at 6 or 8. It is a diagnosis. Here are the four tells that show which sets stopped counting in your own training log.
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Best workout split for muscle growth: pick the container
The best workout split for muscle growth is the one you'll adhere to that hits each muscle about twice a week. Here is why the split is a container, not the stimulus.
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What is RPE in lifting? The effort scale, explained
RPE in lifting rates how hard a set felt on a 1 to 10 scale. Here is what each number means, how RPE maps to reps in reserve, and which one to log per set.
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How many sets per workout? Stop picking the number
How many sets per workout? The number is derived, not chosen. Here is the math from your weekly target, and the RIR tell for when a session has too many.
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Does soreness mean muscle growth? What DOMS actually tells you
Soreness is not a growth signal. Here is what DOMS actually measures, why it fades while you keep growing, and the numbers to judge a session by instead.
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Double progression: how to run it and where it breaks
Double progression means adding reps before load. Here is how to run it, what to do when your sets desync, and why the rep only counts if your RIR held.
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Deload week: the signs you need one and how to run it
A deload week is a planned drop in training volume and effort. Here are the real signs you need one, exactly what to change, and how often to run one.
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How long to rest between sets, based on your goal
How long to rest between sets, by goal: strength, hypertrophy, and endurance. Why longer rest often builds more muscle, and how to time it phone-free.
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The best rep range for muscle growth is a range
The best rep range for muscle growth is a wide one, roughly 5 to 30 reps. Which slice you pick matters less than how hard each set is. Here is how to choose.
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How many exercises per muscle group?
How many exercises per muscle group? For most lifters, 2 to 5 a week. Here is why weekly hard sets, not the exercise count, is the number that drives growth.
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RIR vs going to failure: how hard should each set be?
When to leave reps in reserve and when to train to failure for hypertrophy, why a small buffer usually wins, and how to log the difference set by set.
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Why logging on your wrist beats your phone between sets
Pulling your phone out between sets breaks focus and invites doom-scrolling. Here is the case for logging load, reps, and RIR on Apple Watch instead.
Want the fundamentals first? Start with our lifting guides on RIR, training volume, and progressive overload.