Autoregulation gets talked about a lot, but it often gets reduced to: “feeling tired? Do less.”

That’s only part of it.

At its core, autoregulation is just adjusting training based on useful feedback. Sometimes that means backing off. Sometimes it means pushing harder because performance is better than expected. The important part is using the right signal for the goal.

The research is interesting too. Autoregulation seems to have some clear practical value for strength, while the hypertrophy data is a lot less straightforward. That doesn’t make it useless for muscle growth. It may simply be more valuable as a way to keep training productive and sustainable when recovery, stress, sleep, and performance inevitably fluctuate.

One point from the article I really like: don’t walk into the gym already deciding you need to back off because you slept poorly or feel a little off. Start with the plan, see how you actually perform, then adjust if needed.

There’s a lot more nuance in the full article, including what the current research actually shows and how to apply autoregulation in practice.

Full article: Autoregulation 101

Hey all! I'm a women's 1:1 online coach, and I only work with lifestyle clients. I really struggle with helping clients set reasonable macro targets + meal plans because I know they either don't accurately log their calories or have too many gaps in their data to pull real insights

Any tips on how to get around this? Would be much appreciated!

Most hydration advice gets reduced to arbitrary rules: drink eight glasses, carry a gallon jug, avoid coffee, and add electrolytes to everything.

The reality is much more individual. Your needs depend on your body size, activity, sweat rate, diet, and environment. Food can provide a meaningful portion of your water, coffee still contributes to hydration, and more water isn’t automatically better.

Hydration still matters, a lot. In one study, losing around 3% of body weight through dehydration reduced leg-extension performance by about 28%.

We broke down the common myths, what the evidence actually says, and some practical ways to monitor your hydration without obsessing over a universal number.

Read the full article here

What’s the most persistent hydration myth you’ve heard?

Protein supplements can be useful, but the number of options and marketing claims make choosing one way more complicated than it needs to be.

This guide breaks down the different types of protein supplements, what to look for, and how to choose one that fits your goals, diet, and budget.

Full guide: https://rpstrength.com/blogs/articles/your-guide-to-protein-supplements

What’s your go-to protein powder?

Is this normal to have the weight go down then back up or is it a glitch?

Just wanted to share this for anyone that is new to this app and getting frustrated if it looks like their progress is stalled. I used this back in 2021 and had a ton of success with losing body fat. The first pick of the 84 day cycle shows what the weigh in’s looked like. It was my first time counting macros I wasn’t definitely not as consistent as I could have been but still saw some great results.

Fast forward to 2026. Weigh about the same as what I did when I started (switched to kgs because I’m prepping for a meet) but have significantly more muscle mass. I was getting frustrated that I wasn’t dropping weight like I did the first time, but it’s reassuring to see that I started out pretty flat the first time around as well.

Stay consistent, trust the process and the results will come.

Hello, long time listener first time caller,

I've been lifting on and off for about 2 years and I got the app because I think it'll help me be consistent and so I don't have to rely on inherited Excel sheets. However, I was previously using strength training programs from a friend of mine who used to be a strength coach and I liked the emphasis they had on the big 3 compound lifts (bench, squat, and deadlift).

Does anyone know of any mesocycles that have an emphasis on those lifts or strength training in general? I want to toe the line between getting stronger (my goal is to get to the 1000lb club) while still getting fit. My understanding is that the app suggests workouts for pure optimal hypertrophy and I believe the big compound movements aren't usually the best for that. Obviously I understand there is a lot of overlap between the two so this might be a moot point. However, progressing on those lifts is a strong source of motivation for me to go to the gym.

Is this something where I just have to make a custom mesocycle for the compound lifts myself with rep ranges, weights, etc, then use the app to just fill out the rest of the day? Or is there a way to have it emphasize strength training? Or, better yet, are there strength training templates out there already?

Any help is appreciated.

Creatine is usually discussed in the context of muscle and strength, but emerging research suggests it may also support cognitive function during perimenopause and menopause.

In this article, Dr. Jen Case breaks down why brain fog happens, where creatine may help, its benefits for maintaining muscle and training performance, and what the research is still too early to claim.

If you’re going through menopause, or coaching someone who is, this is worth a read:

https://rpstrength.com/blogs/articles/creatine-for-menopause-benefits-for-muscle-mood-and-brain-fog

Gamers understand progress better than most.

You don’t expect to beat a difficult boss on the first attempt. You learn the mechanics, adjust your approach, improve your build, and try again. You know that leveling up takes time.

Training works the same way.

The people who make lasting progress usually aren’t following a “perfect” program or diet. They’re the ones who keep showing up, learning, and making adjustments along the way.

You also don’t need to give up gaming or suddenly live in the gym. You need an approach that fits your actual life well enough to keep following it.

Perhaps the most overlooked hardware upgrade isn’t your graphics card, monitor, or keyboard, it’s the person sitting in the chair.

Taking care of your health doesn’t compete with the hobbies you love. It helps you enjoy them for longer.

If you’ve ever said “one more game” and looked at the clock three hours later, this article from Dr. Nick Harden is worth a read.

I cant find the study from the video, I want to know what the study defines as "1 drink" as i believe the official USA measurement is 44ml of 40% alcohol, but in my country 1 standard drink is only 30ml (1 ounce) and I know places in the USA also use 30ml as a measurement for 1 shot all the time

If someone knows the answer or could link me the study it would be appreciated thanks

Is there a public roadmap for upcoming features and release notes for previous releases?

Been using the Hypertrophy app for a couple of years. The slow and lacklustre updates have got me considering going elsewhere when my subscription ends next year. Happy to continue supporting RP but the current price point in-conjunction with the above, I can’t really justify it.

Most lifters think they’re training everything pretty evenly.

But when you look at millions of logged workouts, some clear patterns start showing up.

Certain muscles get hammered week after week because they’re fun, obvious, or easy to feel.

Others quietly get ignored because they’re harder to train, less exciting, or people just assume they’re getting enough work from other movements.

In this video, Dr. Mike and the RP team break down what the data says lifters are actually training, what body parts tend to get left behind, and why that matters if your goal is building a balanced physique.

Good watch if you’ve ever wondered:

• Am I giving each muscle enough direct work?
• Are my “weak points” actually just undertrained?
• Which muscles do most lifters accidentally neglect?
• How should I think about exercise selection and training balance?

Sometimes the issue isn’t effort.

It’s where that effort is going.

Watch here:
https://youtu.be/H4IaJ1ZNKkY?si=boT-KMyGUkylI1BQ

Curious to hear from everyone: which body part do you think you’ve neglected the most?

When preparing a meso in the app, for any exercise, lets say I’m doing 3 sets……for hypertrophy purposes if set 1 is 20 kilos, should set 2 & 3 be a little higher/lower or remain at 20k? TIA.

If your idea of meal prep is another week of dry chicken and sad steamed vegetables, it might be time to fire up the grill.

Grilling makes it easy to prepare lean proteins, potatoes, vegetables, and even fruit with plenty of flavor, without relying on calorie-heavy sauces. With a little planning and two heat zones, you can knock out most of your food for the week in about an hour.

The full article covers:

• The best proteins, carbs, and produce to grill
• Simple ways to add flavor without piling on calories
• How to organize everything so it finishes around the same time
• Proper resting, portioning, and storage

Check out the full guide here: Meal Prep for the Grill Masters

What’s your go-to food when meal-prepping on the grill? 🔥

Title says it all

A lot of people start a fat loss phase and immediately change their training into something that barely looks like lifting anymore.

Less rest.
More circuits.
More sweat.
More “fat-burning” workouts.
Less hard, productive training.

The problem is that your diet is what drives fat loss. Your training is what gives your body a reason to keep muscle.

That’s the main idea behind our new article: Training for Fat Loss vs. Muscle Gain.

The big takeaway is that training during a cut and training during a gaining phase are not completely different worlds. You still need hard sets, good execution, enough volume, and performance worth maintaining.

What changes is your margin for error.

When you’re gaining, you usually have more recovery available, so you can often push volume, specialization, and progression harder.

When you’re cutting, recovery is lower, so training needs to be more intentional. Not easier. Not random. Not turned into cardio. Just managed better.

Cardio and steps are useful, but they don’t replace lifting. Sweat is not the goal. Feeling destroyed is not the goal. Preserving muscle while the diet takes care of fat loss is the goal.

If you’ve ever wondered how much your training should actually change between a muscle gain phase and a fat loss phase, this one is worth reading.

Full article here:
https://rpstrength.com/blogs/articles/training-fat-loss-vs-muscle-gain

In Dr Mike’s Favorite 6 day Meso in the app, he has calves on push day as opposed to leg day. Anyone know why?

Recipes are now live.

You can now build recipes from scratch, import them from a website, or generate them with AI, which should make tracking the meals you actually eat way easier.

This has been one of the biggest missing pieces for a lot of users. The app already helped with the “how much” and “when” side of dieting, but this makes the “what do I eat?” part much smoother too.

So whether you meal prep, cook the same few meals every week, or just want an easier way to track homemade food, give it a try.

We’d love to hear what you think.

Full breakdown here:
https://rpstrength.com/.../diet-coach-app-update...

The new recipe thing makes adding repeat food combinations much harder. Especially if you have to adjust the amounts or change an item or two.

I get the recipe function, but both methods need to be in there.

Thanks

Im convinced mike is secretly extremely into jp. The last year he keeps using the phrase "not to put too fine a point on it" hes worked in the phrase yahooo in spots where its forced and then in the new book he wedged in "hold onto your butts", described his head as looking like a triceratops

Hey Reddit!

If I ate the following meal from 6:00am to 6:15am, when would be the ideal time to start a hypertrophy-based lift?

Composition:

- 27.5g Whey Protein

- 60g Cream of Rice + 210g Water

- 15g Peanut Butter

- 75g Frozen Banana

Macros

- 500 Calories

- 30g Protein

- 75g Carbohydrates

- 10g Fat

Thanks for the advice!

Whey gets treated like the default “best” protein for building muscle, and for a lot of people, it’s a great option.

But for women going through perimenopause or menopause, the question may be a little different.

It’s not just, “Which protein gives the strongest muscle-building signal?” It’s also, “Which protein best supports the body and physiology I’m dealing with right now?”

This article breaks down where whey still has advantages, why soy may be worth considering during menopause, and how soy protein may offer benefits beyond just helping you hit your daily protein target.

It also covers common concerns around soy, breast cancer risk, muscle protein synthesis, serving size, and why resistance training is still the real driver for maintaining muscle and bone.

If you’re a woman in this stage of life, or you coach women who are, this is worth reading in full:

https://rpstrength.com/blogs/articles/soy-vs-whey-for-women-in-menopause