FAQS
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Browse our most frequently asked questions

How do I decide whether to purchase muscle gain or fat loss?

That’s a very common question, our recommendation is:

  1. Are you over 15% (25% for females) fat with average genetics?
    Lose fat first.

  2. Are you under 10% (15% for females) fat with average genetics?
    Gain muscle first.

  3. Somewhere between the two?

Your call. We tend to say when in doubt, lose fat and get leaner first before trying to gain weight. You can certainly still get stronger on the RP fat loss templates (and likely gain some muscle if you’re new to the diet), so fat loss is usually the way to go for most people.

If you’re doing our premium 1:1 coaching services, you don’t need to decide fat loss vs gain muscle if you’re on the fence – your assigned coach will listen to your goals and help you choose a direction to go in.

Tell me more about RP’s 1:1 coaching

Thank you for your interest in our premier 1:1 diet and training coaching services!

We design custom diets based around your goals, schedule, and physical stats (weight, body comp, etc). We then use your feedback via 2x/week bodyweight updates to track and monitor your progress to ensure you stay on track towards reaching your goals. We’re there to answer questions, provide feedback, etc along the way throughout your coaching time with us.

The Renaissance Diet plans lay out a list of recommended foods for each macronutrient (proteins, carbs, fats), as well as a list of low carb veggie options. This allows the client the freedom to choose their favorite foods, to help prevent boredom/burnout when it comes to dieting and eating the same things over and over.

Because each meal has multiple source options, choosing different foods yields slightly different calorie and macro amounts depending on choice. Peanut butter has extra protein, carbs, and calories that olive oil does not. This is why we do not lay out the total calories on a per day basis. These slight variances in food choices are already factored into the diet design created by us here at Renaissance Periodization.

We also lay out the macronutrient amounts on a per meal basis, based around the particular timing of your schedule. The coaching gets quite precise with the timing based around the information you provide to us in the questionnaire you fill out. It is for this reason that we suggest being as thorough as possible when filling out the questionnaire (the start up forms can be located on the contact page of our website).

Another great benefit of the diet coaching services is your ability to get our feedback as often as needed. We are happy to answer any and all questions you may have throughout the process. We also make all of the diet updates for you, and use your feedback to guide this process to help ensure you stay on track towards reaching your stated goals.

Please check out our diet coaching services, we recommend the 3-month diet option as it is our most popular product!

Tell me more about RP’s Diet Templates

The RP Diet Templates lay out a list of recommended foods for each macronutrient (proteins, carbs, fats) as well as for a list of low carb veggie options. This allows the client the freedom to choose their favorite foods, to help prevent boredom/burnout when it comes to dieting and eating the same things over and over.

We also lay out the macronutrient amounts on a per meal basis based around the particular timing of your schedule. The templates lay out different options for early AM training, late AM training, midday training, evening training, late PM training and for your rest days.

Along with that, the templates also lay out the differences between light, moderate, and hard training days (as the amount of food you would eat on each day varies along with activity).

The main RP Diet Templates also come equipped with built-in fat loss (or muscle gain if you choose that as your goal) phases that help you strategically work your way through a dieting phase. There are also built-in maintenance tabs to help you maintain your new weight after the dieting phase. 

Because each meal has multiple source options, choosing different foods yields slightly different calorie and macro amounts depending on choice. Peanut butter has extra protein, carbs, and calories that olive oil does not. This is why we do not lay out the total calories on a per day basis. These slight variances in food choices are already factored into the diet design created by us here at RP.

Our main product is the 1x/day templates that lays out your diet around 1 training session per day (as well as for rest days). We also have our combo package that includes 1x/day templates as well as training templates for 2x/day training.

The 2x/day templates are more advanced with new timing strategies for those athletes working out multiple times a day. These also include a new “fun” carb column that is based on the science of glycogen repletion. Dr. Jen Case has also attached a video and document going over glycogen repletion with the purchase of the 2x/day templates.

Please check them out!

What if I have questions, or what if I need help?

We encourage clients to contact us with questions or if they need help on any of our coaching services. It’s what you pay for as a client, so please take advantage of it and ask us if you have any questions or are unsure of anything! If your schedule changes, we want you to ask us how to alter your program to give you the best results! Please note this is only for clients that purchase our premium coaching services.

For questions regarding the templates, we have the RP Clients group on FB for feedback from over 100,000+ other RP clients. As stated when you purchase the RP diet templates, we can’t respond to personalized questions regarding the templates, but we have RP+ group coaching or the free FB group for support. 

Do I have to eat the same foods all the time?

Nope, we encourage our clients to eat a variety of foods both for health purposes and to prevent the diet from becoming stale. We have actively searched for as many acceptable alternatives as we could come up with, to help give our clients the best chance of being successful. Of course, if eating similar foods helps you stick to your diet, there is no harm in this either. If you have a food preference not listed that you really want to eat, ask in the FB group and you can get tons of useful tips, tricks, etc. 

Will I be really hungry / full all the time?

Most clients are surprised at the total volume of food that they can eat while losing weight. Sure, you may be full at some points and hungry at others, but it is totally dependent on your goals as a client. If you’re gaining muscle, expect to be full. If you’re losing fat, expect to be hungry… that way, the surprises are only pleasant.

How strict is the diet?

During a fat loss or muscle gain phase, better adherence to the diet will yield better results, but we encourage more a balanced approach and less strictness during weight maintenance phases. When not trying to change your body composition it is healthy to enjoy food and be less focused on measuring and counting. At RP we hope to encourage our followers to develop a healthy relationship with food that allows them to be strict when needed in order to attain a goal, but be comfortable enough to relax and enjoy food and life after that goal is achieved. We believe our programs encourage the development of this ability to balance goals and life. On fat loss or muscle gain phases, although the clients who adhere to the temporary diet phases as close to 100% as possible do have the most striking results, this is not for everyone. Great results can still be obtained on these goal oriented phases with less perfect adherence and we encourage people to examine trade offs and make the decisions that are most comfortable for them. 

I work unusual hours (graveyard shift, etc…), will this still work for me?

Absolutely. We work with clients from all walks of life, and every single one of their schedules are different. We will work with you to plan the program around your schedule, to give you the best results via 1:1 coaching. 

For tips on how to modify the RP diet templates, read this article: 

https://renaissanceperiodization.com/adjust-rp-diet-working-night-shifts/

How is the diet broken down?

The diet is broken down for each client based on their particular schedule. The diet lays out all of the meals for a particular day, as well as the amounts of macros for each meal, and the timing of every single meal. There is also a recommended foods list for each category (lean proteins, vegetables, healthy fats, and healthy carbs).

Can I still eat the foods that I like?

Absolutely! We provide a list of recommended foods and we let the clients pick their favorites from this list! During a fat loss diet we recommend staying away from tastier, less filling, nutrient dense foods. These foods leave you hungrier and can increase cravings when on a fat loss diet. If you have some favorite treats that fit in this category and are therefor not listed on your diet template, we absolutely recommend you work them back into your diet in moderation once you are in a maintenance phase. There are no "bad" foods, just foods that might be best avoided on a fat loss diet and foods that are better eaten in moderation for health. For more information, please view a sample of the diet at the bottom of the page.

Do I get to have cheat days?

First, we do not like the common terminology "cheat days" as we at RP do not believe there are "bad" foods just foods that might be best avoided on a fat loss diet and foods that are better eaten in moderation for health. A larger or more nutrient dense "fun" meal might be worked in on a muscle gain diet to help a client get in enough food to keep muscle gains coming. Such a meal is not recommended on a fat loss phase because it can increase cravings and slow progress, but someone on a fat loss diet might have a larger than planned meal at an important event, trading off some progress for an a special life experience. The addition of larger, "fun" meals is handled on a case by case basis for clients in 1:1 coaching depending on individual situations. Template users can make informed decisions about trade offs when deciding whether to have an off template meal. 


Should I order the fat loss or muscle gain diet template?

If your goal is to decrease body fat or increase muscle and you are a male of 15% body fat or over or a female of 20% body fat or over, we suggest the fat loss option. Even if you wish to gain muscle, being under the aforementioned body fat percentages will allow you to gain more muscle on a subsequent muscle gain phase. If you are very lean to start off with (10% for males, 15% for females), you could start with the muscle gain option. Our general recommendation is when in doubt, get leaner first with the fat loss option. Remember, losing weight with RP does not mean losing strength or muscle. The big thing to remember is, fat loss is designed for clients to lose weight and the muscle gain is designed to help clients gain weight.

How / when will I receive my product?

Great news! All products can now be downloaded at the time of purchase. We no longer email them to you.   

Anything that would be emailed, will usually be sent immediately, once your order is complete.

If you cannot find our emails, one of the following may have occurred:

  1. You misspelled your email (you’d know, as you would not have received an email confirmation from us).
  2. If your email was spelled correctly, it could be in spam/promotions or some other folder you wouldn’t expect it to be in. If you search all folders for emails from info@renaissanceperiodization.com, you just might find it!
  3. If your email address ends in .edu or .gov, it might have been filtered. You must add info@renaissanceperiodization.com to your contact list (prior to purchase) in order to receive our emails without delay.

If you still can’t find our emails, please email info@renaissanceperiodization.com with your order confirmation, and we will work to resolve the issue!

Do you sell paper back copies of your eBooks?

We do offer paper back versions on some of our eBooks -- please check the individual product page to see if it is an option!

What are the differences between the templates and coaching?

Choosing the templates is a fine option, but it comes with some inherent limitations:

  • While the templates do have an extensive FAQ sheet, there is no option to ask the RP consultants any further questions. Once you purchase the templates, you’re on your own. A diet coaching plan allows you to have access to your coach and ask plenty of questions when anything is confusing.
  • For mostly the above reason, the templates are highly recommended only for those clients that have dieted successfully on their own multiple times. Those new to formal dieting and coaching would benefit much more from the personal coaching option.
  • The templates come with pre-planned updates to keep you on track, but it’s up to you to track your progress and calculate when it’s time to move on to the next diet update. With a personal coaching plan, all updates and modifications based on your progress and goals are handled by your coach.
  • If your goals change or you encounter unexpected difficulties while on the templates, there isn’t much recourse. With a diet coach, almost all situations can be immediately accounted for and the plan modified.

Where do I find the online Facebook group?

It is a private/closed group that you get an invite to, after your order of the templates or coaching goes through.

Do the meal plans come with specific recipes?

They don’t come with specific recipes, but they lay out a list of acceptable foods (see what the diet looks like below, in the question at the bottom of the page), when to eat them, and most importantly, how much to eat. 

For individual recipes, check out our incredibly popular RP cookbooks

What exercises/lifts do you do?

We focus most of our programs around the tried and true basic movements that are essential for effective body composition and strength changes. These consist of squats, deadlifts, pressing movements, and pulling movements. The specifics will vary based on what type of programming/sport you are training for. 

How do you monitor my training and/or diet progress?

We request updates from our clients on a weekly basis for 1:1 coaching. We want to hear from our clients so that we can modify their diet or training, and to give them the best chance to be successful. We ask all of our 1:1 clients to report to us their body weight at least twice per week. Progress pictures are not necessary and are completely optional.

How is training broken down?

The training depends on the client’s goals, availability, and how advanced they are in their lifting career. Clients that are newer to weight training will lift weights 2-4x/week and our more advanced clients are training as much as 5-6x/week.

What does the diet look like?

The Renaissance Diet plans along with our RP Diet Templates lay out a list of recommended foods for each macronutrient (proteins, carbs, fats), as well as a list of low carb veggie options. This allows the client the freedom to choose their favorite foods, to help prevent boredom/burnout when it comes to dieting and eating the same things over and over.

We also lay out the macronutrient amounts on a per meal basis, based around the particular timing of your schedule (with 1 on 1 coaching, this is more precise, whereas with the templates it is more of a guideline of times).

Because each meal has multiple source options, choosing different foods yields slightly different calorie and macro amounts depending on choice. Peanut butter has extra protein, carbs, and calories that olive oil does not. This is why we do not lay out the total calories on a per day basis. These slight variances in food choices are already factored into the diet design created by us here at Renaissance Periodization. 

*Please note that the new Evening Hunger templates look similar to this, but without workout shakes. Refer to the product page for those templates to see how they are laid out.

Currency and refund policy?

There are no refunds or exchanges of our products. All sales are final. No exceptions. 

Note: All prices posted on our website are in USD.