Renaissance Periodization

172 Articles

You Are Probably Lifting Wrong

You do not know how to properly lift weights, you have been Doing It Wrong for years, and that 10 years of gym membership experience does not equate to years of proficient training experience. Sometimes, this leads to an eye-opening, developmental experience and other times this leads to a hand gesture and a refund request. As you can see, I am not cut out for Snake Oil sales and still feel this sense of obligation to be honest, even if it means turning away business.

by Robert Santana
on Mar 04, 2022

Scott and Amy Transformation

The yearly transformation from Scott ande Amy, losing nearly 40 lbs, completely transformed their physiques, learned and solidified new habits, and shifted their mindsets in such a way that has helped them remain consistent since last year’s challenge.

by Scott and Amy Chua
on Jan 03, 2022

RP Holiday Eating Guide For Any Goal

The holidays are a wonderful time of year for nearly everyone. You get to spend time with close friends, family, and celebrate the end of the year. For those involved in fitness, usually this can mean it’s a time that is tough to navigate around your diet and/or training. This year we wanted to provide a little perspective from some folks at RP no matter what your goal is! In this article, you’ll read about folks that have goals of massing over the holidays, maintaining over the holidays, and some that are in a serious fat loss diet phase.

by Nick Shaw, CEO
on Nov 16, 2021

Top 10 Tips from my latest Fat Loss Diet with the RP App

Recently, I went on a voluntary fat loss phase with the RP Diet Coach App. My goal was to get under 200 lbs for the first time in quite some time! I started at a bodyweight of about 209 lbs and wanted to drop about 10 lbs to get under 200. My training consisted of using the Male Physique Training Templates 4x/week, I would add in BJJ training on average of about 3x/week and I would do some form of cardio each day. This was one of the easiest fat loss phases that I have ever ran before because I was coming off about two whole years of running maintenance at about 210-212 lbs.

by Nick Shaw, CEO
on Oct 08, 2021

Balancing Resistance Training and Endurance

When done correctly, weight training can greatly enhance endurance performance. If done incorrectly, it can be suboptimal at best and catastrophic to performance at worst! Here are some tips on how to balance endurance and weight training that benefit your health and your performance!

by Michelle Howe MS, CSCS, RD
on Aug 29, 2021

Top 10 Travel Tips from A Sport Scientist

Maintaining your fitness and nutritional goals when on the road can be a challenge. Here at RP, we have spent a lot of time travelling to all sorts of places, and have compiled some advice to help reduce the stress of balancing travel and fitness. Here’s our top 10 tips!

by Dr. James Hoffmann
on Jul 07, 2021

Is spot reduction possible?

If you ask someone in the general population what their fitness goals are, the overwhelming majority will answer something like: "I want to lose belly fat." But can you truly lose fat in a specific region of your body? This article covers some research about the topic!

by Tiago Vasconcelos, RP Research Editor
on Jul 01, 2021

A Parent's Guide to Fitness

Parenting is hard and can sometimes be overwhelming with all of the responsibilities and obligations that are thrown your way on a daily basis. Here are some tips and tricks to staying healthy and fit even as a busy parent!

by Nick Shaw
on Jun 04, 2021

Healthy Fats are Not Total Fat: A Clarification on Templates vs Logging

Fat has the smallest direct contribution to training performance compared to protein and carbohydrate and, therefore, is the first to be reduced when it is time to cut below maintenance calories. But how long are you actually going? Not as much as you think!

by Robert Santana MS, RD, CSCS
on May 16, 2021

The Nutrient Density Index

Not all foods are equally nutritious. This article provides some useful guidelines about the foods that can best help you to get the vitamins and minerals you need.

by Tiago Vasconcelos, RP Research Editor
on May 11, 2021

Nutrition for Endurance During Training vs Race day

Nutrition for endurance athletes during training vs race day. Race like you train, but first, train like you want to race. Perfect practice makes perfect. And when perfection falls apart, you’ll have had loads of similar training experiences to draw upon, come race day.

by Dr. Alex Harrison
on Apr 18, 2021

Transforming with Toddlers

A fantastic story of an RP mom and how she managed to be successful with all the problems and stress of motherhood.

by Andrea Harris
on Apr 13, 2021

Iron "Chef"

Dr. Melissa Davis

The favourite gourmet recipes from RP Coaches!

by Dr. Melissa Davis
on Mar 31, 2021

Chronic Dieting

By: Dr. Melissa Davis At RP we coach thousands of people through fat loss diets. One of the things we find that best predicts poor results in this endeavor is a history of prolonged restriction of calories. That’s right – trying to diet too hard and or too long makes...

by Dr. Melissa Davis, Sport Nutrition & Female Health Coach
on Mar 05, 2021

Alcohol’s Effect on Diet, Training, and Lifestyle

When beginning their fitness journey, many people have questions about alcohol. Can I drink on this diet? How much alcohol is okay? How often is okay? What kinds of drinks are least impactful?

by James Hoffmann, PhD
on Mar 03, 2021

Quad Size Training Tips

New Training Guide!

Here are some helpful tips for your quad training, derived from extensive personal and coaching experience of the authors.

by Dr. Mike Israetel, Co-founder and Chief Sport Scientist
on Feb 15, 2021

Hamstring Size Training Tips

New Training Guide!

Here are some helpful tips for your hamstring training, derived from extensive personal and coaching experience of the authors.

by Dr. Mike Israetel, Co-founder and Chief Sport Scientist
on Feb 15, 2021

Rear Delt Size Training Tips

New Training Guide!

Here are some helpful tips for your rear delt training, derived from extensive personal and coaching experience of the authors.

by Dr. Mike Israetel, Co-founder and Chief Sport Scientist
on Feb 13, 2021

Side Delt Size Training Tips

New Training Guide!

Here are some helpful tips for your side delt training, derived from extensive personal and coaching experience of the authors.

by Dr. Mike Israetel, Co-founder and Chief Sport Scientist
on Feb 05, 2021

Lessons from Studying the Most Successful Weight Loss Dieters

We've collected and analyzed data from over 10,000 diets completed via the RP Diet App to share the trends that spell success

by Dr. Mike Israetel, Chief Sport Scientist / Anshuman Radhakrishnan /
on Jan 31, 2021

Stop rushing your weight loss!

The benefits of having a slower fat loss phrase. Having patience and moving slowly on your weight loss journey is a recipe for long-term success. Beating yourself up for not transforming fast enough just makes you feel less like you can succeed, which tends to make you less likely to do well later!

by Melissa Davis, PhD
on Jan 18, 2021

How to Trim Weight While Still Crushing Endurance Training

How to sustainably lose weight for high-performance endurance athletes without compromising performance.

by Dr. Alex Harrison
on Dec 31, 2020

Tips for Self Discipline

Some tips for increased self-discipline, including the 10-minute rule, beating the false hope syndrome, and practicing discomfort.

by Peter Hollins
on Dec 16, 2020

7 Surefire ways to reach your fitness goals

As 2020 draws to an end, many of you are probably already thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. If your plans for 2021 include finally building the body you’ve always wanted, then read on.

by Nick Shaw
on Nov 16, 2020