MuscleBuddy Open Beta Is Live
MuscleBuddy, an AI coach that auto-adjusts your training and macros from your real progress, is now open to everyone, free. Here is what it does and how to join.
The MuscleBuddy Team2 min read
The MuscleBuddy Blog
Evidence-based training, nutrition, and coaching guides from MuscleBuddy: programming, progression, macros, recovery, and the science behind getting stronger.
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New to training? Read these in order, from the fundamentals through advanced programming.
- beginnerHow to Start Building Muscle: A No-Noise Beginner Guide
- beginnerProgressive Overload: The One Principle Behind Every Good Program
- intermediateDouble vs Linear vs RPE: Which Progression Method Should You Use?
- beginnerHow Much Protein Do You Actually Need to Build Muscle?
- beginnerHow to Calculate Your Macros for Muscle Gain (Without Overthinking It)
- intermediateYour Calorie Target Is a Guess. Here Is How to Correct It
- beginnerHow to Actually Stay Consistent in the Gym
- intermediatePush/Pull/Legs vs Upper/Lower: Which Split Builds More Muscle?
- intermediateSleep and Muscle Recovery: The Most Underrated Training Variable
- intermediateCreatine: What the Research Actually Says
- intermediateShould You Train to Failure? What the Research Says
- intermediateHome Gym Essentials: What to Buy First (and What to Skip)
- advancedDeload Weeks: When and How to Actually Take One
One Log, Four Modules: How MuscleBuddy Connects What You Track
A weigh-in moves your calories. A run of bad recovery eases your training week. A declared condition changes your sessions. Here is the map of what feeds what inside MuscleBuddy, and why each change comes with its reason.
Garrett Wilson4 min read
What a Wearable Can Honestly Tell You About Recovery
HRV, resting heart rate and sleep scores are real measurements wrapped in a lot of interpretation. Here is what each one tracks, why a single bad morning means little, and how to use a low reading without handing your training over to it.
Garrett Wilson6 min read
TDEE and Your Calorie Target: Turning an Estimate Into a Number You Trust
Every calorie calculator hands you a different number. Here is what TDEE is made of, why the estimates disagree, and how to turn one into a target you correct from your own data.
Garrett Wilson5 min read
How Many Sets Per Muscle Per Week? The Range That Holds Up
Weekly set counts are the most argued-about number in training. Here is the range the research supports, why more sets stop paying, and how to count a set that hits two muscles at once.
Garrett Wilson7 min read
Your Calorie Target Is a Guess. Here Is How to Correct It
A TDEE formula is a starting hypothesis, not a fact. Here is how to use your rolling weigh-in trend, not a single number on the scale, to adjust calories that are working.
Garrett Wilson4 min read
Double vs Linear vs RPE: Which Progression Method Should You Use?
Linear, double, and RPE-based progression are just different rules for deciding when the bar goes up. Here is how each one works and which fits where you are.
Garrett Wilson5 min read
Adjustable Dumbbells: How to Pick a Pair You Will Not Outgrow
Adjustable dumbbells are the highest-leverage purchase in most home gyms. The choice comes down to your weight ceiling, how fast you can change loads, and whether you can safely put them down, not the brand.
Garrett Wilson6 min read
Home Gym Essentials: What to Buy First (and What to Skip)
Building a home gym on a budget? Here is the gear that earns its space in priority order, and the expensive extras you can safely skip when starting out.
Garrett Wilson5 min read
How Much Protein Do You Actually Need to Build Muscle?
The protein number that actually matters, why more is not always better, and how to spread it across the day without obsessing over timing.
Garrett Wilson4 min read
Creatine: What the Research Actually Says
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied sports supplement there is. Here is what it does, how to take it, and which claims are myths. No hype, no broscience.
Garrett Wilson5 min read
Should You Train to Failure? What the Research Says
Training to muscular failure is not required for growth, and it is not useless either. Here is when it helps, when it hurts recovery, and how to use it on purpose.
Garrett Wilson4 min read
Sleep and Muscle Recovery: The Most Underrated Training Variable
You build muscle when you recover, not when you train. Here is why sleep is the highest-leverage recovery tool and how to protect it around hard training.
Garrett Wilson5 min read
Deload Weeks: When and How to Actually Take One
Deloads are the most skipped tool in training. Here is how to tell you need one, how to structure it, and how to avoid wasting the week.
Garrett Wilson4 min read
How to Actually Stay Consistent in the Gym
Motivation fades; systems do not. Here is how to build a training habit that survives busy weeks, using friction, streaks, and identity instead of willpower.
Garrett Wilson5 min read
How to Start Building Muscle: A No-Noise Beginner Guide
New to lifting? Here is the short, evidence-based path to building muscle in your first few months: how to train, eat, and progress without the noise.
Garrett Wilson4 min read
Push/Pull/Legs vs Upper/Lower: Which Split Builds More Muscle?
PPL or upper/lower? Compare the two most popular training splits on volume, frequency, and recovery, then pick the one that fits your schedule.
Garrett Wilson2 min read
How to Calculate Your Macros for Muscle Gain (Without Overthinking It)
A no-nonsense guide to setting protein, carbs, and fat for lean muscle gain: how much of a surplus to run and when to adjust based on the scale.
Garrett Wilson2 min read
Progressive Overload: The One Principle Behind Every Good Program
Progressive overload is the single rule that drives muscle and strength gains. Here is what it actually means and four ways to apply it without stalling.
Garrett Wilson3 min read