The body recomposition app that shows what the scale can't

What a recomp needs from a workout app

• Measures that move when the scale doesn't

  Log bodyweight, body fat and 13 body measurements, from waist and hips to arms, chest and thighs. A flat scale with a smaller waist and the same arms is what a recomp looks like on paper. Am I gaining muscle or fat? shows how to read them together.

• Strength trends as proof of muscle

  Every lift charts its estimated 1RM over time from your working sets, and a Home Screen widget can show your top lift. Rising lines at the same bodyweight are the clearest sign you're adding muscle.

  

• Progressive overload at maintenance

  When every set reaches the top of the rep range, the weight goes up one step. If not, it holds and you aim for one more rep. Each session opens with those weights already filled in.

  

• Enough work for every muscle

  The weekly muscle map counts this week's sets per muscle, so you can see which ones are getting enough to grow.

  

• Answers from your own log

  Ask Coach whether your squat is still climbing or which lifts have gone flat. It answers from your logged sets, and any change to your plan waits for you to approve it.

  

A recomp, set by set

Back after years off, eating at maintenance

Lifted in college, hasn't trained in years. Two full-body sessions a week, every set stopping 3 reps short of failure.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Leg Press	140 lb (Estimate), 25 reps, nothing left	180 lb × 10–15	A light first guess, measured with one set of max reps. 25 reps to failure at 140 lb converts to about 180 lb for 10 reps with 3 left.
Machine Chest Press	80 lb, 15 / 15 reps, 3 left	90 lb × 10–15	Both sets at the top of 10–15. One step up the stack, reps back to 10.
Lat Pulldown	100 lb, 13 / 12 reps, 3 left (target 12)	100 lb × 13	The weaker set hit 12. Same weight, aim for 13.

Returning lifters often recomp fastest. The first session finds your weights; every session after it builds on them.

Week 10: the scale hasn't moved in a month

Moved to two longer full-body days. Bodyweight is flat, the waist measurement is down.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Barbell Back Squat	185 lb, 10 / 10 / 10 / 10 reps, 2 left	190 lb × 6–10	Every set at the top of 6–10. One 5 lb step, reps back to 6.
Barbell Bench Press	155 lb, 9 / 9 / 8 / 8 reps, 1 left (target 8)	155 lb × 9	The weakest sets hit 8. Same weight, aim for 9 on all four.
Romanian Deadlift	Set 1: 175 lb × 12, 4 left (target 2 left) · sets 2–3: 185 lb × 12 / 12, 2 left	190 lb × 8–12	Set 1 was clearly easier than planned, so set 2 went up: 175 × 45 ÷ 43 ≈ 183, loaded as 185. Both sets at 185 reached 12, the top of 8–12: one 5 lb step.

Same bodyweight, heavier lifts, smaller waist. That's the recomp working, and the log shows it.

Week 14: the bench stops moving

Same plan. Without extra food, some lifts slow down sooner.

Exercise	You logged	Next session	Why
Barbell Bench Press	165 lb × 9 / 8 / 8 / 8, third session with no new rep	150 lb × 6–10, if you choose Deload	Three sessions without a rep gained. The recap offers about 10% lighter, and you build back up from 6 reps.
Incline Dumbbell Press	40 lb pair, 12 / 12 / 12 / 12 reps, 1 left	45 lb × 8–12	Another press is still climbing. Every set at the top of 8–12: next dumbbell up.

A stall on one lift is handled on that lift. You decide whether to take the lighter week.

Recomp plans that open in RIRLift

• The best workout for women over 50 (and anyone over 40)

  New to lifting or back after years off

  The plan in the first example: two short full-body workouts for anyone new to lifting or back after a long break.

  2× a week · 20 sets a week · ~30 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

• The best workout for full body, for your week

  Only 2 days a week, longer sessions

  Two longer full-body days with every major muscle trained in both. The plan in the second and third examples.

  2× a week · 45 sets a week · ~50 min

  Add to RIRLift

  Add to RIRLift

  Scan with your iPhone camera to add this plan.

  See the plan

Make it fit you

• Measure on a schedule

  Log bodyweight a few mornings a week and your measurements every two to four weeks, at the same time of day. Trends matter more than any single reading.

• Put your top lift on the Home Screen

  Add the widget that shows your top lift's trend, or the one with your next session, so the proof is a glance away.

• Import your old log

  Trained before with Hevy, Strong or FitNotes? Import it and Coach reads your history from day one.

• Set a daily step goal

  Set a step target and track it on the Dashboard next to your training.

• Ask Coach for a review

  After a few weeks, ask Coach which lifts are moving and which have stalled. It answers from your log.

When a different app fits better

• You want calories and protein tracked. RIRLift tracks training, bodyweight, body fat and measurements, not food. Pair it with a nutrition app.

Questions

Read next

• Am I gaining muscle or fat? What the scale won't tell you

  How to read your lifts, the scale and the tape together.

• FFMI calculator

  One number for how much muscle you carry for your height.

• The best workout for full body, for your week

  The two-day plan in full, with every exercise demonstrated.

• The best workout for women over 50 (and anyone over 40)

  The returning-lifter plan from the first example.

• Progressive overload: a practical guide

  The rule behind every weight in the examples.

More ways lifters use RIRLift

• The workout app for weight loss that keeps your muscle

  Lift to keep your muscle while you lose fat, with short sessions and weights that hold on tired days.

• The workout app for muscle gain that tells you what to lift next

  A plan for your days, weights that climb when your sets earn it, and measurements beyond the scale.

• The full body workout app that knows what to lift each day

  Full-body plans for 2, 3 or 4 days a week, with each lift's weight set from your last session.

Every lifter and goal