Answers with the evidence attached

1. 01

   How long to rest between sets

   Rest more than 60 seconds — and two minutes or more on heavy compounds if you're trained. What the meta-analyses show, and where they don't.

   16 sources~9 min readEvidence first
2. 02

   Do you need to train to failure?

   No. In volume-matched trials, stopping a rep or two short builds about as much muscle and strength as grinding — for meaningfully less fatigue.

   21 sources~11 min readEvidence first
3. 03

   RPE vs RIR: how to rate a set

   RPE and RIR are one judgement on inverted axes. What the evidence says about how accurately lifters rate a set — and how Shojin uses the number.

   19 sources~12 min readEvidence first
4. 04

   Why a lift stalls, and what to change

   Most stalls aren't stalls. A diagnostic order of operations — is it noise, volume, effort, or recovery — and why the deload convention is weaker than it sounds.

   9 sources~7 min readEvidence first

For how the app itself computes things — progression verdicts, e1RM, volume targets — see the science behind Shojin.