FAQs
FAQs
Q: What does "BRADYcore" mean?
A: "BRADYcore" comes from Brady, and this weightlifting training philosophy is intense (aka hardcore!). BRADYcore!
Q: BRADYcore is on reddit, Mastodon, Bluesky, and YouTube, but what about Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or TikTok?
A: No, BRADYcore is not currently on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, or Twitter/X.
updated October 5, 2026
Q: What is a BRADYcore Athlete?
A: Because of the intense, athletic, and driven nature of all BRADYcore programs, anyone who trains on a BRADYcore program is a BRADYcore Athlete. It's that simple.
Q: What is a BRADYcore Trained Athlete?
A: When you subscribe to BRADYcore COACHING, you become a BRADYcore Trained Athlete: more informed, more skilled, more trained, and more developed.
Q: What is a BRADYcore Elite Athlete?
A: A BRADYcore Elite Athlete is a professional or semi-professional in their athletic field of choice who trains with a BRADYcore program and BRADYcore COACHING, and who has been selected as a public-facing representative of the BRADYcore weightlifting training philosophy.
updated October 5, 2026
Q: Does BRADYcore use artificial intelligence (AI) to write, structure, organize, or plan any of the weightlifting training programs?
A: No, and BRADYcore never will.
Q: How do I follow/use a BRADYcore weightlifting training program?
A: This is up to you. You can subscribe to the BRADYcore program and use the in-app version of the program, you can use the Tracker Sheets provided in the PDF of the program (through either a purchase or subscription), you can plug the program into a workout logger/tracker app of your choice, or you can be old fashioned and use a notebook and a pen. Whatever works for you, so long as you're tracking your lifts and sessions, and you're making progress.
Q: How do I decide what weight to do in each set of a BRADYcore weightlifting training program?
A: Warm-up sets should be heavy enough that you're activating the muscles in question, without being too heavy and requiring noteworthy effort. For most BRADYcore Athletes, this will be approx. 30-50% of the weight of a working set. Regular working sets should be both no less weight than when any given exercise was executed previously and as heavy as possible, while still being light enough to complete the required number of reps. [Take a look at "progressive overload" in the "Lifting Lingo" section below.] Beyond this, there are typically three schools of thought for how to structure a collection of sets for a particular exercise: (1) the heaviest weight allowing the full completion of all required sets and reps (i.e. the same weight across all sets); (2) the heaviest weight for the first set, with a slight decrease in following sets (i.e. 20lbs, 15lbs, 10lbs); and (3) the heaviest weight for the last set, with the prior sets slightly less and increasing up to the final set (i.e. 10lbs, 15lbs, 20lbs). There are valid arguments for each of the three approaches (and valid arguments against each, as well), so choose based on personal best-fit (as long as you're complying with progressive overload, and, where applicable, periodization).
Q: Why is there a choice between purchasing a BRADYcore program and subscribing to one?
A: In purchasing a BRADYcore program, you receive a PDF with everything you need and you keep track of your weightlifting training sessions however you'd like. However, when you subscribe to a BRADYcore program, you pay less upfront plus a small monthly fee, and, in return, you get the same PDF and free access to the Hevy Pro app (and all of the associated features!), with your chosen BRADYcore program already setup in the app. With a subscription, your BRADYcore program will automatically update, whenever any updates are published.
Q: I subscribed to a BRADYcore program, and in the Hevy app it says that BRADYcore is my coach. What does this mean?
A: If you subscribed to an in-app version of a BRADYcore program, then you're going to see BRADYcore listed as your coach: that's just the way the platform is setup. However, this does not mean that you are a subscriber to BRADYcore COACHING (or a BRADYcore Trained Athlete), unless you actually (separately) subscribe to COACHING.
Q: I subscribed to a BRADYcore program, and I saw there's a way to upload progress photos. What is this?
A: Progress pictures are an important part of tracking your progress over the months and years, and this is helpful for COACHING and BRADYcore Trained Athletes. However, if you're a BRADYcore Athlete who uses the in-app BRADYcore program but don't have COACHING, be aware that we can see your uploaded progress photos: you don't need to upload any progress photos to Hevy, and we don't need to see them. (Maybe keep a progress photo album in your Photos app, instead?)
Q: Does BRADYcore train artificial intelligence (AI) on my weightlifting training data, or share my data with anyone else?
A: No, and BRADYcore never will. As of writing, the Hevy software platform does not, either.
Q: If I subscribe to a BRADYcore program, what happens if I cancel the subscription?
A: After cancelling a BRADYcore program subscription, you'll still have the PDF (and still receive updates by email, for life), you just won't have access to your in-app BRADYcore program or the Hevy Pro features.
Q: I purchased the non-app version of a BRADYcore program, but I want to switch to the app version. Can I?
A: Absolutely! Email us and we'll help you get switched.
updated October 5, 2026
Q: How much protein do I need in my diet?
A: If you're on any BRADYcore program, you need approx. 1.0 of protein per pound of bodyweight, per day. [Learn more.]
Q: How many carbs and fats do I need in my diet?
A: This is a more complicated, personalized, and age-/metabolic-driven question, but there are plenty of legitimate diet resources for those on intensive training programs (i.e. those from BRADYcore). [Start with this Renaissance Periodization playlist, or their free diet guide.] If you have more specific diet questions or needs, seek out a nutritionist or dietician who specializes in working with athletes.
Q: What is intermittent fasting?
A: It doesn't matter. For the purposes of any BRADYcore program, don't do it and don't worry about it.
updated September 22, 2026
Q: What is progressive overload?
A: Progressive overload is, essentially, increasing weight or reps (or decreasing tempo or rest periods), as you move from week to week. [Learn more.]
Q: What is periodization?
A: Periodization is building-in a schedule to your overall training plans, incorporating loading, peak, and deloading phases. This becomes necessary over time (i.e. a more advanced training age), when it's no longer possible to simply go heavier or do more reps each week. [Learn more.]
Q: What are myoreps?
A: Myoreps divide a difficult set into smaller sets, with brief pauses between. For example, a set of twelve reps might be three smaller sets of four reps, with a short rest (i.e. 5s to 15s) between each smaller set.
Q: What are supersets?
A: Supersets structure two different exercises back-to-back to decrease rest periods and increase intensity, without negatively impacting the overall training session. The most effective way to do this is to group exercises that employ opposing or unrelated main muscle groups (i.e. bench press followed by bicep curls), and then taking a regular rest period before repeating the superset. [Learn more.]
Q: What is a one-rep max (aka 1RM)?
A: A one-rep max is the maximum-effort, single-rep of any given exercise, typically used as a measure of progress or ego. However, one-rep max attempts can easily cause injury and quickly derail any program for weeks, if not months. (And, sometimes, permanently.) BRADYcore does not use, implement, or encourage one-rep max attempts. If an athlete wants to know what their one-rep max is for any given exercises, most workout/training apps calculate this based upon the actual full-set reps of an exercise, using established and industry-standard formulas. [Learn more.]
Q: What is training age?
A: Training age is the amount of time an athlete has been consistently following a weightlifting training program. This is used, in part, to help understand the definitions and boundaries of an athlete's progress. [Learn more.]
Q: What is RPE?
A: RPE is an acronym for rate of perceived exertion, as a rough and subjective measure of how difficult any particular weightlifting set is. The scale ranges from 1 (very light effort) to 10 (maximal effort, no more reps possible). [Learn more.] Although this isn't directly used in any of the BRADYcore programs, BRADYcore Athletes may see an RPE button for their sets when using one of the in-app BRADYcore programs with Hevy. Additionally, other tracking/logger apps may have RPE buttons or sections. Feel free to use this as a gauge of your effort, if it works for you.
Q: What are the differences between hypertrophy, endurance, strength, and power? What do these mean?
A: Hypertrophy (i.e. muscular hypertrophy) is the growth of muscle tissue and, in the context of weightlifting, it mostly means physical size. [Learn more.] Endurance (i.e. muscular endurance) is the ability to repeat an activity, as a function of time. [Learn more.] Strength (i.e. muscular strength) is the maximum ability of a muscle or muscle group, comparable to the concept of a one-rep max. [Learn more.] Power is the usage of maximal strength, as a function of time. [Learn more.] All of that being said, these are just technical terms that describe what BRADYcore provides: a way to train that builds size, strength, and endurance, without sacrificing mobility, functionality, or health.
updated October 5, 2026