Stroll into any gymnasium, and the very first thing you’ll discover is lifters chasing numbers. Squat max. Bench PR. Deadlift triple from final week. Numbers might be motivating. However they will also be deceptive.
As a result of not each heavy set tells the entire story. Some lifters hit a private document whereas underslept, underfed, and overstressed. Others miss lifts they crushed a month in the past. The lacking variable? Effort, not weight. And that’s precisely what RPE is constructed to measure.
In power coaching, RPE, quick for Fee of Perceived Exertion, is without doubt one of the most respected instruments lifters have, however nonetheless one of many least understood. It’s not new, nevertheless it’s underused. Particularly by on a regular basis gym-goers who may gain advantage most from it.
Joseph Lucero, a power coach who works with powerlifters and power athletes one-on-one, explains it clearly: “The entire function of the RPE scale is to speak how robust a set feels. It lets us fine-tune programming in actual time and make smarter choices from week to week.”
This isn’t about throwing out structured coaching. It’s about making it extra adaptable, sustainable, and sincere.
What Is RPE?
RPE stands for Fee of Perceived Exertion. In easy phrases, it’s a scale from 1 to 10 that helps lifters describe how exhausting a set felt, not primarily based on the load, however on effort. It is a method to focus on train depth, typically with a coach or coach.
Right here’s a basic breakdown:
- RPE 10: Max effort. You couldn’t do one other rep with good kind.
- RPE 9: You had one rep within the tank.
- RPE 8: Two reps left.
- RPE 7: You might’ve performed three extra.
- RPE 6 and under: Gentle work. A lot left within the tank.
Lucero generally makes use of half-points for extra precision. “If a lifter says they in all probability may’ve gotten another, however possibly not with clear kind, we name {that a} 9.5,” he says.
The important thing factor to grasp: RPE measures effort, not load. You are able to do a set with 70% of your 1-rep max and nonetheless charge it an RPE 9 in the event you’re fatigued, recovering from sickness, or simply having an off day. And that’s precisely why it issues.
We even have an RPE calculator. It helps you shortly discover your 1RM primarily based on the RPE of your most up-to-date set. This may be particularly helpful in the event you’re planning your individual coaching program or working with a coach to debate most effort lifts.
Why RPE Beats Chasing Numbers Alone
The standard method to power programming is to base all the pieces on percentages of your 1-rep max. And whereas that works in principle, it assumes your physique performs the identical manner every single day. In actuality, stress, sleep, vitamin, hydration, and temper all have an effect on efficiency.
Lucero places it bluntly: “Some days 315 seems like nothing. Different days it seems like a mountain. RPE helps you to reply to that as an alternative of pretending you’re a machine.”
That is referred to as auto-regulation: The flexibility to regulate your coaching primarily based on the way you really really feel, not simply what the spreadsheet says. That doesn’t imply throwing out construction. It means creating room for variability, which is crucial for long-term progress. And it really works simply as effectively for a starting powerlifting program because it does for aggressive lifters.
How RPE and RIR Work Collectively
One method to make RPE extra comprehensible, particularly for newer lifters, is to pair it with RIR, or Reps In Reserve. That is precisely what it seems like: what number of extra reps you might have performed earlier than hitting failure.
The connection is easy:
- RPE 10 = 0 reps in reserve
- RPE 9 = 1 rep in reserve
- RPE 8 = 2 reps in reserve
- And so forth
Lucero makes use of this methodology to assist shoppers develop physique consciousness. “Let’s say you hit 15 reps on curls and really feel like you might’ve performed 5 extra. That’s 5 RIR, which suggests an RPE of 5. You simply reverse it. 10 minus 5,” he explains.
This method helps take the guesswork out of subjective effort. It provides lifters a concrete method to charge their units, even once they’re not grinding out heavy singles.
Utilizing RPE in Coaching Blocks
RPE turns into particularly highly effective when used throughout coaching blocks. Lucero buildings 12-week packages into three 4-week blocks, every with a special focus: Foundational motion, power growth, or peaking.
Every block ramps depth up over time. Week one may function RPE 6–7 work to construct quantity and management. By week 4, the lifter is perhaps hitting RPE 9–10 efforts on key lifts. Then the depth drops once more at the beginning of the subsequent block.
“Progress isn’t linear. You possibly can’t go exhausting on a regular basis,” Lucero says. “RPE helps us plan exhausting weeks and restoration weeks, so the athlete retains progressing with out burning out.”
What In regards to the Borg RPE Scale?
There’s additionally one other kind of RPE scale you may hear about. The Borg Scale, developed by Swedish researcher Gunnar Borg and lined in his article, “Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion“. In contrast to the lifting model of RPE, the Borg scale ranges from 6 to twenty and was designed to correlate with coronary heart charge.
Multiply your Borg RPE by 10, and also you get a tough estimate of coronary heart charge. A Borg RPE of 12, for instance, suggests a coronary heart charge of 120 beats per minute, which falls into the moderate-intensity vary.
This scale is extra typically utilized in endurance sports activities or cardio settings, however the precept is identical: use inside suggestions to charge effort and information coaching depth. Meaning utilizing a coronary heart charge monitor or different goal strategies to trace your physiology.
In case you’re within the science behind RPE, RIR, and the Borg scale, try this Borg and Dahlstrom article from 1962. It covers how totally different measurements present bodily exertion and capability.
Notice that there are additionally a bunch of previous CDC articles on the topic, however lots of them have been eliminated because the begin of 2025.
The RPE Calculator: Making It Concrete
In case you’re extra data-driven, there are RPE calculators that estimate your one-rep max primarily based on what number of reps you carried out, how heavy the load was, and the way exhausting it felt. In different phrases, the depth of your exercise.
Let’s say you bench 185 kilos for six reps at RPE 8. Plug that right into a calculator, and it’d estimate your 1-rep max at 225. That provides you a helpful reference level. It is not only for max testing, however for planning future working units.
Lucero encourages lifters to make use of these instruments, however to not turn into depending on them. “The calculator helps provide you with a ballpark, however you continue to have to construct the notice. Be taught what an RPE 8 really seems like. That’s the lengthy recreation.”
Why RPE Issues
Right here’s the true motive to make use of RPE: it helps you practice smarter, not simply more durable. It provides you a device to remain constant, adapt to life’s curveballs, and keep away from burnout. It builds self-awareness and higher communication along with your coach. And over time, it provides you a deeper understanding of your individual limits and how one can push them with out breaking.
It’s not about avoiding effort. It’s about directing it.
“In case you hit 225 for 5 reps in January and it felt like a ten, however in December it seems like a 7, you didn’t simply get stronger. You skilled smarter.”
That’s what actual progress appears like. Not only a new PR, however a physique that performs higher, recovers quicker, and lasts longer.
Wish to Strive It?
- Begin logging your lifts with RPE scores.
- Use RIR in the event you’re unsure the place to begin.
- Monitor your progress over time, how the identical weights really feel from week to week.
- Use RPE to plan lighter and heavier days, not simply max-outs.
And in the event you’re working with a coach, begin utilizing RPE as a part of your suggestions loop. It’s not only a quantity. It’s a device that can assist you elevate higher, get well smarter, and construct power that lasts.
