RPE
& RIR
Rating of Perceived Exertion and Reps in Reserve — two ways of measuring how hard you're actually working, so you stop guessing and start training with intention.
The RPE Scale
How hard are you
actually working?
actually working?
Easy
1–5
Little to no challenge. Warm-up territory.
Working
6–8
Where most training should live.
Maximal
9–10
Near or at failure. Use sparingly.
Reps in Reserve
How many reps
do you have left?
do you have left?
4+
Plenty leftRPE 6 or lower — you're barely touching your capacity.
3
Warm, not workingRPE 7 — feeling it, but not really there yet.
2
The sweet spotRPE 8 — challenging, controlled, quality reps intact.
1
One left, grindingRPE 9 — form starts to wobble. Use intentionally.
0
Nothing leftRPE 10 — technical failure. Reserve for peaks and testing.
The difference
Vague effort vs.
deliberate effort.
deliberate effort.
No Gauge
Guesswork
No consistency. No progression. No idea if you're actually improving.
RPE/RIR Tracked
Intentional
Every session has a target. Every progression is trackable.
Common Traps
Where people
get this wrong.
get this wrong.
×
Living at RPE 10 every session
Sustainable for a week. Then you're burnt out, injured, or both.
×
Never actually reaching RPE 8
Comfortable training is just expensive cardio.
×
Lying to yourself about RIR
If you "had 5 left" every single set — you didn't.
How to use it
Three simple
guidelines.
guidelines.
I
Most working sets should sit at RPE 7–8 (2–3 RIR). Challenging, quality reps, something left in the tank.
II
Reserve RPE 9–10 for intentional peak weeks or max testing — not random Tuesday motivation.
III
Log your RPE alongside your reps and weight. It tells the full story of the session.
The Naked Truth
Most people either sandbagged every session for months, or torched themselves into the ground every time they walked in. Neither is training — one is a hobby, the other is a countdown to burnout.
Pick a number. Be honest about it. Adjust next session. That's the whole system.