Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Reps In Reserve (RIR) are subjective measures of effort.
They are used in strength training to help determine the right amount of weight to use for each exercise which can help you train more effectively and reduce the risk of injury.
Here’s how they work in practice:
- Rate of Perceived Exertion: RPE is a scale from 1 to 10 that measures how hard you feel your body is working during an exercise. A 1 represents minimal effort, while a 10 indicates maximum effort.
- Reps in Reserve: RIR estimates how many more repetitions you could have completed at the end of a set. For example, if you finish a set and feel you could have done three more reps, your RIR is 3.
Like any skill, using RPE and RIR correctly takes practice.
Once mastered, they allow you to gauge training loads in real time and adjust the based on effort instead of rigid, pre-set numbers.
The result is an increase in safety, and confidence.