FitBySci

👏 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 👏

Let’s celebrate some gains made by one of our clients Matt, who has made some great gains in terms of both muscle size and strength.

WEIGHT
Left (Starting): 125 lbs
Right (Current): 140 lbs

PRs
Squat: 255 -> 350
Bench: 145 -> 205
Deadlift: 265 -> 355

Week after week, Matt’s been working hard in the gym and tackling everything that we’ve thrown at him thus far headstrong.

Super proud of Matt and we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in the next few months of his training!
 

𝐑𝐏𝐄
The RPE scale or Rating of Perceived Exertion scale is a measure of how difficult a set is based on the # of reps in reserve that a lifter has when they complete a set - more casually referred to as “reps left in the tank”. Essentially, it describes how close a lifter is to failure. 
A set where the lifter would not be able to complete any more reps would be assigned an RPE 10 (0 Reps in Reserve). If a lifter was able to complete a set and thinks they could do 1 more rep, this would be assigned an RPE 9 (1 RIR). The same principle applies for RPE 8, RPE 7 and so on. The closer the RPE is to 10, the more difficult it is and the further away it is, the easier.
Above we have a table (based off of one produced by the authors of MASS) that breaks down each RPE level and even includes 0.5 values
This scale is primarily used by powerlifters and coaches to create training programs but it can be used in a wide variety of places. Using RPE can help with autoregulating weights throughout training sessions if you’re feeling off or feeling really good and they can even help predict new 1 rep maxes!
When it comes to gaining muscle, studies show that training relatively close to failure (RPE 7-9) would facilitate greater hypertrophy. (1) HOWEVER, it is important to note that training to failure each set is NOT necessary. By saving a few reps in the tank, you’re allowing yourself to do more training volume. Training to failure does not lead to a significantly greater amount of gains so you’d be training smarter by doing sets just shy of failure. (2,3,4)
Keep in mind though that determining RPE does take practice and lifters may not be accurate all the time when judging their own RPE. 
A key takeaway from using the RPE scale is that most gains happen at higher RPEs. Makes sense right? After all, lifting weights at low RPEs would pose little to no challenge to you and thus would not lead to any significant muscle gains. So think about this when you’re working out next time and really reflect on if you’re working out hard enough. Are you leaving 6+ reps in the tank per set? Or are you really pushing yourself to get those reps in just close enough to failure?