RPE = RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION.
When we talk about the effort of a set we often talk about RPE.
RPE is a great way to gauge out of 10 if we are either not pushing enough set to set to elicit a positive physical adaptation or possibly overdoing it too often.
One thing is regularly very clear when a new general population client starts with me is that they are indeed capable of so much more than they think. The first feeling of lactate in the working muscle & it’s automatically a 10/10 set but often they have a good 6+ reps in the tank.
This is something that often requires getting used to. Initially it is uncomfortable, it’s supposed to be, it needs to be.
To change our body shape for the better the body needs to be continually challenged! It is a double edge sword though, doing too many sets of 10/10 (or past) a week can leave people struggling to recover especially when dieting & life stress is high.
If you do a hard set of 10 reps, the 10th & last rep creates more oppurtunity for positive change & also takes more out of the system than the initial 9 from a recovery perspective.
This is where prioritising training recovery needs to be as focused on as the 4+ workouts a week in the gym. We leave the gym weaker after a workout than when we walked in, what happens between workouts is where the results are made.
Let’s say we are doing 4 sets of 10 reps, I find a ramping of effort & weight works really well for a lot of gen pop clients.
Set 1 = 7.5/10 – Set 2 = 8/10 – Set 3 = 9/10 – Set 4 = 10/10.
10/10 is the absolute maximum amount of reps than can be performed in a set without execution breakdown & that includes tension.
Form breakdown would = 11+/10 & for the average gym goer I’d recommend avoiding this type of training for the most part.
I find that giving a client 1 set per exercise to REALLY DIG DEEP & get everything out of is easier both physically & mentally & for the most part will be enough to keep progressing week to week.
Ask yourself this … if I was to pay you $500 in cash on that last 10/10 set how many reps could you truely get done?
KEEP MOVING & HAVING FUN!