Use the RPE Scale to Gauge How Hard You Should Train.
Many of us probably don’t work as hard as we could, but that’s not always easy to tell. The RPE (perceived exertion level) scale helps with this. After all, sometimes fitness isn’t just about how much weight you lift, how many miles you run, or even how many calories you burn. It’s about how hard you can work while lifting weights, running, or spinning.
The RPE scale asks you to rate how hard you think you are pushing yourself, based on a numerical scale. The American College of Sports Medicine defines AED as “ feelings of effort, tension, discomfort, and / or fatigue experienced during both aerobic and resistance training, ” but uses a 6-20 scale.
Strength coach Mike Robertson uses the more practical 1-10 scale with slightly more specific differentiation at the top that you can apply as well.
RPE 10 – Maximum Force / Ultimate Lift. It’s either one Bulgarian machine, or they just don’t get into the elevator.
RPE of 9 – Hard climb but one rep left in the tank.
An RPE of 8 is a hard (ish) lift, but there are two reps left in the tank.
RPE of 7 – Moderate weight with a few reps left in the tank
It might remind you of a pain map in a doctor’s office: on a scale of 1 to 10, how hard are you working? In other words, measure your perceived intensity, from 1 “Wow, I can do this in my sleep,” to 5 with the feeling “Ok, it’s pretty warm here …” to 10, which is basically “@ $%” #! asdsfgjffffff “
It’s not ideal, but it might help someone better adjust the intensity of their workout based on how they are feeling. It is also a great incentive to achieve an achievable “intensity” goal.
Intensity is relative and depends on many variables. As Robertson notes, “It’s not just about the weight on the bar, but how the weight on that bar feels right now.”
Everything You Need To Know About RPEs | Robertson training systems