Understanding the 2 key principles to training intensity
Training intensity is paramount for stimulating results.
If intensity isn’t dialed, you leave a lot of results on the table.
I can tell you that from experience. I used to think I trained hard.
And for all intents and purposes, I did. I wasn’t loafing through my workouts.
But one day I was working out with a friend and we were both feeling good, so we got after it.
It was then I realized there was a next level I hadn’t gotten to yet.
When you’re really dialed in and focused on the effort and intensity you bring to each set — hell, each rep — it feels different.
I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did, which cost me gains for years.
Use these 2 key principles to measure intensity so you get the most out of your workouts.
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
RPE is a subjective scale from 1-10 that estimates how hard you are working.
1 means you're on the couch with a bag of potato chips on your tummy. 10 means you can't possibly give any more effort.
We want to stay around 8 out of 10.
This puts us at a high enough intensity level that we can challenge our body to adapt and grow, but not so high that we can't recover from exercise.
If you're not getting to that level of RPE, you aren't going to maximally get better. You have to demand more from your body and train hard.
Reps in Reserve (RIR)
RIR measures how many reps you have left in your tank after a set.
I ask my in-person clients after sets: “how many more reps can you do if I said go until you black out and die?” (for the record, I don't want you to do that).
If we were aiming for 2 RIR and they said they could do 3-4 more, then we know we can add weight (or reps).
Generally we aim for 2 reps in reserve.
This is enough to stimulate growth but not so much we go to failure and end up too sore after workouts. This means you end each set with only 2 reps with good form left in your tank.
These two measurements go hand in hand, but opposite.
If your RPE is 8, your RIR is 2 (hence why those are generally our aims).
If your RPE is 6, your RIR should be 4.
So really you only need to hone in on one or the other, at least for strength training (conditioning will be purely RPE), but knowing about both can help you cross-reference your experience to make sure you’re hitting the proper intensity.
When you dial in your intensity, you’ll start getting more results in less time.
