These are common questions from athletes and clients. The typical, albeit frustrating, coach answer is, “It depends!”
Today, I’ll break down exactly what it can depend on. Learn from these examples, track your sets closely, and soon you’ll feel more confident in building strength and muscle!
A Quick Refresher
RPE is a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 means you can’t continue without your form breaking down.
Initially, it may seem like extra information, but with practice, RPE becomes a helpful guide to know when to push and when to hold back. This helps you lift confidently and build strength without overstraining your body.
Example 1: Same Weight, Higher Efforts
1-1/4 Back Squat
(Control the first descent for 2 seconds)
Every 2:30 x 4 sets
Warm-Up Set – 10 reps – Easy
Working Set 1 – 10 reps – RPE 7
Working Sets 2, 3, and 4 – 10 reps – same weight
In this example, start with 10 reps at an RPE of 7/10. This means you will complete all 10 reps with approximately 3 reps left before reaching form failure. Use the information I provided earlier about what failure looks like to best estimate this on your first set.
The remaining 3 working sets will be at the same weight as Set 1. Due to accumulating fatigue, the last 3 sets may be closer to failure.
HOW IT WENT
Here’s a possible result an athlete might get from this format. They should record this in their workout log to refer to the next week in their program:
Warm-Up Set – 10 reps – 60kg
Warm-Up Set – 10 reps – 85kg
Working Set 1 – 10 reps – 102kg – RPE 7
Working Set 2 – 10 reps – 102kg – RPE 8
Working Set 3 – 10 reps – 102kg – RPE 8
Working Set 4 – 10 reps – 102kg – RPE 9
Set 1 was RPE 7. Sets 2 and 3 felt harder due to accumulated fatigue, and the last set felt even harder, being 1 rep shy of failure.
Progress in the coming weeks might mean using 104kg or performing these same weights with lower RPE on the final 3 sets. Both are meaningful for the athlete’s development. (Without noting it down or taking a video, they likely won’t remember how hard the last set or two felt.)
Example 2: Two Speeds Impact the Effort
Every 90sec x 6 Working Sets (3/side):
Hand Supported Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Warm-Up Set – 10/leg with Tempo – Easy
Working Set 1 – 10/leg with Tempo – RPE 8
Working Set 2 – 10/leg with Tempo – same weight
Working Set 3 – same weight and perform an AMRAP with NO TEMPO
Here we follow a similar build-up in our warm-up sets to reach a 1st working set of RPE 8/10. The second working set is at the same weight but might feel slightly harder due to fatigue. Note that the first 2 working sets and the warm-up sets are performed at a TEMPO of let’s say 3 seconds down and up fast.
The final working set removes the tempo and allows the athlete to pump out reps faster. This should allow them to get more than 10 reps from the previous working set since they don’t have to move as slowly.
HOW IT WENT
Warm-Up Set – 10/leg with Tempo – 14kg Dumbbells
Working Set 1 – 10/leg with Tempo – 20kg Dumbbells = RPE 8
Working Set 2 – 10/leg with Tempo – 20kg Dumbbells = RPE 8
Working Set 3 – AMRAP with NO TEMPO @ 20kg Dumbbells = 12/leg
The first 2 working sets felt roughly the same in terms of RPE, about 2 reps shy of failure. On the final set, without the tempo, they got 12 reps evenly on each side. If they had gotten 20 reps, it would suggest their previous RPE 8/10 sets were not hard enough or not pushed close enough to failure.
Example 3: Fewer Reps – With More Fatigue
Close Grip Bench Press
Every Minute on the Minute x 10mins
Warm-Up Set 1 – 10 reps with Tempo – Easy
Warm-Up Set 2 – 7 reps with Tempo – Moderate
Working Sets 1-3 – 6 reps with Tempo – RPE 8
Working Sets 4-6 – 5 reps with Tempo – RPE 8
Working Sets 7-10 – 4 reps with Tempo – RPE 8
In this final example, sets occur every minute, and every 3-4 sets, we decrease reps but keep the RPE the same. As the athlete goes through these sets, they might increase the weight with each decrease in reps.
Alternatively, they may have to stay at the same weight despite the decrease in reps to maintain an RPE of 8. Let’s see how it went for two different athletes.
ATHLETE 1
Warm-Up Set 1 – 10 reps @ 45kg
Warm-Up Set 2 – 7 reps @ 61kg
Working Set 1 – 6 reps @ 70kg
Working Set 2 – 6 reps @ 70kg
Working Set 3 – 6 reps @ 70kg
Working Set 4 – 5 reps @ 75kg
Working Set 5 – 5 reps @ 75kg
Working Set 6 – 5 reps @ 75kg
Working Set 7 – 4 reps @ 80kg
Working Set 8 – 4 reps @ 80kg
Working Set 9 – 4 reps @ 80kg
Working Set 10 – 4 reps @ 80kg
Athlete 1 increased the barbell weight by 5 kg with each decrease in reps and maintained an RPE of 8.
ATHLETE 2
Warm-Up Set 1 – 10 reps @ 68kg
Warm-Up Set 2 – 7 reps @ 84kg
Working Set 1 – 6 reps @ 93kg
Working Set 2 – 6 reps @ 93kg
Working Set 3 – 6 reps @ 93kg
Working Set 4 – 5 reps @ 102kg
Working Set 5 – 5 reps @ 102kg
Working Set 6 – 5 reps @ 102kg
Working Set 7 – 4 reps @ 102kg
Working Set 8 – 4 reps @ 102kg
Working Set 9 – 4 reps @ 102kg
Working Set 10 – 4 reps @ 102kg
Athlete 2 increased the barbell weight by 9 kg at the first decrease in reps and maintained an RPE of 8. At the next decrease, they had to stay at the same weight due to fatigue. Increasing by another 5-9 kg would have exceeded the prescribed RPE 8/10.
Good News and Bad News
If you were hoping for a perfect formula for when to add weight, it doesn’t exist.
However, just like in Star Wars, you can “search your feelings” (and your training log too).
All we have to go on is our perception of how close to failure we are. This is why tracking your weights each day in the gym, along with visual checks (in the mirror or on video) And coach support, can be valuable for guiding you to the proper weight selections in subsequent workouts.
See it, track it, and progress it!
Warmly,
