If you’re familiar with strength training, you’ve probably heard someone say…

Go until it feels tough!

PUSH HARDER!

…but what does this really mean? How is it possible to quantify words like “tough” or “hard?” How do you know when a set is heavy enough to produce results but not so heavy that it risks injury or burnout?

That is where the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale comes in. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that helps you measure effort, adjust your training, and communicate with yourself (or your coach) about how a workout actually feels.

RPE isn’t exclusive to elite athletes or professional lifters. Whether you’re training for strength, size, endurance, or just general fitness, understanding RPE can help you train smarter, stay consistent, and make real progress. 

In this guide, we’ll break down the RPE scale, why it works, and how to use it effectively in your training. Plus, we will provide tips on how to track these metrics, especially using tools like Athlete Pro to track your effort over time.

To begin, let’s discuss what RPE is and how to measure it.

What Is RPE?

RPE stands for “Rate of Perceived Exertion.” It’s a way to rate how hard an exercise feels on a scale of 1 to 10. 

RPE can be used in a couple of different ways. You can use it to replace percentages in programming to indicate how hard or easy a movement should feel. It can also serve as a scale to communicate with a coach about how hard an exercise was, effectively helping regulate intensity for future sessions.

Unlike lifting percentages, RPE is a subjective scale that indicates how hard a working set should feel based on perceived effort. For example, two people could be equal in strength and deadlift 500 pounds. If they are both prescribed to deadlift 70% of their max, which is 350 pounds, they might not have the same RPE ranking. One might find the percentage too low, while the other might find it too high. This can be due to factors such as rest, recovery, nutrition, or even variables such as muscular endurance versus muscular power. 

One perk of percentages is that they are a consistent variable in training. However, not every athlete is the same on paper, so there might be times when training has to adjust based on rating on perceived exertion. That’s when using RPE in programming is useful. 

As mentioned, the RPE scale is subjective and may not be used consistently. That’s where the science of RPE comes in; it’s important to understand how to use this scale to ensure consistency and reliability. 

The Science Behind Perceived Exertion

As noted earlier, RPE is a subjective measure of strength training. What if I am resilient and tough, who loves the challenge of training? My tolerance might be elevated, making it hard to rank exercise as RPE8, RPE9, or RPE10.

While RPE is subjective, it relies heavily on the consistency of the athlete’s feedback. When you honestly rate your effort over time, patterns emerge that can help guide training. For example, if you consistently report an RPE 8 for a certain squat weight, you or your coach can understand that this weight is challenging but manageable. So if the same set feels like an RPE 10 one day, it might indicate fatigue, stress, poor sleep, or other factors affecting performance.

From a scientific perspective, your central nervous system (CNS) and your muscles respond not just to weight, but also to the cumulative stress you experience in life. Fatigue, lack of sleep, emotional stress, and prior training all impact how a weight feels. RPE provides a real-time snapshot of these variables, letting you adjust effort without overloading your system.

RPE can be a very important tool when balancing overall life stress, especially as you start lifting at higher percentages. The higher the intensity of exercise becomes, the more sensitive you are to other variables outside of your training, such as sleep, stress, and much more.

While the number itself is subjective, RPE becomes a powerful tool when you are consistent in how you evaluate and communicate effort. Over time, it can help predict performance trends, adjust programming, and optimize recovery to improve performance.

Using the RPE Scale When Lifting

To make RPE actionable, here’s a simple breakdown:

RPE Rank	Definition	Feels Like… (Reps in Reserve)
10	Maximum effort	0 reps left
9	Very hard	1 rep left
8	Hard but manageable	2 reps left
7	Moderate effort / confident	3 reps left
6	Lightly challenging	4 reps left
5	Comfortable effort	5 reps left
4	Very easy	6+ reps left
3	Extremely easy	7+ reps left
2	Minimal effort	Almost no effort required
1	Tremendously easy	Barely moving

 

The “feels like” column uses the Reps in Reserve (RIR) concept, which tells you how many more reps you could perform with good form at the end of a set. This idea of reps in reserve is a great tool to “quantify” your RPE rank and perhaps make movement not as subjective. 

F example, if you’re bench pressing 225 pounds for eight reps and it feels like you could only do one more rep, that’s roughly RPE 9. If the same weight feels manageable for two more reps, that’s closer to RPE 8.

For anyone who is using RPE to rank exercise intensity, I suggest using this ranking system for your last working set. So if you are doing bicep curls for five sets, rank the last set of intensity to consistently in your training.

 

Why RPE Matters for Lifters

RPE provides several benefits that traditional percentage-based programming alone cannot:

1. Adjusts for daily variability
2. Encourages smart progression
3. Builds self-awareness
4. Communicates effort to a coach

The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale offers several advantages that traditional percentage-based programming alone cannot match. One of the biggest benefits is its ability to adjust for daily variability. Factors like stress, poor sleep, or subpar nutrition can all affect how strong you feel on a given day. 

With RPE, your training can adapt to these fluctuations, allowing you to push hard when you’re fresh and ease up when your body needs recovery. As a coach, I let athletes know that during a training session, the goal is to reach a specific RPE value. I might prescribe them to lift 83% of their one-repetition max, but I might also tell them the goal is for it to “feel” like an RPE8. If it feels too heavy, dial the weight back. Or if the weight “feels” too light, they can go heavier to meet that prescribed intensity of exertion.

Over time, lifters develop a deeper understanding of their own effort levels, fatigue, and capacity. Additionally, RPE serves as a valuable communication tool between athletes and coaches, especially in remote coaching settings. It gives coaches a clear picture of how each session feels, allowing for more precise adjustments to training plans. 

Essentially, RPE is a flexible, adaptable tool that lets you train effectively no matter the circumstances of your day.

 

Which Is Better: RPE or Percentages?

When it comes to training intensity, the debate between RPE and percentage-based methods often comes down to one question: which is better for long-term progress? 

Percentage-based training has been a staple in strength programs for decades because it provides clear structure and measurable targets. By basing workouts on a percentage of your one-rep max, athletes can easily plan progressive overload and track strength gains over time. However, percentages assume that your performance is always consistent. But in reality, life factors like stress, fatigue, and sleep can dramatically affect how heavy a given weight feels on any given day.

That’s where the RPE scale offers an advantage. RPE introduces flexibility by allowing you to adjust the weight based on how difficult a set feels in the moment. For instance, what’s programmed at 70% of your max might feel like a smooth RPE7 one day and a grinding RPE9 the next, depending on recovery and readiness. This adaptability helps athletes avoid pushing too hard when their bodies aren’t prepared and ensures they still get quality work in when conditions aren’t ideal.  

The truth is, neither system is best. They are simply different tools that work best together. Many successful programs use percentages to set a foundation for training volume and progression, while RPE fine-tunes those numbers based on real-time feedback. This hybrid approach balances structure with flexibility, ensuring your training stays consistent while still adapting to how your body feels each day. 

By blending both methods, lifters can achieve the best of both worlds with predictable progress backed by self-awareness and smart recovery management.

 

How Do I Use RPE?

Using RPE effectively takes some practice, but once you understand how to apply it, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for managing training intensity and recovery. 

Instead of simply following numbers on a spreadsheet, RPE allows you to make real-time adjustments based on how you feel that day while still maintaining a structured plan. The key is learning to balance your target RPEs with honest self-assessment and consistent tracking so your feedback remains accurate over time.

Here’s how to approach it practically:

• Pick a target RPE per set: For heavy, strength-focused work, aim for an RPE between 7–9, which keeps you close to your limit without overreaching. For back-off sets or accessory movements, a lighter RPE of 6–7 helps build volume and technique without unnecessary fatigue.

   

• Track your reps in reserve (RIR): At the end of your top (heaviest) set, estimate how many reps you could have completed before failure. For example, an RPE 8 means you had about two reps left in the tank.

   

• Adjust the load as needed: If a set feels easier than expected, increase the weight next session. If it feels much harder, decrease slightly to stay within your target RPE range.

   

• Factor in fatigue and stress: Don’t ignore outside influences like poor sleep, long workdays, or soreness. If you’re feeling run down, it’s perfectly fine to aim for a slightly lower RPE while still progressing productively.

  Pro tip: leave these as notes for a workout session to understand why you perhaps underachieved in performance.

   

• Log your RPE consistently: The more you record and review your RPE data, the better your understanding becomes of your strength trends, recovery needs, and overall readiness.

   

Common Mistakes When Using RPE

Even though RPE is simple, people often misuse it by:

• Being dishonest
• Ignoring trends
• Misjudging intensity as a beginner

Being Dishonest

Even though RPE is a simple and effective system, many lifters misuse it without realizing it. One of the most common mistakes is being dishonest with effort levels. Some lifters inflate their RPE to make a session seem harder, while others downplay it to look stronger on paper. Either way, inaccurate reporting skews the feedback loop between athlete and coach, making it difficult to track real progress. 

Ignoring Trends

Another issue is ignoring long-term trends. RPE isn’t just about rating individual workouts; it’s about identifying patterns in how your body responds over time. If your RPE scores are consistently higher than expected for the same loads, that could indicate fatigue, poor recovery, or a need to adjust your program. On the other hand, if a given weight starts feeling easier week after week, that’s a clear sign of progress. Tracking RPE consistently helps you recognize these trends and make smarter training decisions instead of reacting to isolated sessions.

Misjudging Intensity as a Beginner

A third common problem involves misjudging beginners. New lifters often have a hard time estimating RPE accurately because they haven’t yet learned what true muscular failure or near-failure feels like. For them, every heavy set might feel like an RPE 10 simply because they’re not accustomed to hard effort. This is where good coaching and feedback become invaluable. Make sure that as a coach or as an athlete, to be patient during this initial stage of understanding and with time, you’ll become more accustomed with the intensity of exercise and being able to rate your performance more accurately. 

 

Top Tip: Track RPE for Progress 

One of the best ways to make RPE actionable is by tracking it consistently. Tools like Athlete Pro in the TrainHeroic app make this easy. You can log each set’s weight, reps, and RPE, and then review trends over weeks or months.

RPE is more than just a number; it’s the connection between how you feel and how you perform in the gym. Instead of following rigid percentages, RPE lets you train based on your actual effort, helping you adjust for daily factors like stress, fatigue, or lack of sleep. It’s a flexible system that helps prevent burnout, manage intensity, and ensure that every session reflects your true performance capacity.

RPE can also improve communication between you and your coach. Whether you’re training in person or remotely, it gives your coach valuable insight into how your sessions actually feel. This feedback loop helps fine-tune your programming, making your training more effective and personalized.

Ultimately, progress isn’t just about how much weight you lift, but how consistently and intelligently you approach your training. By using RPE, logging it regularly with tools like Athlete Pro, and adjusting based on honest feedback, you’ll build not only strength but also awareness and longevity in your lifting journey. 

Lift smarter, and listen to your body. 

Related Articles

You May Also Like...