What Is RPE? And How Do You Use It?

Some of you might already know what RPE is. Some of you probably already use it and just don't know the name of it or how to use it intentionally. Ever finish a set and think, “Yeah… I had more.”

Or the opposite.

“There's no way I could've done anymore.”

That feeling?

That’s what we’re putting a number on.

It’s called RPE.

This is something we’ll use often when talking about intensity levels of exercises and future training topics.

So What Is RPE?

RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion. In simpler terms? How hard did that set feel? It’s a way to measure effort. There are two different scales to measure RPE. The 0-10 scale and the Borg Scale.

We’ll be using the 0–10 scale.

Why?

Because it’s simple.

And simple works.

• 0 = complete rest

• 10 = absolute failure

“Isn’t That Subjective?”

Yes. It is. 
Does that make this less effective as a tool? No. 

It’s a skill. At first, you won’t be perfect. You might think something is a 9…
And it was really an 8. That’s fine. You just need to be in the ballpark.

The more you train…
The more you push close to failure…
The better you get at judging effort.

This is learned awareness.

And it builds over time.

Here's an example of using RPE in a weightlifting context:

Let’s say you’re bench pressing.

You're doing a set of 6 reps.

You get to that sixth rep and
The bar’s pinned.
Your heart’s racing.
You’re pushing with everything you’ve got.
It just barely gets up and you complete that set. 

That’s a 10.

There was nothing left. If I told you to do a seventh rep, there’s no chance that bar would’ve come back up. 

A 9?

You could’ve done one more rep.

An 8?

Two more reps.

Think of RPE as reps in reserve.

How many reps did you have left in the tank?

That’s your number.

Simple.

RPE gives you structure.

It teaches you to train with awareness.

Not just moving weight. But understanding effort.

This is your first tool.

Learn the scale. Use it.

We’ll build from here.