ABS Audio Newsletter: Beginner's Guide to RPE/RIR

Issue 26: Using RPE and RIR to gauge proximity to failure.

ISSUE 26:

How do we utilize RPE and RIR to guide our training efforts?

Welcome to the 25th edition of the ABS audio newsletter. Today we will discuss and explain the 2 major effort/proximity to failure measuring scales. I feel this will be a popular and useful discussion as I tend to field questions about RIR or RPE whenever I use them in client training programs. The scales are closely related but do have some minor differences and applications. They are called the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and the Reps in Reserve (RIR) scales respectively.

Fig 1: RPE Scale

Fig 2: RIR Scale

Fig 3: Combined RPE and RIR Relationship Table

These tables do a good job of explaining these concepts, ratings, and descriptions of each rating. Should we use these? If so which is best for our specific goals? Lets answer these questions in our discussion below!

The outline of our conversation:

1. General intro.

2. RPE Review

3. RIR Review

4. Training best measured in RPE

5. Training best measured in RIR

6. Closing and motivation sendoff!

I greatly appreciate your viewership; catch you all in the comments. Stay tuned for the 27th issue next week!

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