RPE vs bar speed / RPE training experts.. thoughts??

[gtl]

I've hit some RPE 10 sets (and failed some reps), yeah. I have about... 16 months of data. Unfortunately most of it is handwritten.

I guess this is a combination of what Hanley said, what Mike T said, and what I've learned through experience:
-Bar speed @1RM is pretty steady and takes years to change. In other words, it is hard to develop the ability to grind.
-Min bar speed for an @10 effort varies by rep count. x1@10 min bar speed will be higher than x5@10 min bar speed. I think this ties into fatigue. I would say more generally that the more fatigue you're carrying, the higher the min bar speed in a set will be for an @10 effort and the bigger the drop off in bar speed will be towards the end of a hard set.
-Warmup bar speeds don't always predict performance on working sets, but usually they do.

do you mean that x1@10 minV might be .20 but x5@10 minV might be .30 because the first 4 reps created enough fatigue that .30 is max effort? Because I think I read it the other way around and am confused.

[manveer]

do you mean that x1@10 minV might be .20 but x5@10 minV might be .30 because the first 4 reps created enough fatigue that .30 is max effort? Because I think I read it the other way around and am confused.

Shit, I did contradict myself there.

-Min bar speed for an @10 effort varies by rep count. x1@10 min bar speed will be higher than x5@10 min bar speed. [Mike T has said this (one instance here), and it's also been true in my training. I think the slowest squat single I've recorded is .17 while the slowest @10 multi-rep set was .14 (x3 or x5, I don't remember)]
-If you're going into a session with high fatigue, the min bar speed will be higher with larger drop offs in bar speed towards the end of a hard set compared to the same rep/RPE set while fresh. I guess this is more related to technical RPE than anything... back rounding to a degree that's unsafe.

[gtl]

Shit, I did contradict myself there.

-Min bar speed for an @10 effort varies by rep count. x1@10 min bar speed will be higher than x5@10 min bar speed. [Mike T has said this (one instance here), and it's also been true in my training. I think the slowest squat single I've recorded is .17 while the slowest @10 multi-rep set was .14 (x3 or x5, I don't remember)]
-If you're going into a session with high fatigue, the min bar speed will be higher with larger drop offs in bar speed towards the end of a hard set compared to the same rep/RPE set while fresh. I guess this is more related to technical RPE than anything... back rounding to a degree that's unsafe.

Gotcha.

I just love days when a set of 3 has maybe a variance of .03m/s per reps at most... all through the RPE range. I hate the days that go like .50, .43, .32.

[Charlie Davies]

Re: RPE calibration by inexperienced lifters,

I was aiming for 4 sets of three on press, with one set @9.
First 3 sets I rated @7.5, @8, @9.
Backed off to the @8 weight to do one more triple, it felt too easy.

So I did a bonus set at the same weight I had twice previously rated @8, to failure. Got 6 reps. Meaning my @8 was really @7 or even less, because I was fresher then.

I think this means I need to max out each lift, and each rep range periodically, to stay calibrated.
I've been lifting for 5 years, but have been avoiding max-effort work this year.

For those who are actually good at this stuff, how often do you max out? How do you verify that your RPE ratings are correct?

[VikingCellist]

RTS Forums - Customizing your RPE Chart

[BBB]

manveer thanks for the insight! I [quickly] went through your logs (strong like bull!), but wasn't able to find anything with a high RPE + video. Curious if you've ever posted anything like that? Just looking to visualize what .14, .17, .2, .3, etc m/sec looks like.

[George Christiansen]

I was aiming for 4 sets of three on press, with one set @9.
First 3 sets I rated @7.5, @8, @9.
Backed off to the @8 weight to do one more triple, it felt too easy.

So I did a bonus set at the same weight I had twice previously rated @8, to failure. Got 6 reps. Meaning my @8 was really @7 or even less, because I was fresher then.

It might also be that the 9 did something to you CNS to change the 8 felt.

I am very new to trying to go full RPE, but with prescribed sets my first set is always the worst and the next one and maybe all the rest will feel easier, even when it is something like 5x5.

[marcf]

I am very new to trying to go full RPE

[George Christiansen]

That's exactly what I think every time I say or write it.