Gauging RPE on high-rep sets

[Travis Rask]

Anyone care to chime in on their experience in gauging RPE on high-rep sets?

In looking at this link on RTS, it appears respiratory distress is good indicator. Thoughts?

[Gerhard]

Anyone care to chime in on their experience in gauging RPE on high-rep sets?

In looking at this link on RTS, it appears respiratory distress is good indicator. Thoughts?

For me personally, RPE gauging is a complete unknown with higher rep Front Squats. Specifically, what feels like an RPE 8 on my legs, feels like an RPE 10 on my arms and shoulders. Otherwise, everything else seems to be quite consistent if I'm not crazy and make silly jumps.

[MBasic]

I just browsed at article . . and I don't "RPE" . . . but I would think the RPE thing would be best used at lower rep ranges 1-6, and not nigher rep ranges.

And I would also think RPE programming/usage is mostly used for the "big lifts" and not so much the accessories exercises (the front squat post is a good example).
Same thing, close grip bench press . . . I'll do multiple reps w/ CGBP that fell easily and then quickly become overwhlemed towards the last rep.

[Travis Rask]

For me personally, RPE gauging is a complete unknown with higher rep Front Squats. Specifically, what feels like an RPE 8 on my legs, feels like an RPE 10 on my arms and shoulders. Otherwise, everything else seems to be quite consistent if I'm not crazy and make silly jumps.

Right. The video below objectively looks like an RPE8, but was my subjective RPE9 for the day. However, by that point I was pretty fatigued on the respiratory end. Obviously a 6 rep set, but higher than what I've been accustomed to. On a 2-4 rep set, it seems it would be more obvious.

I have a Tendo analyzer, perhaps I should see if there's any general consensus on bar speed for higher-rep sets. When working with Hanley, we found .24mps was a good indicator of a top set (in the case of 2-4 rep sets).

I just browsed at article . . and I don't "RPE" . . . but I would think the RPE thing would be best used at lower rep ranges 1-6, and not nigher rep ranges.

And I would also think RPE programming/usage is mostly used for the "big lifts" and not so much the accessories exercises (the front squat post is a good example).
Same thing, close grip bench press . . . I'll do multiple reps w/ CGBP that fell easily and then quickly become overwhlemed towards the last rep.

I should have been more concise in my questioning - I was referring mostly to squats and deads. Press movements are far easier to gauge, in my experience.

[bean counter]

I've been trying to squat and bench 8s @ 8 for the last few weeks.

For squats it hasn't been a fun experience, mainly due to the respitory distress. But ultimately the bar speed does start to slow towards the end of the set and it's that I'm trying to use to judge my RPE. How good I am at making that judgement while my heart is pounding, at a still somewhat unfamiliar rep range, is another matter.

For bench I don't really get out of breath and it's much easier to track the bar speed. Because the load on 8s is lower than for 5s the incremental drop in force production between reps is also lower, so there are more fatigued reps before hitting the target RPE.

[Adam Skillin]

I did my first set of 20-rep squats yesterday, so I have n=1 data to offer.

If every muscle of your body shakes and you can't re-rack the bar after the 20th rep without help, it's RPE 10.

You're welcome.

[John Hanley]

Hollywood (Travis),

Yeah, use that $1000 bar speed machine, Bräh.

There's are certain range of bar speed velocities that will (almost always forever) correspond to an RPE number based on your bar speed profile

I think my squat 1rm is always around .2 m/s. So RPE 10 might be .26-.20; RPE 9, .32-.26; RPE 8, .38-.32....for most set/rep scheme less than 12 reps, I'd think. Not sure what happens over 12....no data.

^* this won't work for novices...technique is too fucked to get nice data.

* as you get more and more advanced, you'll get better at grinding, and your whole velocity range will shift...but this takes YEARS (make sense?)

[hollismb]

I just judge it by the look on the faces of my training partners after I rack the bar.

Meh. Easy weight:



Tough, but not too bad:



Holy hell, man, that looked tough:



I have no idea how you pulled that off:

[Gerhard]

Right. The video below objectively looks like an RPE8, but was my subjective RPE9 for the day. However, by that point I was pretty fatigued on the respiratory end. Obviously a 6 rep set, but higher than what I've been accustomed to. On a 2-4 rep set, it seems it would be more obvious.

I have a Tendo analyzer, perhaps I should see if there's any general consensus on bar speed for higher-rep sets. When working with Hanley, we found .24mps was a good indicator of a top set (in the case of 2-4 rep sets).

Yeah, it does look like an RPE 8 set, you aren't grinding at all, but... You can clearly see the pacing between your latter reps is slowing down and physiologically, I'd presume it was taking you a hell of a lot to get that last one up right (to the point, where another rep would probably be a visible grinder - RPE 10)?

[Bryan Dobson]

To me while squatting an RPE 8 (reps 3-5)is still relatively snappy. Not fast but I can still move the bar with some authority. RPE 9 you can see gravity is starting to win. RPE 10 in lower rep ranges is going to be noticeably slow for me.
At higher rep ranges, you may have a harder tiime, composing yourself, being out of breath, to truley grind a 9+ or 10. The lack of oxygen and panic that sets in (think of it as drowning under a loaded bar) during an oxygen depleted grind will cause us to fail at faster bar speeds than we would at normal strength training reps of 3-6.