RPE and RIR in resistance training: how to use them with clients

RPE and RIR in resistance training help trainers describe the intended effort and discuss what clients experienced. RIR estimates remaining repetitions; RPE describes perceived effort using a defined scale. Specify when the rating is taken, explain the reference and compare feedback under reasonably similar conditions rather than treating the number as a direct measurement.

This guide focuses on prescription and log interpretation. It complements the method for creating a personalised programme, without proposing a universal intensity for every client. The scale becomes useful when the person understands the question and the trainer knows how the answer will inform a review.

What is the difference between RPE and RIR?

RIR means repetitions in reserve: the estimated number of repetitions still possible at the end of a set using the agreed technical standard. Two repetitions in reserve means the client believes two further repetitions were available under those conditions. It is an estimate rather than a test performed after every set.

RPE means rating of perceived exertion. Different scales exist. Zourdos and colleagues’ study of a resistance-training-specific scale describes an RPE scale based on repetitions in reserve. That convention must be distinguished from a general rating of the entire workout, even when both use familiar numbers.

At the upper end of this specific scale, RPE 8 roughly corresponds to two repetitions in reserve, RPE 9 to one and RPE 10 to none. This is not an objective measurement. Do not turn every perceived-effort scale into the same automatic formula, particularly Borg scales that use different conventions.

How should you explain the instruction to a client?

Choose one wording and show when to answer. “At the end of this set, how many more repetitions do you think you could have completed with the same range of motion?” differs from “How difficult was the whole workout?” Your vocabulary should preserve that distinction whenever you collect or review the response.

Define the technical standard as well. A repetition achieved by substantially changing the movement may not be an available repetition under the prescription. Ask the client to explain that change rather than attaching a precise score to a set that is now difficult to compare. Observation during a supervised session can clarify the reference.

Avoid demanding precision the client cannot yet provide. A beginner can start by describing uncertainty and what the final repetitions felt like. Refine the vocabulary together. The purpose is to improve understanding, rather than filling every field with a number whose apparent exactness exceeds the available information.

Why does the estimate remain uncertain?

Clients estimate a possibility they do not necessarily test. Answers may vary with the exercise, repetition count, understanding or circumstances. A study of RIR prediction accuracy found differences associated with proximity to failure and repetition count within its squat protocol. This supports caution when interpreting a reported reserve.

The study involved twenty-five men and does not establish identical accuracy for every client or exercise. In practice, preserve context and ask a question when a response seems inconsistent. Treating that response immediately as a client error can prevent you from discovering that the instructions or comparison conditions changed.

“I am not sure” can be useful feedback. If someone hesitates between several reserve estimates, that uncertainty tells you which reference needs attention. Revisit the instruction in a supervised session, then observe whether descriptions become more coherent across comparable workouts. Do not present familiarity with the scale as proof of perfect accuracy.

How can you prescribe RPE or RIR in Adhérence?

Adhérence programmes can include an RPE or RIR target in the prescription. These targets are alternatives within the same prescription, so choose the one you explain to the client. Include useful parameters such as repetitions, rest and instructions, ensuring the effort target is not presented without the rest of the task.

In the current client log, recorded sets describe completed work and the final feedback captures perceived difficulty for the workout. That overall rating should not be described as a measured RIR for each set. The prescribed target, completed values and session difficulty remain different pieces of information with different meanings.

When a set reserve needs clarification, request a contextual comment or discuss it at the next appointment. Do not promise automatic load changes from a score. The trainer decides whether to maintain or modify the prescription using the wider observations, the client’s level and the circumstances of the training period.

How should you interpret a change without overcorrecting?

Compare sufficiently similar sessions: the same exercise, agreed range of motion, comparable order and identifiable rest. An identical load after a different workout structure may represent a different experience. Ask what changed before concluding that performance declined or that a reported number establishes definite progress.

In a fictional example, a client reports two available repetitions, then none the following week with the same load. The trainer learns that rest was shortened. She clarifies the instruction and checks the next session before considering a broader programme change. The missing context explains why the original comparison was incomplete.

This illustrates a review method, rather than a rule for adjusting every programme. An isolated event and a recurring difficulty need different scrutiny. The muscle-gain tracking guide explains how to connect performance and continuity without reducing the goal to a single score, exercise or unusually good workout.

Which mistakes should you avoid with effort scales?

The first is changing the question without explaining it: set reserve one day, general fatigue the next. Numbers may look similar while their meaning changes. Document the convention and keep it readable in the programme. When you change the reference, explain the change before comparing the new responses with older ones.

The second is consistently praising the highest ratings. A client may conclude that respecting the prescribed reserve signals insufficient commitment. Explain the target as part of the task and why you chose it, rather than turning every workout into a competition to report the highest possible effort rating.

Pain is not a measurement of repetitions in reserve. An RPE score does not diagnose a symptom or authorise continuing through it. Agree an appropriate response when discomfort interrupts training and separate that conversation from ordinary intensity tracking. The log can preserve the circumstances without replacing an assessment that the situation requires.

Checklist for using RPE and RIR in coaching

Use the monthly coaching review to turn selected observations into a period review. It helps separate an interpretation from a fact without reproducing every log entry. Keep the observations necessary to explain the decision, and identify missing information instead of manufacturing precision from an incomplete record.

Frequently asked questions

Does RPE 8 always mean two repetitions in reserve?

It is an approximate correspondence in the RIR-based RPE scale when that convention has been explained. It does not automatically apply to every scale or to an overall workout rating. Establish what the client is evaluating before interpreting the answer or comparing it with the prescription.

Should I ask for RIR after every set?

Choose feedback that is useful for your service and that the client can reasonably estimate. More frequent collection does not make an estimate accurate by itself. Begin with understood references, then adapt the process to what you actually review and the questions that matter for your decisions.

Does Adhérence choose loads using RPE?

The prescription and log provide information for the trainer. RPE or RIR targets and overall difficulty are distinct. This guide does not describe automatic load management: adjustments remain a trainer decision informed by feedback, the client’s circumstances and sufficiently comparable observations across the training period.

Key takeaways

RPE and RIR first provide a shared language. Explain the scale, timing and technical standard, then interpret changes alongside context. In Adhérence, distinguish the programme target, recorded work and workout difficulty. The quality of the conversation matters more than the appearance of precision created by one isolated score.