The scale is reps left
| RPE | Reps left | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | None | Nothing more. Maybe not even that one. |
| 9 | One | You could have done one more. |
| 8 | Two | Two more, clean. |
| 7 | Three | Quick. Three more in it. |
| 6 | Four or more | Fast. A warm-up with intent. |
“That felt hard” is a feeling. “I had two left” is a count. The count is the one you can learn.
Why it helps
Strength moves around. On a good day 100 kg for five is RPE 7. After a bad night it’s RPE 9. A program that only uses percentages can’t see the difference. RPE can.
Five rules for counting honestly
- 01
Rate it straight away
As soon as you rack the bar. Ten minutes later you’ll remember it as easier.
- 02
Count from speed
When the last rep is clearly slower than the first, you’re near RPE 8 or 9.
- 03
Expect to be wrong at first
Most people under-rate their sets by a rep or two. It gets better in a few weeks.
- 04
Check yourself now and then
Take a last set to RPE 9 on purpose. See how many you actually had.
- 05
Keep most work at 7 to 8
That’s where you build strength and still recover for the next session.
Turning RPE into weight
A rough rule: each RPE point is about 3% of the weight. You were meant to do 100 kg at RPE 8 and it came out at RPE 9? The next set goes to about 97.5 kg. It came out at RPE 7? Try 102.5 kg.
From the Compound founder. Notes on training, not medical advice.