One thing that makes SFX different from other fitness establishments is guiding athletes on how hard to push in every set, rather than leaving it up to chance.
Let's face it - building strength and muscle is hard. And usually, our brains tap out before our bodies really do. So if you suspect you've got more in the tank but have trouble getting there in the gym, let's dig in.
Why We Use RPE And Not Percentages RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion (on a scale of 10), and it might show up like this:
Back Squat, 20X1 Tempo 3 Warmup Sets: 6, 4, 2 - RPE 3, 3, 4 3 Working Sets: 2 reps - RPE 7, 8, 9
That's 3 easy warmup sets, then 3 increasingly tough working sets, with the last set being really close to form failure.
"Well how much weight do I use?"
"Why isn't it based off my percentage of a 1 rep max?"
If you're working one-on-one toward a specific goal, like a powerlifting meet, or with a professional athlete whose sleep, nutrition, and recovery are tightly managed, percentages can make sense. But for most lifters, RPE is the better tool, for three reasons.
RPE meets you where you're at. Your RPE 9 today might look nothing like your RPE 9 last week. Maybe yesterday was a heavy day, maybe you slept badly, maybe you're getting over being sick. Percentages don't know any of that. They just tell you to lift a number regardless of how you showed up.
RPE puts you in control. Percentages can turn into autopilot: hit the prescribed number and you assume you're done, without ever asking whether the weight actually felt heavy enough. RPE forces you to check in with yourself every set.
RPE accounts for the fact that we're not all built the same. Some lifters are simply better at handling heavy loads for low reps. Others handle fatigue better and can grind through lighter loads for more reps. A percentage doesn't care which one you are, RPE does.
Why Following RPE Is Important Following the prescribed RPE is what lets you progressively overload without wrecking yourself.
If every set is a 10 out of 10 effort, you'll burn out, get hurt, and stall your progress.
If you never push close to failure, you won't give your muscles a reason to grow. Most sets should live in that controlled middle ground: hard enough to create a stimulus, controlled enough that you can recover and repeat it.
But that middle ground can't stay the same for an entire cycle. This is why a good program builds RPE into its structure instead of leaving it to guesswork, with RPE climbing week to week and peaking after a series of weeks so the stimulus keeps building as your body adapts.
It's exactly how every cycle ought to be designed.
How I Judge RPE, And How You Can Judge Yourself We all have different pain tolerances, so judging RPE based on how "hard" something felt might not always be accurate.
I primarily look at bar (or dumbbell) speed on the first rep and use that as the standard. Every rep after that gets judged against it. If your first rep is smooth, the second should look a little slower, and the third slower still.
A few movements throw that rule off. Deadlifts, for example, often have a slower first rep, because you're starting from a static position with no stretch reflex to help you. Hip thrusts and glute bridges off the floor behave the same way. For these, judge reps two and three against each other instead of against rep one.
Excessive pausing between reps is another sign you're near failure. Once that happens, you either need to push through to failure safely (with a spotter, a bail option, or a power rack in place), or you rack the weight and end the set there.
Oh, and of course, lifting faces that display a tough effort are always a good sign!!
A Note On When To Increase Load You might be telling yourself it's time to go heavier after reading this, and maybe it is. But progression isn't just the number on the bar; it's controlling your cadence, tempo, form, and consistency under load.
If you're not fully there on those yet, jumping up in weight isn't the fix. But you can raise your effort simply by tightening up your execution, no extra weight required.
A fixed percentage can't see any of that. It just tells you to add weight, whether or not you're actually owning the lift. RPE can, because it's built around judging quality, not just hitting a number.
This is exactly why every cycle should be built around a prescribed RPE range instead of a fixed percentage. It's what lets the program flex to match wherever you're actually starting from on a given day, instead of forcing you to hit a number regardless of how you feel.
We kick off the new Autumn term shortly and all routines should be back to regular. No harm in trying to build over the course of 3 weeks, then factor in a reduced volume, deload week to keep fresh before the start of the next 4 week block. Next up, I'll break down exactly how we're using RPE in SFX so you can see it in action.