At BRICK, we frequently utilize the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale to evaluate the intensity of our strength and workout sessions.
RPE serves as a subjective measure of the perceived difficulty of your workouts. It is represented on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 signifies minimal effort and 10 indicates maximum exertion. Each number on the scale corresponds to a percentage of your maximum effort. For instance, an RPE of 5 would approximately represent 50% of your maximum capacity.
Incorporating RPE into your training provides several advantages:
- Assessing Workout Intensity: RPE helps you gauge the intensity of your workouts, particularly when you have specific intensity goals like easy, moderate, or hard training.
- Tracking Progress: It enables you to monitor your progress. As your fitness improves, you should be able to handle more challenging workouts (higher RPE) with less effort.
- Preventing Overtraining: RPE assists in preventing overtraining or burnout by ensuring that you do not consistently train at a high intensity (RPE 8 or above).
RPE can be applied to both workouts and strength training, with specific RPE values assigned to guide your performance. For example, if a workout is designated an RPE of 7, it should feel like it requires approximately 70% of your perceived exertion. Similarly, if a strength training exercise has an RPE of 9, it should feel like it demands around 90% of your perceived exertion.
It's important to note that RPE is a subjective measure that varies from person to person. This means that different individuals may use different weights or paces but still experience the same RPE for a given workout or lift. For instance, a advanced athlete RPE 9 would be significantly different from your grandmother's RPE 9, but both athletes should consider what RPE 9 means to them individually.
Lastly, always listen to your body and make decisions based on what you feel is best for you, rather than strictly adhering to assigned RPE values. So, if a workout calls for an RPE of 9 but you feel more like it's an RPE 2 for the day (perhaps due to a night of bad sleep), you can choose to lower the RPE to align with your fitness goals for that particular day.
We believe that integrating RPE into your training will help you optimize your workouts and ensure that you are training at an appropriate intensity level to achieve your goals. Happy training!
