RPE chart and RPE to RIR converter
Move either slider to convert an RPE into reps in reserve. The chart below covers RPE 6 to 10 in half point steps and stays on the page as a reference.
Selected effort
RPE 8 = 2 RIR
Two reps were left at the end of the set. Bar speed dropped on the last rep and technique was unchanged.
RPE chart: RPE to RIR
| RPE | Reps in reserve | What the set felt like |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | The last rep was the last one available at that load. |
| 9.5 | 0 to 1 | The last rep was slow and another one was doubtful. |
| 9 | 1 | One rep left, with a clear slowdown at the end. |
| 8.5 | 1 to 2 | One rep left for certain, a second one uncertain. |
| 8 | 2 | Two reps left, and speed dropped on the last rep. |
| 7.5 | 2 to 3 | Two reps left, possibly three, with speed still steady. |
| 7 | 3 | Three reps left and the bar was still moving well. |
| 6.5 | 3 to 4 | Three or four reps left, at an even speed throughout. |
| 6 | 4 | Four reps left, every rep fast and controlled. |
Programmd programs prescribe effort as RIR. Most working sets sit at 2-3 RIR. The program prints the target and the lifter picks a load that meets it.
What RPE and RIR are, and how they differ
RPE stands for rating of perceived exertion. On the lifting version of the scale it runs from 6 to 10 and describes how close a set came to failure. RIR stands for reps in reserve: the number of reps still available when the set was stopped.
RPE and RIR measure the same thing from opposite ends. RPE counts effort up, RIR counts remaining reps down. Across this range, RIR is 10 minus the RPE. RPE 8 and 2 RIR describe the same set.
RIR is easier to answer in the moment because it asks for a count rather than a rating. RPE appears more often in printed programs and coaching notes, so most lifters end up reading both.
Reading the RPE scale in weightlifting
Judge the set on the last rep rather than on how the first few felt. Two signals carry most of the information: bar speed, and whether position held. A rep that slows sharply and starts to shift form puts the set at 9 or 10.
The rating is an estimate, and it is most accurate close to failure. At three or four reps in reserve lifters commonly over-rate the effort, so a set called RPE 7 often had a rep or two more in it than that.
How a reps in reserve chart gets used in a program
Programmd programs print the effort on every working set as an RIR number. You pick the weight that lands on it.
The same page still works when the load has to come down, or when it goes up. The chart is there to translate the number if a coach or a video gives you an RPE instead.
Programs with an effort target on every working set.
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