10 Ways To Utilize RPE In Powerlifting Programs

Summary

The video script discusses the various applications of Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) in strength training, debunking misconceptions that it's a one-size-fits-all approach. It outlines ten different ways to integrate RPE into training programs, emphasizing its flexibility for individual needs, fatigue management, and recovery. The speaker shares creative programming strategies, like using RPE for accessory movements, adjusting loads per set, and incorporating percentage-based training alongside RPE to tailor workouts for optimal performance and prevent overtraining.

Takeaways

• 😀 RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) training is a principle, not a fixed program, offering flexibility in programming for athletes.
• 💪 Common RPE programming includes setting specific RPE targets for accessory movements and adjusting weights accordingly across sets.
• 📉 Some coaches prefer to adjust loading every set to maintain a consistent RPE, rather than using a static load.
• 🔝 RPE top sets are often followed by percentage-based back-offs to manage fatigue and intensity throughout a workout.
• 🤸‍♂️ For bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, RPE can dictate the number of reps per set, allowing for auto-regulation based on the individual's capacity.
• 🔄 RPE can be used to test strength and adjust training stimulus, providing a buffer against overtraining or undertraining.
• 📊 RPE can be integrated with percentage-based training in the same program for a hybrid approach, offering both flexibility and structure.
• 📉 RPE stops can be used to determine the number of sets performed at a given weight before backing off, based on reaching a specific RPE.
• 📝 There are multiple ways to apply RPE in programming, including full RPE days, RPE top sets with percentage back-offs, and RPE for auto-regulation.
• 👨‍🏫 Coaches may select RPE-based programming for athletes with fluctuating strength levels or life variables that affect training consistency.
• 🔄 Utilizing RPE allows for personalized training adjustments, accommodating daily changes in an athlete's strength and recovery status.

Q & A

What is the main misconception about RP training mentioned in the script?

The main misconception is that RP training, like daily undulating periodization and conjugate training, is not a specific program but rather a training principle that can be applied in various ways within a training program.

How does the speaker typically program RPE for accessory movements?

The speaker programs RPE by having athletes find a set of eight at an eight RPE and then repeat that same loading for a total of four sets, with the understanding that the RPE may increase slightly as fatigue sets in.

What is the difference between adjusting the loading each set and using one static load for an entire set of exercises?

Adjusting the loading each set means changing the weight used in each set to maintain a specific RPE range, while using one static load means using the same weight for all sets without adjusting for RPE changes due to fatigue.

Can you explain the concept of an RPE top set followed by a percentage drop?

An RPE top set is a set performed at a specific RPE, such as 7RPE. After completing this set, the athlete then drops the weight by a certain percentage, which is pre-programmed, to perform additional sets, allowing for intensity management and fatigue control.

How does the speaker use RPE for bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or dips?

For bodyweight exercises, the speaker instructs athletes to perform as many reps as they can to an eight RPE for each set, allowing the rep count to change with each set based on the athlete's ability to maintain the RPE.

What is the purpose of giving a general range of loading for an RPE set?

Giving a general range of loading helps guide the athlete in finding the appropriate weight for their RPE set, allowing for auto-regulation and adjustment based on the individual's strength and fatigue levels on a given day.

How does the speaker use RPE to manage fatigue and recovery in training?

The speaker uses RPE to allow athletes to self-regulate their training intensity based on how they feel, ensuring that they do not overshoot and accumulate too much fatigue, which can affect performance and recovery.

Can you provide an example of how RPE and percentage-based training can be used in the same program?

The speaker provides an example where an athlete performs a top set at an RPE, rates it, and then the rest of the training auto-regulates based on that RPE rating, using if-then formulas and percentages to adjust the weights for the remainder of the workout.

What is the advantage of using RPE for athletes with fluctuating daily motivation or life variables?

Using RPE allows these athletes to select loading based on their daily circumstances, such as motivation, fatigue, or other life factors, ensuring that they can still perform effective training sessions despite variable conditions.

How does the speaker use RPE to regulate volume and intensity on a per-set basis?

The speaker uses RPE stops, where athletes perform as many sets as they can at a certain weight until they reach a specified RPE, at which point they plug in a new RPE and adjust the weight accordingly for the remaining sets, allowing for dynamic regulation of volume and intensity.

What is the speaker's approach to programming RPE for primary and secondary training days?

The speaker may program primary days to be RPE-based to allow for intensity and potential strength testing, while secondary days might be percentage-based to control variables and manage fatigue more effectively, ensuring consistent training and recovery.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Misunderstandings and Utilization of RPE in Training

The speaker addresses common misconceptions about Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) training, emphasizing that it is a training principle rather than a fixed program. They clarify that RPE can be applied in various ways, not just in daily undulating periodization or conjugate training. The speaker shares ten different methods they have used RPE in athlete training protocols, highlighting the flexibility and problem-solving capabilities of RPE. They discuss typical RPE programming, such as using RPE for accessory movements and adjusting weights per set to maintain a consistent RPE throughout the set. The speaker also explains how they use RPE for competition movements and how they program top sets with percentage-based back-offs to manage fatigue and recovery.

05:02

🔍 Advanced RPE Programming Techniques

The speaker delves into more advanced RPE programming techniques, explaining how they adjust training based on an athlete's performance in a top set. They discuss the use of RPE for accessory movements, such as pull-ups and dips, where the number of reps is determined by the athlete's ability to maintain a certain RPE. The speaker also introduces the concept of auto-regulation, where the athlete's RPE rating of a single rep influences the rest of the training session. This method allows for flexibility in training intensity and volume, accommodating the athlete's daily fluctuations in strength and motivation. The speaker provides examples of how they use RPE in combination with percentage-based training to control the training stimulus and manage fatigue effectively.

10:04

🌟 Customizing RPE Training for Individual Needs

The speaker highlights the importance of customizing RPE training to fit individual needs, such as fluctuating motivation levels or life circumstances. They discuss how they use RPE training for athletes with variable training conditions, such as those who train at home with children or have demanding work schedules. The speaker explains that full RPE-based training allows athletes to adjust their training intensity based on their daily energy levels and strength. They also describe how they use a mix of RPE and percentage-based training on different days to balance intensity and recovery, ensuring that athletes peak on their primary training days and recover adequately on secondary days.

15:07

📈 Managing Training Intensity with RPE Stops

The speaker introduces the concept of RPE stops, a method used to manage training intensity by setting a maximum RPE for a set number of reps. They explain how this technique allows athletes to perform as many sets as they can at a given weight until they reach the specified RPE, at which point they reduce the weight and continue for the remaining sets. This method ensures that the training stimulus is maintained at the desired intensity, accommodating weekly fluctuations in strength. The speaker provides examples of how they use RPE stops in bench press training to manage volume and intensity, ensuring that athletes can adjust their training based on their daily performance and recovery status.

Keywords

💡RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

RPE is a subjective measure of how hard an individual is working during exercise, usually on a scale from 1 to 10. In the context of the video, RPE is a central theme for programming workouts, allowing athletes to self-regulate their training intensity. The script mentions various ways RPE is integrated into training protocols, such as using it for accessory movements or as a top set to regulate subsequent sets' intensity.

💡Programming Principle

A programming principle in the video refers to a fundamental concept or method used to structure exercise programs. The script emphasizes that RPE and PE (presumably a reference to a different principle or system) are not programs themselves but principles that guide how training programs are designed and executed.

💡Accessory Movements

Accessory movements are exercises that support the development of primary movements. The script describes using RPE for these movements, such as finding a set of eight repetitions at an eight RPE and repeating with the same loading for four sets, to ensure a consistent intensity level throughout the set.

💡Top Set

A top set refers to the heaviest or most intense set of an exercise in a workout. The script discusses programming top sets with a specific RPE, which then influences the weight or intensity of subsequent sets, either by adjusting the load or by setting a standard for intensity.

💡Percentage-Based Training

This concept involves setting exercise intensity based on a percentage of an individual's one-rep max or a previously determined weight. The script provides examples of using percentage-based training in conjunction with RPE, such as after completing a top set at a specific RPE, the athlete would then perform back-off sets at a calculated percentage of the top set weight.

💡Fatigue Management

Fatigue management is the process of controlling the level of tiredness or exhaustion an athlete experiences during training to optimize performance and recovery. The script explains how RPE can be used to manage fatigue, such as by adjusting the number of sets or the weight used based on how the athlete perceives their exertion.

💡Auto-Regulation

Auto-regulation in the context of the video means allowing athletes to adjust their training based on their current state and perception of exertion. The script mentions auto-regulation as a benefit of using RPE, giving athletes the flexibility to modify their training load in response to how they feel during a session.

💡Training Stimulus

Training stimulus refers to the physiological demand placed on the body during an exercise session. The script discusses how different RPE strategies can create varied training stimuli, which can be used to manipulate factors like intensity, volume, and recovery to achieve specific training goals.

💡Volume

Volume in a workout is the total amount of work done, typically measured by the number of sets and repetitions. The script describes how RPE can influence volume, such as allowing athletes to do as many sets as they can at a certain RPE before backing off to a lighter weight.

💡Intensity

Intensity refers to the amount of effort or the level of difficulty of an exercise. The script explains how RPE is used to regulate intensity, ensuring that athletes hit specific targets for exertion that are appropriate for their training goals and recovery status.

💡Fatigue Drops

Fatigue drops are a method of reducing the intensity of a workout as an athlete gets more tired. The script mentions using RPE to determine when to drop the weight or change the number of sets, allowing for a controlled decrease in intensity based on the athlete's perception of exertion.

Highlights

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is a training principle, not a program, offering various ways to be utilized within training protocols.

Common misconceptions about RPE training are addressed, emphasizing its flexibility and problem-solving potential in training.

Ten different ways of using RPE in athletes' training are discussed, showcasing its versatility.

RPE can be used for accessory movements with specific set and rep schemes, such as 4 sets of 8 at an 8 RPE.

Adjusting the loading each set based on RPE can help maintain intensity throughout the set, like 2 sets of 10 at a 7-8 RPE.

RPE top sets followed by percentage drops are a common programming method for managing intensity and fatigue.

Bodyweight exercises can be programmed with RPE to allow for auto-regulation based on individual capacity, such as pull-ups to an 8 RPE.

Programming RPE with general loading ranges allows athletes to self-regulate and find their own loading within the given RPE.

Utilizing RPE for top sets with percentage-based back-offs helps manage fatigue and control training intensity.

RPE can be combined with percentage-based training in the same program for a hybrid approach to intensity management.

Auto-regulation of training based on RPE ratings of single top sets allows for dynamic adjustment of the entire workout.

RPE-based training can be used for full programs to accommodate fluctuating motivation and strength levels.

Select days can be RPE-based and others percentage-based to balance intensity and recovery within a training week.

RPE fatigue stops can be used to regulate the number of sets performed at a given weight based on reaching a specific RPE.

RPE can be used for top sets to test strength, with the rest of the training program being percentage-based for control.

The importance of balancing RPE and percentage-based training to manage fatigue and ensure peak performance on primary days.

Innovative use of RPE for auto-regulation and intensity management, allowing for personalized training adaptations.

Transcripts

so question I get asked a lot about is

RP training and I think there's a lot of

misconceptions with it in particular I

get a lot of questions if I program with

RP or if I program with percentages or

even someone who maybe not as like into

RP training they ask me hey if I hired

you as a coach can we just do percentage

based training and all these are our

misconceptions just like daily

undulating periodization and conjugate

training is not a program it's more of a

training principle our PE is not a

program either it's more of a

programming principle and there's a wide

array of ways we can utilize this within

training some more commonly others and

some that I think that people are not

realized how created you can really be

when it comes to utilizing RPE to be

created within training to problem solve

so what I really wanted to do is kind of

break down ten different ways that I see

that I have used RPE training within my

athletes training protocols in a wide

variety of ways and kind of give you

some ideas of kind of how you can apply

that yourself and the reasons why behind

each so the typical way you probably see

most people program RPE is something

like you see with Joey here that I'm

using on an accessory movement is four

sets of eight edit ARP you can very well

see that on the competition movement you

might see three sets of five at a 7rp on

squats

I personally typically don't program

that way I like to give a bit more of

direction to the athlete of what they

should be doing versus just putting a

strict here's an RPE here sets and reps

but for sure I utilize this when it

comes to accessory movements and so with

accessory movements and how I use this

is and what I mean by eight RPE here is

that what I want them to do is I want

them to find a set of eight at an eight

RPE and then repeat that same loading

for a total of four sets so by the last

said it might be eight and a half nine

nine and a half RP it's gonna get harder

as fatigue sets on but they're gonna

have that original set be at an eight

RPE some coaches mean a bit different

from that they mean to adjust the

loading every set

I personally that's my second way I'll

kind of utilize RPE if you'll see here

with Larson dumbbell bench press we've

got two sets of ten at a seven to eight

RPE each set so what I mean for this is

that

want them to adjust the loading each set

let's say if there was four sets they

very well probably are gonna change the

weight they're using to make sure to

stay within that range of RP throughout

the entire entire dataset versus just

using one static load the entire time so

the other way that's very very common is

someone will have an RPE top set and

then it will from there

drop a certain percentage I typically

program versus just saying drop ten

percent from your top set for then two

by six I typically actually just program

that in so you can see here we have

safety bar squats and a six and a half

RP for trouble so they have a top set at

an RP from there let's say they do 315

pounds they're gonna program that in and

then it'll give you your back off works

for two by six and two by six I have it

automatically programmed in you can see

here that there's an adjustment of six

percent because of the rest and then

there is right here a actually there's a

just nine percent for the reps because

it's three reps more and then there is a

six percent drop and then here we can

see another six percent drop so overall

there's a twelve percent drop between

the very top set and then the last two

by six so that's a very common way we

see that and that's honestly a lot of

times even when someone has three by

five at seven RP a lot of times see them

kind of do a top set out of seven and

then back off because they can't

maintain that same loading I prefer just

to give a distinct top set RP and then

program a percentage based back off off

of that so another way we can do this as

well this goes back to a little bit more

of maybe like a accessory movement I do

us a lot with pull-ups dips

here we can see it with barbell TRX

inverted hamstring curls sometimes with

like a pull-up or this movement here

it's hard to give a direct rep range

because it's more of a bodyweight

movement it's hard to say do three sets

of twelve and an eighth unless we're

doing like a weighted version of it so

instead I'm saying do bodyweight but do

as many reps as you can to an eight RPE

each set so that could very well change

every single set

it could be twelve reps the first set to

an eight RP it could be ten the second

set it could be nine the third set it's

just a direction that this is how how

many reps I want you to do in a

particular set

a static loading throughout all three

sets in this case body weight so so

those four examples are probably the

ones that you've most likely seen those

are very commonly used within templates

please between many different coaches

now I want to get into this probably

some ways I program RP that's a bit

different than others to allow a bit

more creativity which comes back to

allowing for controlling fatigue

management recovery in the training

stimulus so we can see here that we have

a high bar pause squats with a top set

of three at a seven to our PE seven RPE

with this person I actually give a

general range of loading as they ask for

that and it helps to kind of guide me to

get an idea of what they should do some

people are pretty self sufficient so

that I just give them an RP and they're

pretty good at finding that themselves

but it just depends each week and this

person you can see here I haven't done

that for week three yet because I'll see

what they do on week two and then I'll

give them a parameter to follow within

week three but the biggest thing you see

here is you already notice there's a

there's a set of four here that once I

program this in let's say four hundred

seventy pounds it's then going to give

me the next set of four so we have a

four percent back off from that top set

but then this final set is actually

programmed based off a percentage that's

basically for me to allow to control the

variable one issue and also bonus with

RPE and it allows for auto regulation

adjustment Daly is that many times

people will overshoot and there are some

times that I actually want my athletes

to do that because I want to kind of

test them and I want them to be

aggressive to see what they can do I

don't want them to purposely try and

overshoot but I want I want them to test

their strength and that's how this setup

allows that because if they do greatly

overshoot this top set they can easily

then it doesn't adjust the entire

workout that day I'm keeping that three

by five as a consistent variable

percentage base to make sure that we're

able to manage fatigue so that that

training session doesn't get too intense

in the case that they do overshoot that

so another way we can do this is that I

don't do this often but I very well may

just give a top set

at an RPE and then everything else is

percentage-based that's another way of

kind of using it I that I this might be

for an athlete who maybe doesn't love RP

they struggle with the conception of it

and being able to implement that their

training maybe they have anxiety about

RP a lot of athletes do being scared

they're gonna chew the wrong load maybe

I'll just give one a top seven RPE so

that we can have this freedom to

regulate throughout the training block

to kind of be able to push intensity if

we're out if we're able to out train

what we're able to do on our percentage

based stuff but then the rest is

percentage based so that they don't feel

like that top set affects everything

it's just one top set to kind of test

their strength and then everything else

is percentage based to then kind of

control the rest of the training program

so a way we can even utilize percentage

base and RP training in the exact same

program without ever giving in our PE to

actually like find that top set is an

example here this is a bit more

complicated that we had I have to kind

of see here kind of how this works but

it uses a lot of Excel formulas and if

then formulas but here this person has a

top set of 572 on squat after they do

that single they're instructed to then

come over here to the RPE last set

column and then rate that R P so let's

say they rated a seven I click off of it

and then voila

you'll actually see that the rest of the

training then auto regulates based off

of how they rated that single so I chose

the single for them but then they rated

it too then Auto regulate everything and

how that kind of worked is that seven

right there then translated to this spot

here which then gave them and then based

on if-then formulas and percentages then

gave a calculated max which was 641 so

572 was rated a seven RPE

that would give a projected max of 641

and then the training there was actually

regulated based off of that if you rated

an eight you can see it adjust the 5:22

so whatever they rated it could be a 7.5

anything they put in there is going to

then regulate that training this could

be just this workout it could be for the

entire week it's just dependent on how I

set up the program I believe for this

particular person this top single

regulates not only

this Monday workout but also their

tertiary Wednesday workout it'll adjust

as well so you can see if I come here

and rate this in nine it's then going to

change it from 410 to 390 but then their

Friday workout was actually top set our

PE based and then everything was

regulated based off of the RP they had

so you can see even within this one

training week we had two different ways

we did RP we had two of the days

regulate off of a single that was on his

primary squat day and then on a

secondary day we had a our PE top set

that then had set in percentage based

draft art set back off percentage to

then regulate based off of what that RP

top set was and that kind of leads into

not only how can we utilize RP so I've

shown multiple ways of kind of how we

can program our PE whether it's a full

RP based day our PE top sets with a back

off our PE tops us with a back off and

then percentage based back offs or even

just how we're just rating the effort of

a single here that then regulates the

rest of training within that we can then

determine how much of our training is

regulated based off of that so I have

some people that everything is our PE

base you'll see here this program is not

going to show it because he's already

done this but you can see how every

single day has an insert wait for our PE

I actually think I have a better example

here yep here's a fresh program this

person trains in their gym in a in their

home gym they typically have a big

fluctuation in workout motivation

because half the time their child does

they are in their gym with them and

they're having to watch them and they

can't take their workout serious another

half of the time they're working out at

4 a.m. when their wife and child is

sleeping so they can't make very much

noise or sometimes it's on a weekend and

there's no issues and they can train

full capacity so for this person we

pretty much always do fully RPG based

training because training motivation and

strength can fluctuate so much on a

daily basis so you can see here their

entire program is our PE base to allow

for them to be able to select loading

based on the day to regulate to what

they need I would say for me that would

be more

a rarity I think that this situation

calls for that I have a couple of people

that maybe are a bit more injury prone

and have a lot of life variables like I

have one person who's a full-time

chiropractic student has to travel an

hour to work or aller a school every

single day and then travel back to then

train late at night than to get very

little sleep to then wake up again so I

do a lot of RPE based training with them

for the reason that again their strength

fluctuates a lot on a daily basis so I

want to make sure that they can account

for that within their training to make

sure that they are able to hit the right

loads on a daily basis probably what's

more common is that we have select days

that our RPE and select days that our

percentage base so we can look here we

can see here that this person has their

primary squat day RPE base they're gonna

hit a top set of here at a7 RPE

for a set of three and that's going to

drop 12% plus 3/3 9% for the three

difference for their back ops but then

on their primary day we can see that

their squat are their secondary day we

can see other squats for percentage base

this is mainly to allow for one day the

primary day to be our our main day that

we have intensity be a stimulus I want

to push this day I want if they're

feeling good to be able to have the

opportunity to do some weights that

maybe they haven't done before or to

test themselves whereas on that

secondary day or maybe a tertiary day I

want to be able to control that variable

a bit more so that we're not

accumulating too much stress on that day

this person in particular we actually

used to have RPE based training on his

primary bench state and his primary or

secondary bench day what ended up

happening though is he started getting

very strong very quick in a good way but

he started pushing that secondary bench

they probably a bit too hard as well and

that started accumulating too much

fatigue and then we saw a performance

drop off from it so for him I ended up

then taking away that RPE base day on

the secondary day so we can control that

fatigue a bit more have that regulated

based off of a set training max and once

we did that we saw way more consistent

training because when I'm setting up

these training programs for the most

part almost all the time I want that

primary day to be where we peak our

strength

week and the rest of the training is

inducing some type of stimulus that one

can increase strength but also to allows

us to recover in some manner so when we

come back around to that primary day we

feel strong again we can be at our peak

performance to then test on those top

sets or whatever prescribed program

there is so this allowed for a bit more

ability to be able to do that we can see

another example here I show this before

we have our RP top set it regulates that

first back offset but then we have

percentage brace back offs and then we

can see down here we actually have a

couple things here one his secondary

squat day is percentage space to control

variables but - I actually gave him a

range of sets to do based on how he's

feeling so if he's feeling a bit beat

down he does three sets if he's healing

a bit better he does the prescribed four

sets the optimal programs to do four

sets and that's typically what we

programmed but we've seen for this

person on a weekly basis that he tends

to fluctuate on his fatigue based off of

his work schedule so this allows that

day even those percentage-based to then

also adjust volume which leads to

probably my last way I kind of use

utilize RPE is going with fatigue drops

so I use this a lot in particular on

benchpress because a lot of people on

squat and deadlift I find that most

people fall into a general same range of

kind of the intensity and the amount of

top sets they can handle I typically

don't program straight sets especially

for squat and bench press because it

tends to peak beat people down for

benchpress though I see a big range I

see some people we do one top set that's

all they can handle and we need to back

off and I see some people that we can do

straight sets and they do phenomenal

with that straight sets that a fairly

high intensity a way to be able to just

kind of take that out of my hands as a

coach of trying to guess which is the

right way to program and then put it

more on each training day in particular

is through these RPE

stops so you can see here this person

has a top single they perform that and

then they have six total sets of four at

first they have 275 for the loading

they're going to do as many sets they

can with a max

six sets until they hit and eat rpe if

they hit an eight RPE what they're gonna

do is let's ask the fourth set they're

gonna plug in four and that then tells

them to do two sets of four at 250 and

you can see this person on week one was

able to get four sets on week two was

able to get six sets and that was

allowed them to not only regular it

didn't regulate the volume necessarily

it did a little bit because of the

change in loading but it allowed them to

regulate the intensity based off of RPE

to be able to choose how many sets they

could do until it's the training

stimulus is what I wanted it to be I

wanted those sets to eventually push

intense relative intensity to a seven

and a half RP they actually never reach

that there but that's great but each

week we can kind of use that to regulate

to make sure that okay I'm guessing with

a percentage this is but with your

weekly fluctuations in strength this is

a to allow us to make sure that we're

actually hitting the RPE that was

intended and we do as many sets as we

can until we get there and then once we

get there we can then back off for the

remainder of this sets so that's another

way to utilize RPE that's not even

adjusting the loading per se it's just

so justing how many sets we do at a

particular weight versus the back offs

so like I said there's a lot of ways you

can utilize RPE all ten of these ways I

went through can be utilize within it

within any program

I might have one program that utilizes

seven to eight of these as you saw on

the one particular person

we had a RPE rating system here to

regulate and then we had our PE top sets

here this same person also it can't see

this here because it's already filled in

this person also utilizes our PE fatigue

stops on their bench press so there's so

many ways we can use this within weekly

changes on a secondary or primary day

just weekly differences with each lift

maybe squad is programmed differently

when it comes to RP than bench press but

there's a lot of ways we can be creative

here I hope I kind of gave you some

ideas that kind of how you can get

outside the normal just three by eight

at eight RP and be able to expand upon

how it can be utilized best suit your

personal needs