What is RPE and Why It Matters?

RPE—Rate of Perceived Exertion—is a 1–10 scale that tells us how hard a set feels. An RPE 10 means you couldn't do another rep; RPE 9 means you had maybe one left in the tank. It’s not just about pushing to failure every set—it’s about being honest with how close you actually are to failure, especially within your programmed rep range. If I give you a set of 10 reps, I want you choosing a weight that makes that range feel like a real effort—not something you could’ve done 5 more times.

Why I Ask "How Many Reps Did You Have Left?"
When I ask that question, I’m doing two things: First, I’m trying to gauge how hard the set actually was based on your performance—how the bar moved, how your body responded. Second, I’m assessing how you perceived it. Because even if I see that a set was clearly far from failure, what really matters is whether you felt like it was close. That gap between real effort and perceived effort? That’s where a lot of missed progress lives. Closing that gap helps us drive progress without wasting time on "easy" sets that don't stimulate real change.

You’re Stronger Than You Think—And We’re Going to Prove It
Here’s what I see all the time: most people stop too early. They think they’re at RPE 9, but they had 3, 4—even 5 reps left. That’s not close enough to failure to make real gains. So in our upcoming sessions, we’ll be intentionally pushing to true failure on certain sets. Why? Because until you feel what failure actually is, it’s hard to accurately judge effort. Don’t worry—it’s controlled, it’s safe, and it’s necessary. You're stronger than you realize, and it's time to train like it.