What is RPE and how to use it?

RPE is “Rate of Perceived Exertion”. In our programming here at FIT, we use RPE to gauge how hard we should be working in each workout, it is a tool to monitor the intensity of your exercise.

The RPE scale runs from 0 – 10. The numbers below relate to phrases used to rate how easy or difficult you find an activity. For example, 0 (nothing at all) would be how you feel when sitting in a chair; 10 (very, very heavy) is how you feel at the end of an exercise stress test or after a very difficult activity. Another

0 – Nothing at all
0.5 – Just noticeable
1 – Very light
2 – Light
3 – Moderate
4 – Somewhat heavy
5 – Heavy (5-6 reps left in the tank)
6 – Heavy (4-5 reps left in the tank)
7 – Very heavy (3-4 reps left in the tank)
8 – Very heavy (2-3 reps left in the tank)
9 – Very, very heavy (1-2 reps left in the tank)
10 – Very, very heavy (1 rep MAYBE left in the tank, can also be considered muscular failure)

When using this rating scale, remember to include feelings of shortness of breath, as well as how tired you feel in your legs and overall.

We mostly use this scale to ensure that you are pushing am appropriate amount in our compound or main exercises at the beginning of the workout, but you can choose to use it to continue to monitor your progress in any exercise.