On competition lift days, 12 Week Strength calls for pulling 20% of the bar after a single at RPE 8 and performing sets of 5. These sets are approximately RPE 0.
Could I receive some comforting words asserting that this is indeed intended, along with the thought process?
Thanks.
Fortran,
Thanks for the post. The single you perform is somewhere in the 90-94% range and thus, taking 20% off that puts you in the 70-74% range. Most of the sets should feel like RPE 6-7 depending on how much rest you’re taking. If they’re way lighter than that, i.e. you could do >5-6 reps more on your 2nd or 3rd back off set- you may consider reducing the drop to somewhere in the 15-17% range and/or making sure your single is close to an @ 8.
However, the volume work is likely to feel significantly lighter if you’re used to taking every set to @ 9.
-Jordan
Thank you for the response. The estimated RPE chart in The Bridge puts 70-74% as @6.5 for the 6-7 rep range, which is closer to my perception of that intensity.
Should my take-home message be to aim for @6 and adjust my percentage-drop accordingly?
Nope. I would run the program as described.