I was hoping I could get some current insight into your guys viewpoints on effective rep theory and lower intensity or lower RPE sets. I ran through a block of training recently over the summer where I was trying to do a high volume of sets with a lower RPE hoping to get a hypertrophy and strength stimulus without accumulating the fatigue that might come with compound movements done closer to failure. The issue is it’s possible that some of those sets perhaps don’t fall within a four or less rir and I was wondering if you guys think that submaximal sets with more than five reps in reserve have any positive benefit and what your thoughts might be if someone were to use things like eight sets of five at 70 to 75% rather than four sets of 10 at 70 to 75%.
Yes, we think there are benefits in strength and hypertrophy in that higher RIR range, as described in this podcast here: