RPE and Multiple Sets

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi Barbell Medicine,

I am nearing the end of LP and have been trying to track RPE on my sets in order to gain some proficiency in using RPE, as I plan on moving to the Bridge soon.

My question is, do the final sets of an exercise (let’s say Week 2, Mod Stress, Squats - 5 Reps @ RPE 8 x 3 sets) always use the exact same weight? I would assume so. However, does this mean that the first set should be the same RPE (8 in this case) as the third set? With my RPE experimentation so far, I often will rate the first set as a lower RPE then the latter. For example, on my LP, I am squatting 3x5 @ 250 today. The first set I rated as RPE 6.5, the second as RPE 7, and the third as RPE 8. Ergo, when I get to the Bridge, and it says do 3x5 @ RPE 8, should it feel like an 8 for every set across?

I hope my question makes sense.

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Not always, but in general @8 sets are often repeatable. Said differently, most of the time you should be able to repeat the same weight for sets across. That being said, I would adjust the weight as needed to hit the prescribed RPE.

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Thanks so much, Jordan!