Hi, BBM gang –
First, thanks for the dedication and sharing of numerous educational resources and high quality training programs. I’m beginning the 3rd week of the Bridge 2.0 and I am looking for a little clarity around qualifying RPEs…
My question is this: Where do we draw the line in rating RPE between hitting a set of 5 @ 8 where I could have gotten 2 more difficult reps and maintained decent form but 3 reps w/ decent form is out of the question; versus a heavier set of 5 @ 8 where every rep is an utter 3/4 second grinder?
If I’m doing barbell rows, for instance, I’d set my RPE 8 set of 10 using 135lbs. The last 3 reps of that set of 10 are grinders, using a little body English to get the weight up, and taking a couple of short breaths between reps. At that weight, for me, using every ounce of my being, I’d only be able to get 2 more reps. Similarly, when I move up to my RPE 9 weight of 140 for 10, I literally would only be able to squeak out one more rep, with form deteriorating and body English increasing around rep 7.
In the above example, am I “overshooting” my RPEs for that lift? If I were to use a weight where I’d rate an RPE 8 for a set of 10 where I don’t need body English or short breaks between reps, I’d probably only use 120/125.
Similarly, I recently did my back off squats of RPE 8 for 3 sets of 5 at 240lbs. In those sets, being already fatigued from a single @ 8, I probably could have gotten more than 5 reps, but those reps would have been ugly grinders. Should I have used a heavier weight to go into grinder-land for a more “true” RPE 8?
Thanks!