I’ve been eyeing the bridge for awhile, but some things after reading through the e-book still just aren’t 100% clear to me.
Current lifts: 320 squat, 215 bench, 385 deadlift, 145lb press
I feel like I’m going in blind with my load selection. We’re given the RPE chart, but what’s on the chart doesn’t line up with what’s said in the text. In the text, they state roughly 5% is equivalent to 1 RPE (in the FAQ.) The chart shows RPE 8 for 5 reps being 81%, with RPE 9 for 5 being 84, and finally 10 being 86. Is there something I’m not understanding there? it seems like if RPE 8 for 5 is 81%, then 9 would be 86 instead of 84?
I feel like I’m either missing something, misinterpreting something, or focusing on something and missing the larger picture.
Take my squat, I’ve managed 320 for a triple, at what I’d call a 9. That makes my E1RM 360lbs.
I assume I can use this chart to give myself a rough idea of what my working weights would be for say the first day of the bridge, making my @7 285, and my @8 290. That’s if I calculate the sets based off the RPE chart in the e-book. If that’s correct, then I guess loading makes perfect sense to me and I’m just over thinking it.
loading for the variation movements. I understand there’s probably no way to really know what to load these movements with, but do we just go in and do movements we’ve never done before, and find something we’d consider to fit the prescribed RPE? If so, right on, I can do that. But if there’s to get a rough idea of what I should start the loading at for these, I’d love to know.
I think what you’re missing is that the 5% is more of a rule of thumb. None of this is meant to be that exact and yes, I think you’re over thinking it.
For new movements you do sort of go in blind the first time. I’d just do your best and tweak from there.
Okay cool. I just didn’t want to miss something important, and totally botch the program and waste my time. Coming from something so definitive like the SSLP, it’s very odd to swap to somethin like the bridge, or rpe in general. I’d spent the last few weeks of my LP kind of “guessing” rpe to prepare for the swap, but I guess I was just not as prepared or informed as I thought I was!
Heh, I empathize with this sentiment. When I finally pulled the trigger on the Bridge 3 weeks ago, I named my log, “Dr. Bridgelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the RPE.”
I also collected and posted the “ques” for various RPE here, which has helped me feel less anxious about RPE.