Strength Training Methods. Part 1.

In this series, I will share strength training methods that I have been using on myself and my athletes. I hope this will be of some help to you.

REP RANGES

1. 1–2 reps @ RPE 6 (85–83% of 1RM)
2. 3–4 reps @ RPE 7 (83–81% of 1RM)
3. 5–6 reps @ RPE 8 (81–79% of 1RM)
4. 7–11 reps @ RPE 9 (79-71% of 1RM)

*1RM percentages are calculated using the Epley 1RM formula.

Mechanical Tension is King. The best way to grow increase muscle size and strength is to always train at maximal muscle recruitment (as per current theory). Research shows that’s around ~85% of 1RM. Given this, we could assume that anything less than that, and we are not recruiting all the muscle fibers. Anything more than that, and we are incurring extra fatigue for no extra benefit. This would mean we just have to do singles at ~85% of 1RM then, right? Theoretically, yes, practically — it’s insane. In reality, we need to allows ourselves to oscillate around that magical ~85% of 1RM. Some reps should be below the threshold, some reps — above.

Now, we don’t exactly know what is the correct balance here. Effective Rep theory supporters say we need to only focus on anything above the 85% threshold. Granted, it makes sense on some level, but as research shows, there’s no need to put all the reps in the 85-100% range all the time to reap the most benefit from our training. In fact, it’s beneficial to stay away from the last possible reps (not reaching failure). Well, if that’s the case, there is no reason why we can’t do reps below and above 85% at the same time. The ones below are not stimulating enough, the ones above cause extra fatigue. If we assume they are equally “bad”, then, by using 1RM percentage tables with RPE/RIR we can calculate which exact reps we need to do to reap the most benefit.

The math behind all of this is not complicated, but it’s beyond the scope of this article. Let me just say that the distance from the current rep 1RM percentage and the “ideal” of 85% is what I considered to be the “opportunity cost”. The further it is either below or above, the more cost it incurs. The rep ranges and RPE you see above are the results of this calculation. For example, 1 rep @ RPE 6 means this is the most optimal lift we can do with all the muscle fiber activation and no extra fatigue. If we do 2 reps @ RPE 6, we are incurring a slight activation cost at the first rep. If we do 3 reps @ 7, the 3rd rep costs us extra fatigue. Here’s a helpful chart on how many reps are below or above 85% of the 1RM threshold.

Rep distribution according to my model. Anything to the left or right of the green column comes with addition “cost”.

RPE/RIR Application

RPE/RIR is great when used correctly. But it takes time to learn and well, accurate RPE is damn hard. It takes a lot of practice to learn to gauge our performance objectively. What if we misjudge and undershoot? Missed gains. What if we overshoot? Extra fatigue. To increase the accuracy of our RPE gauging, we should use some sort of queues that we can anchor ourselves to. One of the best examples of this is the bar speed of each rep.

1. RPE 10 — complete grinder that takes a lot longer than the previous rep. I.e. 3–5 seconds.
2. RPE 9 — we experience a significant slowdown, but it doesn’t feel like a complete grinder.
3. RPE 8 — we feel a slowdown, but it’s still not significant.
4. RPE 7 — we barely feel a slowdown, but it starts to feel heavy.
5. RPE 6 — we cannot accurately judge whether the bar slowed down and the weight feels quite easy.
6. RPE 5 and less — pointless. We cannot accurately judge this level of exertion.

This works great for sets of 5–11 reps, OKish for 3–4 reps, but not so great for 1–2 reps. That’s because it’s a lot easier to judge bar speed when we have a fresh memory of it (literally, previous reps in the set). If we do a single, we have to rely either on a previous set or even a previous workout. I can tell you from experience that a set of 5–6 @ RPE 8 is a lot easier to gauge than a set of 1–2 @ RPE 6. In other words, we are not guaranteed our RPE ratings are always going to be accurate. So, like any tool in our training box, we should evaluate where and when to use it.

I am not convinced there’s any point in using RPE for intra-session auto-regulation. Like adjusting reps during a set based on the immediate feeling of exertion or changing weight for the next set based on the previous one. That’s just too much guesswork and it can highly depend on our motivation that day. It’s an exit strategy that we can abuse when we are not feeling 100%. Therefore, I think RPE is better as an indicator of whether it’s time to increase the weights/reps in the next workout or not.

For example, I commonly do 3x7–11 @ RPE 9 for my hypertrophy accessories. The important RPE is the last set’s RPE. Once it feels like RPE 8 instead of RPE 9, I know that this is a signal to go up the next training session. Depending on the exercise I either increase the weight or add an extra rep. There’s a chance I end up finishing this next workout at RPE 10, but that is fine. It indicates I’m not undershooting with my RPE. There is certainty and less guesswork. But that doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be any auto-regulation during the workout. Extreme ends of miscalculation should be always corrected. Here are examples of how and when to do it.

1. If at any given point we fail a set (not reach the required amount of reps), it’s best just to bail on the exercise. There could be many reasons why we failed, but none of them are good. Why bother digging ourselves into a deeper hole when we can clearly see that things are not right?
2. On the opposite side of things, sometimes things just feel way too easy. That is especially true at the beginning of a new mesocycle. Ramping up weights and reps as a response to low RPE is not a bad idea. But when things start to get rolling and we are more or less settled in our weights/reps, I believe it’s best not to overdo it. Trust me, true RPE 6–9 is not easy and even a slight increment can compound easily. If it really feels like one of those days where we can flip a truck, I think adding extra reps on the last set is a safe way to maximize that day’s potential.
3. As an extension of the first example, there’s one more thing that we need to always allow ourselves. Especially if we can’t have consistency in our daily lives. It’s the workout bailout button. Like completely. Imagine, one week we did Squats with 175 kg for 5, and the next week on our warmups we only did 2 reps with 160 kg and it already feels RPE 9. This is a huge red flag. Pack your bags, go home. Be it the first exercise of the day or the second to last. Of course, if we find ourselves using this rule more than once every 1–2 months, something is not right. We need to go back to the drawing board and update/replace our programming.

Next up: Planning Vs Reacting and more!