How hard is hard enough

Most people train either too easy to change anything, or so hard they can't come back on Thursday. The useful spot is in between, and you find it by counting.

Count what's left, not what's done

At the end of a set, ask one question: how many more could I have done with good form? The answer you want, most of the time, is two.

Same set, three ways

Stopping early sends almost no signal. Going until you collapse sends about the same signal as stopping two short, and costs days.

The scale, in plain words

When your program says 7 or 8 out of 10, this is all it means. The full definitions are just below.

If you're guessing, guess lighter.

RPE and RIR, defined

Two terms you'll see in your program. They're the same idea, counted from opposite ends.

RPERate of perceived exertionHow hard the set felt, out of 10. A 10 is everything you had.

RIRReps in reserveHow many more good reps you had left when you stopped.

RPERIRWhat it feels like

100Nothing left. Another rep with good form wasn't happening.

91One more, maybe. The last rep was a grind.

82Two more. The last reps were slow and hard. Most of your working sets.

73Three more. Still moving well. For learning a lift, or a rough day.

64Four or more. Moves fast. Your last warm-up set.

5 and under5+Warm-up weight. You could hold a conversation.

So "RPE 8" and "2 RIR" are the same instruction: stop with two good reps left. A half, like 8.5, means you're sure of two and might have had three.

How to tell without a coach watching

Your body gives it away. Four tells, in the order they show up.

TELL 1

The rep slows down

Not on purpose. You push just as hard and the weight moves slower. That's the start of the useful part.

Ian: "If rep ten looked like rep one, it was a warm-up."

TELL 2

You stop talking

Early reps you could chat through. When the sentence gets cut off mid-word, you're working.

Ian: "Peak effort is when you stop telling me about your weekend."

TELL 3

Your face joins in

Nobody decides to make that face. It shows up around three reps from the end.

Ian: "I can count your reps left from across the room."

TELL 4

The form changes

Back rounds, hips shoot up, something twists. That rep was one too many. The set ended on the one before it.

Ian: "The set is over when the good reps are over."

Some days the number moves

Two left is a feeling, not a weight. The same bar can be a 7 on Monday and a 9 on Friday.

Go lighter today ifYou slept four hours. You're coming back from being sick. A joint is arguing with you. Work was a war. Take weight off until two left feels like two left.
Ian: "A lighter session still counts. A skipped one doesn't."

Add a little ifYou hit every rep, the last one moved well, and you honestly had three or more left. Add the smallest plate in the building next time.
Ian: "Smallest plate. I said smallest."

Things people ask

Short answers.

Should I ever go until I can't?Sometimes, on something safe: a machine, a curl, the last set of the day. Not on a squat or a bench by yourself.
Ian: "Find the limit on the leg press, not under a barbell."

Does it have to be heavy?No. A lighter weight for more reps works about as well, as long as the last reps are hard. Fifteen with two left beats six with six left.
Ian: "The muscle can't read the number on the plate."

I'm bad at guessingEveryone is at first, and most people have more left than they think. Test it once: last set on a machine, go until you can't, and count how far off you were.
Ian: "You said two left. You did five more. We'll talk."

This week

Pick one.

Ask the questionAfter every set, say the number out loud: how many more could I have done? You'll get better at it within two weeks.

Write it beside the weight"40 lb, 10 reps, 2 left." Next week you'll know exactly what to do.

Test one guessOne safe exercise, last set, go to the end. Compare it to what you guessed.