How Hard Do You Need To Train?

Resistance Training

How Hard Do You Need To Train?
- April 26 2021


Watch a video of this post by clicking below:

Today's Training Topic is all about RPE, otherwise known as the Rating of Perceived Exertion.

RPE is a fantastic training tool that allows you to gauge how difficult an exercise set feels, and it can also be helpful for identifying how much effort you are really putting into an exercise.

RPE is rated on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being minimal effort and 10 being maximal exertion. See the table displayed below:
To give you an idea of what a 10 feels like on the RPE scale: If you were doing a set of pushups, you would actually collapse part way through your last rep because you could not physically perform even one more. Sounds pretty hardcore!

RPE is also a great tool as it allows you to see if an exercise is too easy. If you can perform endless reps of a technique and never reach anything even close to 8, then the exercise is probably too easy for you and should likely be progressed in some way. 

If you perform your workouts at only an RPE of 3-4 all of the time, then you will sadly not see great improvements in your body as it is not being challenged enough to be forced to improve. Your body is constantly adapting and thus you have to gradually push your body past what it is used to doing to see true change!

However, in general (especially if you are a beginner) you don't actually need to push to an RPE of 10 with every single exercise set. This would likely increase your risk of injury and leave you feeling very fatigued by the end of your workouts. You want to actually enjoy your workouts and not be sore & wiped out for days afterwards! So generally, it is more advisable to aim for an RPE of 7-8, leaving a few repetitions in reserve.

Consistency really is the key to success with exercise, so it better to be safe and gradual with your progression, rather than overexerting yourself and feeling completely toast after your workouts (and dreading your next one!)


I do recommend that you do a little experiment to reach an RPE of 10 at least once. You can do this by choosing a safe exercise and then performing as many reps as you can (with proper form!) until you feel like you are at an RPE of 8. You would then announce out loud, "I am at an RPE of 8!", and continue to do as many reps as possible until you reach the point of muscular failure. If you could only perform 2 more reps then you were very accurate! If you could perform many more reps, then you overestimated your exertion and could have potentially pushed yourself a bit more. This will give you a better idea of how accurate you are with your RPE ratings and what each number actually feels like. It definitely takes time & experience to get proficient at rating RPE, but I can assure you it is worth it!
{WARNING! If you are a beginner, do not attempt to do this test with any heavy compound movements like a weighted squat or bench press as this could lead to injury!}

In truth, RPE is not always super necessary for beginners. You should definitely be focusing more on performing your exercises as properly as you can, with a full range of motion and by feeling the right muscles working. You don't need to get too wrapped up in the intensity of your exercises when you are just starting, but as you begin to progress it will become increasingly important.

In conclusion, it is beneficial to try to be aware of the effort you are putting into your exercise routines using the RPE scale. That way you can be sure you are pushing yourself adequately and getting the results you want out of your workouts!

I hope this made sense, but if you do have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at taylor@rejuvfitness.ca and I will do my best to help!

Struggling to improve your fitness? You dont' have to do it alone!

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