LiftsmithRPE chart
How heavy should a set of 5 at RPE 8 be? Enter your one-rep max and read the weight off the chart, or switch to percentages.
| Reps | RPE 100 RIR | RPE 9.50.5 RIR | RPE 91 RIR | RPE 8.51.5 RIR | RPE 82 RIR | RPE 7.52.5 RIR | RPE 73 RIR | RPE 6.53.5 RIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 140 | 135 | 132.5 | 130 | 130 | 127.5 | 125 | 122.5 |
| 2 | 132.5 | 130 | 130 | 127.5 | 125 | 122.5 | 120 | 120 |
| 3 | 130 | 127.5 | 125 | 122.5 | 120 | 120 | 117.5 | 115 |
| 4 | 125 | 122.5 | 120 | 120 | 117.5 | 115 | 112.5 | 112.5 |
| 5 | 120 | 120 | 117.5 | 115 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 110 | 107.5 |
| 6 | 117.5 | 115 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 110 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 105 |
| 8 | 110 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 105 | 105 | 102.5 | 102.5 | 100 |
| 10 | 105 | 102.5 | 102.5 | 100 | 100 | 97.5 | 97.5 | 97.5 |
| 12 | 100 | 97.5 | 97.5 | 97.5 | 95 | 95 | 92.5 | 92.5 |
How to use an RPE chart
Find the row for the reps you're doing and the column for the effort you want. The cell is the weight. A set of 5 at RPE 8 is really a 7-rep effort (5 done, 2 left), so it's the weight you could lift 7 times to failure.
The numbers come from the same one-rep max estimate as our one-rep max calculator: an average of Brzycki, Epley and a newer weight-dependent equation up to 10 reps to failure, and Mayhew, Wathan and the newer equation above that. Half steps (RPE 8.5) mean “maybe one more rep”.
Questions
- What does RPE mean in lifting?
- Rate of perceived exertion: how hard a set was on a 1 to 10 scale. In lifting, RPE 10 means you couldn't have done another rep, RPE 9 means one more was left, RPE 8 means two, and so on.
- What's the difference between RPE and RIR?
- They measure the same thing from opposite ends. RIR is reps in reserve, the reps you had left. RPE is 10 minus RIR, so RPE 8 is 2 RIR. Many lifters find counting reps left easier than rating effort.
- What RPE should I train at?
- Most working sets land between RPE 7 and 9 (1 to 3 reps left). That's hard enough to build strength and muscle, and leaves enough in the tank to recover for the next session. Save RPE 10 for the occasional test.
- Why doesn't the chart match my real sets?
- The chart comes from one-rep max formulas, which fit most lifters on most lifts but not everyone. If you're better at high reps than the chart expects, trust your sets over the table.
More: reps in reserve, the one-rep max calculator and should you train to failure?.
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