Ep.16 | Percentages, Ranges, or RPE, Which Programming Method is Best?

Chasing strength isn’t about guessing the heaviest plate math you can survive today. It’s about picking the right load for the right stimulus so you stack clean reps, build confidence, and show up stronger next week. We dig into the three big ways Powerlifting coaches like to load training: percentages, ranges, and RPE. We break down each method and share where it shines, and where it falls apart.

If you want steady strength gains, fewer misses, and cleaner reps that carry to the platform, this conversation gives you the framework: use percentages for basic structure and beginners, ranges for a more tailored approach, and RPE for intelligent auto-regulation. 

If this helped, follow the show, share it with a training partner, and leave a quick review so more lifters can find it. Thanks for being a part of the Fortis community!

Transcript

Setting The Stage: How We Program

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Fortis After Hours podcast. I'm your co-host, Nate, joined by my wife Liz. Hey. And guess what? We got another awesome episode planned for you guys. Uh, as powerlifting coaches, we program specific numbers for our athletes to hit.

SPEAKER_02 0:17

Now, I will say powerlifting, also, I do this for some just like general strength people who are working on like the main three lifts that have like goals of building strength and getting stronger.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

I was just gonna say, I think if you have a goal of getting a little bit stronger, whether that be in a powerlifting sense or like Liz said, just kind of general strength, health, and fitness. Um, while those people, like sometimes with my personal training clients, I might not actually put it down. Um, that is the same kind of system that I'm using. Um, and basically the goal, simply what I wanted to define is you want to progress those numbers over time, obviously. So you want to start at the lower number and then get to a higher number. And of course, there's ups and downs and all arounds in between, but the idea is to try and get the most clean path from point A to point B. And to do so, you're generally going to see um numbers programmed in one of three different ways. So that's gonna be just a straight percentage of your one rep max. Um, you might see a range of numbers, so something in between uh a top number and a lower number. And then you might also see something called RPE, which is popularized, got popularized by powerlifting, um, and that is rate of perceived exertion. So that's actually taking into account how you feel on the day, which is just to be clear, it's how you feel, not how your friend thought it looked.

unknown 1:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Um, so but we're gonna be going over all three of those and then kind of explaining them real quick and talk about at the end, but a little bit about like what we like to use for our clients.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

Yeah, and I will say some coaches might use a combination of I would say typically two would be like the most. You can't really do like do this exact percentage plus this range plus the RPE. So that's not a thing. But like some coaches you might see using like a percentage plus an RPE or a range plus an RPE. Um, not all coaches will do that, obviously, of course, and every coach and or program that you follow is going to look a little bit different. Um, but just if you're listening to this and you're like, oh, well, I get two different things sometimes. Like that is that is the thing sometimes.

Percentage-Based Training Explained

SPEAKER_00 2:24

And that's also something to get out of the way in the beginning. I I think all three of these are perfectly fine and could be used, I truly believe, with anyone to create progress. So like I don't think like one is better than the other. I do think that one may be best for certain clients, but that's an individual basis, and you as a coach will have to evaluate which one is going to work best for your client. Um, but I don't think just to clear that up, because like I don't know, some people think it's like one or another, you have to use one, you have to use the other. Yeah, 100% all three of these, if done correctly, will make progress happen. Um so, so all right, so let's start off with just a simple one, which is one that we were first introduced to, and that is just a straight percentage-based program. Um, so generally, programs like this, andor writing workouts like this, you gotta take a person's one rep max or even sometimes estimated one rep max, specifically with this one. Um, I've I've seen a lot of people, they'll use like an estimated one rep max calculator. Those are dangerous. Um tells me I'm real strong.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Um, but either way, so they use that number. Let's just say it's 100 because I'm bad at math and that makes easy percentages for Nate. So let's just say the number's 100 is your max, then it will have okay, three sets of 10 at 60 pounds, 60%. Um, or you know, and then the next week, three sets of ten at sixty-five percent. Um, that's generally how those programs look. Um, and there's a specific percentage that you're supposed to hit uh on that given day. Um and those can be great. We both have done programs like that in the past.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Um I think that there if you don't have a max, obviously it's gonna be a little bit harder because you're coming up with like an estimated one right max and you're not really sure exactly where you're at. So like the percentages could be a little bit skewed. So I would say if you're like a brand new beginner and you don't have a max, that would be a little challenging.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

I agree. Um and or if you're new and your max is constantly changing, then you might end up doing, I don't necessarily think it'd be bad, but it's just gonna be a little slower because you might end up doing like the same work twice type situation where like it's like because it's just a piece of paper, or you know, I mean, if you're working with a coach, then obviously that should be changing. But like my point is if your max is constantly changing as a beginner, um, then you might have to go higher than the percentage says you need to be.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

Yeah, then like what it's written as.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Um, and so that so you know, they're they can work. They we've used them, I've gotten stronger using them. Um, but typically I think when I use them, I had a one rep max for everything at that point. And so I kind of like had somewhere to go or like somewhere to start from. So if you don't and you are trying to follow like a percentage-based one, like I mean, you said like you can go and use like a one rep max calculator based on like what you can do for like five reps or three reps, then you can go and like calculate it and they can estimate what you might be able to do for one. Um or you can just make like a realistic guess too, which a little scary, but like you can go out of it. Yeah, like if it's like a genuine, like, oh, I think like okay, I did like 75 for five or whatever, I could probably do a hundred, like going off the same number use, like, you know, but you could be wrong. So also like if you don't truly know what your one rep max is, like you could be wrong if you're estimating, and so but my point in saying that is just to keep that in mind. So if the percentages aren't quite fulfilling what you're trying to do, like they're too easy or they're too hard, that's okay. You just might need to like make some adjustments.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Yeah, on game day, and I think or on your training day. And I think like I think maybe something else, because I mean it's pretty easy to explain what each of these is, but maybe something else that we can add in for everyone is like who it might be for. So I do think like the pluses and maybe like some pluses and minuses. So the pluses of uh programming like this, or if you have a coach that programs like this, just straight percentage number, do this on this day, is that it is nice and simple. Um, so if you're brand new, I think this can be good. Like Liz said, it might be a little tricky figuring out the percentages at first, but if you're brand new, if you just hand somebody a sheet of paper with the percentages, as long as they follow it, like you know, based off a realistic max, not some crazy like, you know, thing, they're probably gonna make progress. I don't know. Again, it might be a little bit like the slower way, but you don't know, it might be fine. So yeah, that's a plus of it. It's simple, it works. Uh, progressive overload is going to work, um, and you'll be able to make progress that way.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Now, uh personally feel like if this is like if you are doing just like a straight percentage, I would kind of hope that that would just be like you're following a template versus like having an actual coach just tell you do this percentage.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

I mean, there are some coaches that maybe just do that. Um I feel like if there is a coach and it's individualized programming for you, I do think one of the other two options is going to be I would almost say like expected from like a one-on-one coach, at least a percentage range. Like maybe if you don't want to like I mean, you don't have to, I guess, calculate the the percentages if you don't want to, but like I feel like as a coach, it probably would be good. Yeah. Um, but I feel like if your coach I feel like a range is just gonna be better, even if you're doing percentages. Yeah. Just because whether you're new, old, like experienced, less experience, like some people can just do more or less with reps percentage-wise than everything.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

And it's so, and I would say these are the kind of the negatives, like that's really the only plus, is just it's super simple. And for absolute beginners, if you're just like following something, something is better than nothing. So I guess it's better than that.

SPEAKER_02 8:17

That's a good like template thing to follow.

Pros, Cons, And Use Cases For Percentages

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Maybe but as a coach, and that's a great, great, great point. As a coach, uh, I would definitely agree with Liz, you probably should at minimum be doing some sort of range or uh range plus RPE or RPE, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Well, there's a very specific reason that that number is there.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

And so what I was gonna say is if I was using this as a coach today, the only way that I would use it exactly is like if you're recovering from an injury or something like that, and honestly, my client probably wouldn't even know what the percentage is. That would just be on me, and I would just be putting on a specific number, and I would still say, Hey, you know, like maybe I wouldn't give them a range, but maybe I just say a number. So I'll say 70. So I want a 70% effort, but like I would say in instructions or in real life, hey, like, you know, if that feels weird, go down, or hey, if that feels really easy, go up a little bit. Um it's kind of an unspoken like plus or minus.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

I feel like one of the only times that I really use this currently where it's like do this specific number, which I put in a number, but it is sometimes very specific, calculated off a percentage, would be for like a D-load week. And sometimes I I don't really put in a range because like sometimes like you just need to do what that is. Yeah. Um, I mean, obviously, if someone's dying or hurting or not recovered, like, of course, I'm not gonna be like, oh, you're a failure. You didn't hit the number I gave you. Like, of course, there are circumstances, but typically it's fine.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

And I think But I would say that's probably one of the very few times I will ever only program one specific number that is based off of one specific percentage.

Introducing Ranges For Flexibility

SPEAKER_00 9:56

Yeah, I think that the percentage thing, just one specific percentage, definitely has its limitations in that it is not flexible. And as human beings, we have to be a little flexible. You know, we talk about that all the time on our podcast in the past. Um, you know, like we don't live in a perfect world where you like perfect sleep, perfect nutrition, perfect supplementation, perfect everything, like all the time. That's just not what we live in. Um, and it and a set specific percentage kind of implies that, like, you know, as you get more like advanced, like, you know, like that that's where you're at. And that's just not the case. So I think a little bit more comprehensive coaching is going to include either an arrange or an RPE or a mixture of both. So that's we're moving on to next is a range of numbers. Um, so a range of numbers is generally going to be taken off of some sort of percentage as a base. You also might take it off of real life, like how someone's moving a weight. Um, and you know, if you have watched enough people squat, bench, and deadlift for enough reps, you're gonna be able just to know uh kind of ish where they should be for a back down set or something like this. Um, but it's gonna be a little bit more flexible than just a straight percentage. So a range is generally uh going to be a range like a high and a low number.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Um I would say anywhere sometimes it's like as small as a five-pound range, like I would say maybe on like bench for like I'd say up to 20 pounds. Up to yeah, up to 20. I've probably even given like a 30-pound range, especially like the bigger the numbers you're lifting, the bigger range you need because it's like a percentage of what you're lifting.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

That andor, like right now, I have a few people. Um, they had little like injuries, little tweaks coming back from that. Sometimes I'll put a bigger range there because I want them to feel the flexibility of at least I don't know how that they probably don't feel like that because they just look at the top number. Um, but I want them to feel like they have an option in between a heavier and a lighter weight based off how they are feeling on that day. Um and that's really the purpose of the range.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

So and sometimes what I've been doing lately um with some people who do get a bigger range, like I will leave a little note on there that says, like, you might be doing two within this range because I know like my clients sometimes like to start at the bottom end of the range, certain ones, which is funny, because then I have certain ones that like don't even look at the bottom of the range. Like that number just doesn't even exist. Um but it is there for a reason. Um it's okay. But, anyways, I know some will start at like the bottom end of the range or they're a little more fearful to push towards that top end.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:40

Um, so I will put like a little note like it's okay if you do two in that range or you know, whatever, like if there's multiple singles within that range, especially if it's a bigger range, because if they start at the bottom of the range and it's like super easy, then they're missing out on like what they could be doing if they think that they can only do one within that range.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Um so and like there's nothing wrong with that. Like I do that sometimes for myself. Like I'll start at the bottom end of the range for the day and I'll hit that. I'm like, well, at least I got in the range. Yeah. And then if it feels good, I go up. And if it doesn't, I don't.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Yeah. And that's totally fine because I think the main goal um, which really comes into play with the range and the RPE training, like Liz said, a little bit more specific and customizable for each athlete, is to hit a certain stimulus. On, you know, a week one, you might want a single that's like confident and speedy. On a week four, you might want a single that just gets completed. Uh, you know, like it just is it depends on the stimulus that you're looking for as a coach.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

But also it depends on the lifter, too.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

And I was just gonna say that it depends on like how your lifter is, you know, like um sometimes sometimes lifters need a little bit more of a push, and then others need a little bit more of a pullback. I personally am the one that needs a little bit more of a pullback. Uh, otherwise, I'll just run myself right off the edge. Done that many times.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Um, and anyways, it's important to, as an athlete, when you see a range, to look at the range at least and like think about it because the range is there for a reason. Um, if we didn't want to put a range there, then you'd just be doing percentage-based program, which is one singular number. 100% not gonna be as long-term effective. I don't want to, like, like we were saying, you can use it, but it's just long-term, it's not gonna be as effective because there's just not as much flexibility. Um, a quick example of this in real life, let's say you're coming back from a travel, something like this, just because I just did this. Um, you know, like you're coming back from traveling, you're maybe not gonna be like a hundred percent, and you might like in your brain, you're like, okay, like maybe I'll hit this low end of the range, see how I feel, and then I'll go to the top end. Or maybe I hit the low end and then I'm done. And then that's the end. And it just kind of depends on each day, and I think a range with a range, you can kind of like I don't know, like I don't want to say customize, that doesn't really make sense, but like you can you can select as an athlete the correct number to match the correct stimulus for that day.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

And that because it takes because I mean, but that does put some responsibility on the athlete to choose wisely within that range, though.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

And to execute that number wisely.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

Um if they chose the top end or the low end.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Because I was gonna say, sometimes I've I've done this myself, so I'm not saying anyone, whatever, like I've done this myself, this is a problem I've had. Oh, well, I'm just hitting the low end of the range. Like, what? I'm just gonna, no problem. No, here's the deal if you're picking the low end of the range, chances are you're gonna need to try even harder because you probably don't feel good. Because you don't feel good that day, exactly. Um, so you know that's just something to take into consideration. And I think if you as the athlete can really learn to pick a number, the correct number in that little range, um, and understand that anything in that little range is okay and gonna help you progress, then you're gonna be fine.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

Yeah, because like, and this is coming from a from a coach or your coach, depending on who you are. Depending on who you are listening. Um hitting something clean, good, good technique, good form, confident reps or rep within that range, even it's at the lower end, is better than going to the top end of the range and failing or losing your technique or your form like really bad to where it breaks down and then you're just like dying through it. Trust me, I have done that before.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

Um basically I did that a couple years ago before a meet for my current PR triple that I did.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Oh yeah.

Executing Within A Range Without Ego

SPEAKER_02 16:47

And I like grinded through that triple. I still like I don't know how I did it, but I did it. And then my squat kind of died after that because basically I like exerted so much so much that then like the lot the next like few weeks my body just like couldn't recover and then the meat did not go well. Yeah. Um, so that's just you know, something to be said. Like, I did that to myself. Like, I understand that I did that. Um, but it's a learning experience. And I learned that like, okay, like I probably would have been way better off choosing a lighter within the range on that day for whatever reason. Like that day just was not the day to be pushing that hard. Um, and I probably would have ended up having a better meet that meet or like the rest of the training block and meet. So, like there is something, you know, and I again it's my fault. Like looking back on it now, I can see what I did and see that that was not the right call. Um but so that's just I don't know. Yeah, no, yeah. Just like basically, like, even if you can't do the top end because it is just too much for the day, take somewhere else in the middle and then make it look good, make it move good, do like execute it perfectly so then like you are still getting essentially the benefits from doing whatever the weight is and not killing yourself to where you can't recover.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

And I think another thing which you can bring over kind of from the weightlifting sphere, Liz hates to hear this, but at the end of the day, it is just the facts, and that is that like speed and velocity of the bar and like how you move it, like technique-wise, matters. And that's really what you're doing, like finding the correct number in the range where you are still moving the bar well. There's no up down in the bar, there's no like dead stop in the bar. It should be moving well. I mean, you really want to move all your reps well like that. You don't really want to have like you know, if I'm and you know, when you're younger, like trust me, me and Liz both like we could grind through some crazy reps. We probably could still do it now. But the thing is, you really want to save that potential for the actual platform because you can't grind through every rep. And the purpose of that range, and then what we're gonna talk about next RPE is to find a good bar speed, good bar velocity. I don't we don't do like actual velocity, like you know, tracking, whatever, but you can just look at the video and be like, that was good. Or you look at the video and you went maybe a little too heavy on that day and you're like everything's shaking. Well, uh, you know, like that's maybe not so good. Uh so so anyway, so stick within those ranges and look at the range. If you're an athlete, look at the range, it's there for a reason. And if you end up having to select something, heaven forbid, in the lower end of the range or the mid, that's fine. Just crush it in your brain. And trust me, I am that person, I see a range, I'm like, okay, so this. Uh, but you know, sometimes I gotta you gotta pick what's in the middle of the range or what's at the bottom of the range. That's just how it is.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

And I will say, like, if you do select a weight and it is a little heavier than probably intended for the day, like that doesn't mean you need to just like give up or like you ruined everything or whatever. Like, because I am a believer and I will forever believe this in my coaching philosophies, I guess if you want to call it. Like, sometimes, like, you need to learn how to push through a rep that's hard.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

Um, if all of your reps in the gym are always easy, smooth, like minimal struggle, like you never really have to like fight for anything. Yep, it's gonna be really hard on meet day when all of a sudden you have to fight for something because you don't know what that feels like. So I'm not saying you need to grind out every rep. I'm not saying I'm saying you should not grind out every rep, actually. But like every once in a while, if a rep is a little hard or a set's a little hard, like it's okay to push through that and like obviously like maybe do back downs a little bit lighter or take a little bit more extra time to recover that week if you know you pushed a little bit harder than maybe you should have or intended to.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Um, but I am a very big believer that sometimes you need to push through hard reps in order to learn how to push when like push comes to shove on the platform.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

Yeah. So no, I agree 100%. Um, and I think I think you know, challenging yourself in that way is key. Uh I just think, and I think I think if you lift weights, you're listening to this, you're engaged in this conversation that we're having, like, you know, like there is a level of grind that is like next level, and some people don't even ever get that. Like they don't even get to that point. And that, I think, if done over and over and over, can be detrimental. But I do 100% agree with Liz. And we actually encourage that. A lot of our athletes, we teach them like, you know, you have to be able to grind through a rep or push through a rep.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

Uh, because I don't necessarily like to tell them to grind through it, but push through. Push through.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Yeah, that's a great term. Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Let it be.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

That might be a good distinction. Grinding out reps all the time. No. Yes. Pushing through reps sometimes, maybe even like a a few times a month, that's fine. Yeah. You know, that happens.

SPEAKER_02 21:51

And I will say specifically on bench.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

For females. Like it's just sometimes you just gotta do it.

Bar Speed, Technique, And Smart Selection

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Sometimes you just gotta push through it. Um Okay, so so you got your percentage base, you got your range, which can be kind of based off of percentages, and also RPE, and here we have RPE only. Um so RPE only is rate of perceived exertion, and programs like these start with they have, you know, okay, squat, and it's gonna be RPE six. And what that means is you don't know what that means. It's dependent on the yeah, it's dependent on the person.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

It's a six.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

So yeah, as the athlete, you need to kind of think, okay, like do the rep and then just think somewhere in between one through ten. Um now there's a lot of different there's a lot of drama's not the right word. But there's a lot of controversy. Controversy, drama, I don't know. There's a lot of information. I'll say I'm just gonna say it. So I don't know the term, but there's just a lot around RPE, which is ironic because it's such a simple thing that gets so like convoluted. And what I mean by this is there's RPE calculators, there's like stop right there. It's literally rate of perceived exertion. So it is how you feel on that specific day under that bar at that time. So in my opinion, it needs to be a purely intrinsic feeling, and like you are the only one that really knows. Um, you know, what looks like an RPE 8 to me might be like RPE six to Liz. Um just it's a it's in my opinion, a very intrinsic way of coaching. I think it can be very effective, but I do think it takes a specific type of athlete and coach relationship to make it effective. Um, I think it gets, like I said, just complicated. There we go. It gets very overcomplicated. Um, where I think personally you might just be better off using a range um to help your athlete progress. Because, in my opinion, once you go from RPE, uh, but also let me plug this into this calculator and this and that and the other, and it's all based off of max. Like, I mean, you're just doing a percentage anyways. Like you, you know, so I think if you're doing an RPE training, it's rate of perceived exertion, it should be like how it feels. Like Liz said, one to ten. You know, I put an RP6 squat. You squat it, and you think to yourself, hmm, okay, like I could do only two more. Well, that's might be like more of like an RPE.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

I'll say I think like RPE, and then there's also reps in reserve.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

I was gonna mention that, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

Which is R-I-R. Um, I try to kind of like connect the two for people to kind of make it a little bit easier.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:33

So like basically for each number going down from 10 is like how many reps in reserve you should have left.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

In theory, like roughly. So like an RPE 9, you could do one more rep. An RPE eight, you could do two more, in RPE 7, you could do three, and so on. Now, obviously, that's not exact, and you don't know because you're not actually doing them.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Um, but it does kind of give you like a little bit of an idea. Like if you're if you're just really confused about RPE, and that's the training. Personally, I will kind of like combine the reps in reserve with the RPE for like people that I'm coaching sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Um and I think that's a great tool, a great way to get people to understand RPE lifting.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

Yeah. Yeah. Well, and then also a lot of people, which is totally fine, especially if you're newer to powerlifting, have no idea what a 10 actually is. Yes. Um, and that's fine. Like you don't need to know what it is. Yeah, why would you know if you've never done powerlifting before? But it is very hard to gauge what is an eight if you don't know what a 10 is. It is very hard to gauge what is a nine if you don't know what a 10 is, or a 7 if you don't know what a 10 is.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:43

So, like, that is something else that like I have a hard time with with RPE, is just because like if you don't know what an actual 10 is, how can you gauge what's less than that?

SPEAKER_01 25:53

Yeah.

RPE And Reps In Reserve Demystified

SPEAKER_02 25:54

Um, so which is why I sometimes struggle with giving that just an RPE to beginning lifters, which is why I will typically add on the reps in reserve. Like sometimes for like newer lifters or like people that are just starting out, I'll give them a number range with an RPE with the reps in reserve. Like literally kind of like all three things that like basically my point is like you should probably be somewhere in this number range, yeah. But I want it to feel like maybe a seven, which means you could do three more reps. So I try and like lay that all out to explain it. I don't do that forever for people because usually once they kind of like get going, they like learn that and they're like, okay, this is like what it should feel like. But that way, like it's almost kind of like teaching what these things mean and how weights should feel, like not being grindy, like you know, oh my god, I'm gonna die every single week. And like teaching that like you should be able to do more reps. Yeah, um, you don't need to go to failure every time, and but maybe it should be around this number range. Yeah. So it's kind of like a whole conglomeration of things to help teach what that RPE is.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

And I think that's really smart. And I think that um, you know, when you're using an RPE in conjunction with like a range, I think that's super helpful actually because you can kind of explain what the something in the range should be feeling like, yes, um, which can help people that maybe just only go to the top, like myself. Like if it's like, oh Nate, this should be somewhere around like an eight, and I'm like, oh, like this top was about to be a 10. So, you know, like that could be super helpful.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Um, I think that RPE on its own can be, I think that is the most tricky uh of these three to get right.

SPEAKER_02 27:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

And before we talk about more of that, we're gonna take a quick break. And we're back.

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Yeah, I think RPE alone is definitely a tricky concept for a lot of people to understand, which is fair. And rightfully so, yeah. Yeah, it is it is kind of weird. Um, just because, like, I don't know. And like, I think what's hard about it too is like you want to progress each week, but like sometimes you don't feel good. So then you're like, well, how do I progress if I don't feel good? Because you know that you should be lifting more weights because it's week two or week three, but you feel way worse than week one and everything feels really heavy.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

So And there's no range bottom to kind of back you up on that decision. Yeah, I mean, like you feel like you're like, well, I'm failing.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Like yeah, so it can definitely be like a tricky feeling, a little bit like I think you would have to be like honestly, I think the people who are gonna do that best are fairly experienced. Gonna be more advanced lifters. Yeah, that's exactly where I was gonna go. I think for new lifters, it's very hard to not have at least some type of guidance with that RPE.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

No, I think so. I think the RPE can be useful. Um, I think it's most useful if combined with like a range, just so that like people can experience like a feeling type thing. Um, I do think when you're like I said in the beginning, when you're combining it to like literally, I these things exist where it's like an RPE calculator finding like different numbers.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Like an RPE seven should be this percentage of your max.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

Just use exactly just like Liz said, in the very beginning, I think a percentage, just straight percentage, just one number, is gonna be better for you as a lifter, more than likely, than just straight RPE because you know what you're supposed to do, and like you can also just use some common sense just as a human. Like if you're like getting under the bar and you're like, I don't think I could do this for 10. Well, probably just go a little lighter. You know what I mean? Um, and you know, if you have a coach like we like to use that range method and that has a range, like obviously that gives you a little leeway. But I do think as a beginner lifter, I think a percentage thing or percentage-based program is going to be perfect for making some good initial progress. I really, like Liz said, I think RPE straight should be used for just super probably pretty advanced lifters. And what I mean by advanced is like we'll say, like, if we quantify it into years, because it that's really what I'm talking about, not actually absolute strength, because maybe there's like a few individuals, like five or ten in the world type thing, like that just like have power lifted for a year and they're at some crazy elite level and they need an RPE to like regulate correctly, but like that's not most people, and I think you need to be probably training for at least five or so years um to really gain some good benefit from a straight RPE program. Yeah, I think what I mean by that is literally like RPE six squad. That's it. Yeah, like that's all it says.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

Yeah, I think a lot of coaches, um not a lot, maybe that's a little extreme. Some, several, a few, um, use this because it is real, real easy. I was just gonna say, yeah, all they have to do is program a single at RPE six, and then the next week, a single at RPE seven, and then the next week, a single at RPE eight. And then technically that's progressively overloading, and that requires them to do zero effort. Um so I will say that that is also something to like keep in mind. If your coach only is prescribing you RPE, like I'm not saying every coach is like this, and like there are some, like, and I will put RPE on some like variations. Like if I don't, you know, if we don't have a Macs or it's a new variation, I'll kind of put the RPE reps in reserve to like get people to kind of understand what they what it should feel like. But if every single lift on your paper or sheet or app or whatever only is RPE, just know that that is a very easy way for them to coach without actually coaching you.

SPEAKER_01 31:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

Um now they might give you great feedback and you might be totally fine, and that might be just how they coach, and because there are some coaches that do that. But I will say there are some coaches because the whole world of powerlifting coaches is now just anybody can be a powerlifting coach. Um, you have, you know, kids who do one powerlifting meet and then start coaching people, um, where it's real easy. All you have to do is say, do this at RPE, whatever, five, and then six, and then seven, and then eight, because obviously progressively overloading is going a little bit heavier and making it a little bit harder each week. Um, so that's just my little I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

Two cents on that.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Yeah. Is like if you only have an RPE program, like make sure that your coach is also actually coaching you.

Who Should Use RPE And When

SPEAKER_00 32:11

Yeah. Because, yeah, because I agree with Liz. Like, there's there's just a lot left up to the lifter versus like if you as a coach should be kind of doing some of that work and making sure that you are selecting or helping to select that proper stimulus for that day. Because I mean, most likely that's why the lifter came to you and like is paying you money. Uh, to you know, they want your help and your advice and your expertise in this area to make sure they're hitting not too much, not too little, just for particularly if they're into powerlifting.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

Now, for some people, if they're just a general fitness, like maybe they just kind of need to be doing, like, I'll put in just kind of like challenging but doable, which is essentially I love that term. Yeah, I love that term, yeah. You know, that that works for a lot of lifters, like, especially if you're not planning on competing, you're not trying to get to maximum strength, you're just trying to go in, get a good workout. Every day could just be an RPE, you know, six, seven, eight, whatever number it is. And it could just be like a challenging but doable weight for the day. And like that's fine. I'm talking more like power lifting, where you are trying to prepare yourself for a meeting, go into meat prep or throughout meat prep. Like, you just need to make sure that like you are best prepared for that day.

SPEAKER_00 33:23

Yeah, and something that I've noticed is you know, sometimes when you just have a straight RPE program, um, people will go one of two directions. They'll go either too light all the time or they're going too heavy all the time. And it's very rare that I see someone. We actually have one person in particular that I know here that is pretty spot on with their stuff. But fun fact, they are a very advanced lifter um in their total and time lifting under the bar. And other than that, like I don't I've not seen too many people over the years that are like pretty good, at least from my perspective, um, as a coach, just looking at how the bar is moving, how their strength is progressing or not progressing. Um, it's generally either not enough stimulus or too much stimulus, and it's hard to find that middle ground, which is totally understandable.

SPEAKER_02 34:14

As an athlete myself, that like is I I'm I would have a very hard time with an RPE only program. Me too.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Um now you want to get it way too heavy all the time. Like that's for me. Yes, yeah. I think we yeah, I think we both share that. Like if we both put like RPE seven squats and be like, well, yeah, I've got probably two, two or three more. Yeah, that'd be fine.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

It's fine. It's totally a seven.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

Like, so I think, yeah, so I think to wrap things up, you know, I think the percentage-based or percentage only is gonna be pretty good for like beginner beginner lifters. Um, once you progress a little or you hire, you know, a coach, um, I think adding a little bit of a range um is going to be a little bit more that range, which is what we like to use, is I think gonna be a little bit more customized, a little bit more personalized to the individual and help them also learn to find their correct stimulus for the day.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

Um and also it does, I will say, like it does teach you to execute on days that are not great. Because sometimes, like I had one of the girls I coach, she like this week, she's like, Oh, I'm feeling so weak. Like she's been working crazy hours, like feeling terrible, went into bench, she wasn't feeling it. So, like, if it was only RPE, probably like a bar would have been like a 10, you know, like it would have felt terrible. But there was a range in there, and so she went into the range and she absolutely crushed it.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

But like, like you might not do that if you just have the number.

SPEAKER_02 35:40

She basically hit like what her meat max, like current meat max is just in the gym on a day where she felt terrible. Yeah. So, like sometimes like having that range with that accountability of a coach like checking on you or like knowing, and also like having someone else be confident that you have that strength to hit those numbers sometimes can push you to execute weight that maybe you might be like, Oh my god, I feel terrible. And you would never even try. And then she absolutely smoked this weight that like is crazy for her to be benching just like 11 weeks out from a meet. So it's just it's cool to like sometimes that's like another benefit of having like a range because you can just like it teaches you to execute. Like, I'm going to do weight in this range and I'm going to execute it. And then you do.

Why We Favor Ranges Plus RPE Notes

SPEAKER_00 36:24

And like you said, I like that point too. It's like the confidence from your coach, like, okay, I can do this. Um, and yeah, so I think you know, that's what we use. Obviously, we're fans of that, uh, a little bit biased towards that, but we've used it with over time, many, many athletes, both beginners, advanced, elite, like um and like I said, some get a little combo of some, yeah, plus RPE. And RPE, whatever. Like we like we like sprinkling a little RPE in there. Sometimes, like Liz said, I'll do it on secondary days where I'm just like, you know, just kind of feel it out because it just depends, you know, like that's you could hook for the rest of it. I don't know, like you might be destroyed. So obviously you're gonna go a little lighter. Um, but yeah, so RPE, I just think you know, it can be used kind of in combination, like Liz was saying, almost to help define certain like feelings and and how weight should be feeling. Um, but just on its own, I really think that should just be reserved for specific use cases. Um and definitely more advanced athletes is gonna be my opinion on that.

SPEAKER_02 37:24

Yeah, I would agree. And like, you know, if you work really closely with a coach like one-on-one all the time, like they might start being able to learn essentially like your RPE, yeah, which is funny, like because you can kind of tell, like, as a coach, you can tell, like, kind of like how it feels, how it moves, how it looks, if it's really heavy for the day, if it's pretty easy. Like, you learn that about your lifters. So, like, if you do work with someone for a really long time and work very closely, I would say, like, almost like personal training though, yeah, with them. You can kind of learn almost a little bit of RPE for them, even if they don't know that's what you're doing for them. Yeah, yeah. Um, but I would say that's a very like specific basis, and like you'd have to be working like with your coach for a very long time to like really develop that.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

Yeah. And I think I think that that's possible. I think it still takes, you know, like what you just explained, that's still more of like uh the coach doing some of that work versus. Yeah, like I think to truly like be able to have the intrinsic, like basically just like you're just kind of in the middle and you're like non-biased towards like and you're able to actually say, okay, I think it should be this. I just I think that takes a more mature athlete, period. Dot. Yeah. Uh I just think, you know, because yeah, I mean, what you were describing, that's just in my brain, that's just good coaching. Like, you should be like definitely, and I always I actually I've come to the point where I actually kind of explain that, especially with newer online uh clients and athletes. Like, I'll just kind of say, All right, give me like a month or two to like really kind of dial into like because I gotta learn, like, okay, how they move things, this is bad, this is good.

SPEAKER_02 38:58

Well, because some people just like everything looks so easy, and then all of a sudden, well, no, I say everything looks so easy, and then all of a sudden they just can't do it anymore. Or everything just kind of is like they're a slower moving lifter, but like they're fine and they can just keep going. And so, like, it does take time to learn, but then also that's kind of why RPE is hard to gauge, even as a coach for me. Like, if I watch your video and you're like, Oh yeah, that's a seven, but I'm like, that looked like a nine, but like actually, maybe like you could have kept going or the other way around. Like, exactly. You're like, oh my gosh, that's a nine. I'm like, that looked like a six, like so. It is hard, you know. That is why it is hard to like just rely, and also for like your coach, so you have to like learn, you have to learn your lifters basically, too.

SPEAKER_00 39:41

I agree. So I think that about does it. All three can be used. Um, I think there is a valid argument for using any of those three. Um, I do think you can progress using any of those three. I think I definitely am like biased or whatever. I just objectively think that the range is gonna be, I think, the most efficient way to get you from point A to point B. Uh, I just believe that that is going to give you the correct stimulus, the most accurate chance at hitting the right stimulus for each individual training day. And like I said in the very beginning, if you're watching on YouTube, like the line, as we know, is not because otherwise you wouldn't need PowerFin coaches. Um, the line is not just from point A straight to point B. There are ups and downs. And I do think that the range is going to help you select the stimulus that's right for that peak and valley. Um, so that way when you, you know, when you draw a line through all those little peaks and valleys, it goes up, not across or down or um, you know, like barely up, something like that. So I do believe that the range, uh range finder method, so to speak, is gonna be uh the best for most people. But I think you can definitely progress with percentage. I think you per progress with RPE.

Communication, Coaching, And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 40:58

Um I think what's like most important out of all of this, though, is like communicating with your coach in like how it feels, what you need, how your recovery is going, how if there's a range, like did it feel terrible? Did it feel good? Like the more communication you have with whatever style of training you're doing, the more progress you're going to make.

Subscribe And Support

SPEAKER_00 41:17

I think we'll leave it at that. That's a perfect little ending point. Um, so yeah. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this episode. And if you did, please remember to subscribe to the podcast or follow us. I can never remember what it is these days. Uh, but subscribe to our YouTube channel if you're not already there. Hello, YouTube, if you're watching on YouTube. Um, and thank you so much for subscribing on YouTube. Uh, we are at like 410 or something subscribers in just a couple months, which is fantastic. We really appreciate your guys' support as we continue to grow that channel and fill it with lots of educational, awesome content like this. Um, so, anyways, if you haven't checked any of that out, check it out. And we'll see you guys in the next episode of the podcast. Peace.

SPEAKER_01 41:56

Bye.