RPE: Why Knowing How Hard You're Working Might Just Save Your Gains (And Your Sanity)

Never fun being the last one on the echo bike.

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get enough love in the gym world unless you’re buried deep in the strength-and-conditioning rabbit hole: RPE, aka Rate of Perceived Exertion. Sounds technical, maybe even a little boring. But spoiler: if you're training without it, or at least an understanding of it, you might be spinning your wheels—or worse, breaking them clean off.

Understanding RPE can optimize your progress, enhance recovery, and help you avoid the dreaded B-word: burnout.

What the Hell Is RPE?

RPE is a scale from 1 to 10 that measures how hard an exercise feels—not how much weight you're lifting or how fast you're moving. It’s based on your subjective effort, which is fancy-talk for “how cooked you feel mid-workout.”

• RPE 1–3: You’re warm, loose, possibly sipping iced coffee mid-set.

• RPE 4–6: Moderate effort. Heart rate’s up, but you can still flirt between sets.

• RPE 7–8: Hard. Focused. Probably not talking to anyone.

• RPE 9: Almost max. That bar speed is slowing down. Echo Bike RPMs might hold steady for 10–15 seconds before falling off a cliff—legs screaming, lungs maxed, but not quite full failure.

• RPE 10: You couldn’t do another rep if your life depended on it.

In a PUSH class, when we say “leave 1–2 in the tank,” we’re talking RPE 8–9. When your coach says, “Today is meant to feel nice and steady,” they’re probably aiming for RPE 5–6. And if you’re going RPE 10 every day… let’s have a chat.

Why Does RPE Even Matter?

Great question. Here’s the tea (so hip, I know): Your body doesn’t give a damn about how much you want to PR today. It cares about stress, fatigue, and how close you are to red-lining. Training based purely on percentages or group hype ignores variables like sleep, stress, soreness, and how many margaritas you had last weekend.

Using RPE gives you autoregulation—a big word that basically means your workout adjusts to how you feel that day. Some days 200 lbs feels like a warm-up. Other days it feels like 1,000. That’s normal. That’s being human.

Recovery: The Most Ignored Training Variable

You don’t get stronger during workouts. You get stronger during recovery. RPE helps regulate intensity, which helps manage fatigue, which protects recovery. It’s like a chain. Break one link, and suddenly you're wondering why you're sore, tired, and still not stronger.

Ever feel like you're training hard but getting nowhere? You might be in a permanent state of low-grade overtraining. RPE helps prevent that by keeping intensity in check.

Some studies even suggest that training at RPE 7–8 most of the time can lead to better long-term gains than constantly hitting RPE 9–10. Why? Because you can actually recover from it.

Results: Work Smarter, Not Just Sweatier

At PUSH, we’re big believers in hard work, obvi. We’re also big believers in smart work. RPE bridges the gap between effort and intention. It forces you to ask:

"Am I training for progress… or am I just addicted to being exhausted?"

Consistently training at high RPE without a plan can backfire. Instead of gains, you get plateaus. Instead of high performance, you get chronic soreness. Instead of looking forward to workouts, you start dreading them. RPE helps us scale intensity with purpose, not just emotion.

Burnout: The Silent Killer of Progress (and Enjoyment)

Let’s get serious for a second, I know, gross.

Burnout isn't just mental. It’s physiological. It’s when your nervous system, your hormones, your joints, and your soul all collectively tap out and say,

“Please stop trying to murder me with a barbell and echo bike at 6AM.”

This is when training starts feeling like a job. When progress stalls. When motivation tanks. RPE is your early-warning system. If your warm-ups feel like RPE 9? That’s feedback. If every workout is crushing your soul? That’s not toughness. That’s poor planning.

Use RPE to dial back when you need to—so you can dial up when it actually counts.

How We Use RPE at PUSH

If you’ve been to class, you’ve heard us throw out numbers:

• “Go for an RPE 7 today.”

• “Today should feel like a solid 8/10 effort.”

• “Save your flex muscles—we’re testing next week.”

We're not just trying to sound smart (okay, maybe a little). We're helping you become a more aware, more adaptable athlete. The more you practice RPE, the more intuitive it becomes. Eventually, you’ll know the difference between “challenging” and “crippling.” That’s real progress.

But Wait—I Like Going Hard. Isn’t RPE Just Holding Me Back?

No. RPE is for grown-ups. For athletes who want to train for years, not just months. For people who want results without sacrificing their joints, sleep, or mental health. You don’t get a badge for wrecking yourself every workout. You get tendinitis. And probably some ice packs.

Intensity has a place. But RPE helps you earn your intensity and apply it when it counts.

Final Takeaway: Train With Intent, Not Ego

RPE isn’t a cop-out. It’s a compass.

• It teaches you how to listen to your body

• It protects your long-term progress

• And it helps you avoid wasting your hard work by going too hard on the wrong days

So next time you’re staring at a barbell, ask yourself: “How hard should this feel today?” And trust the answer—even if it means scaling back.

Because the goal isn’t just to train hard. The goal is to train smart, stay in the game, and keep getting better.

Want to build better awareness of your training effort? Ask a coach in class to help you dial in your RPE. Your body (and future PRs) will thank you.

Stay Dope.