How To Use RPE To Change Your Physique
If you’re not a Digital Barbell client or the kind of person who geeks out on training research, there’s a 99.99% chance you’re leaving a ton of progress on the table when it comes to getting stronger, fitter, and building lean muscle.
In our experience, people missing out on results usually fall into one of three camps:
1 – The Cardio-Only Crowd
This was me in the early 2000s. Elliptical 3 nights a week, watching the evening news, and trying to burn calories at 24-Hour Fitness… making zero progress.
2 – The High-Intensity Hustlers
This was me from 2009–2014, smashing CrossFit WODs 5–6 days a week. Turns out, all that intensity isn’t just unnecessary, it can actually hold you back when your goal is looking and feeling your best long-term.
3 – The “Check-the-Box” Weight Lifters
This one’s the most common, and yep, I’ve done it too.
Show up. Sweat. Leave. Rinse and repeat.
But you’ve been doing the same 3 sets of 10 with the same dumbbells for months. And… you still look the same.
Here’s why you’re working out, but it’s not working:
You’re not pushing your sets hard enough.
This is where the concept of RPE—Rating of Perceived Exertion—comes in.
It’s a simple 1–10 scale to rate how hard a set is:
RPE 10 = Max effort. No way you could do another clean rep.
RPE 9 = Maybe one more clean rep in the tank.
RPE 8 = Two good reps left in the tank
We call RPE 8 a “hard set”, and research shows it’s the sweet spot for great progress without unnecessary fatigue or risk of injury.
Here’s what an RPE of 8 looks like. Click the picture and watch the speed of the dumbbells:
So, if your reps all look the same speed from start to finish?
You’re probably working mostly in the RPE 3–5 zone. You’re working, but getting very little return.
Getting RPE right takes practice, but once you start training at the right intensity…
It’s go time.
That’s when we see rapid strength and visual gains take off. Think twice the results you’ve been seeing.
Want to make your time spent in the gym pay off more than ever before?
Start by clicking the button below.
Jonathan