RPE

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is a supjective scale used to measure the intensity of exercise. 1 It ranges from 1 to 10, where 1 is very light activity and 10 is maximal effort.

For example, an RPE of 8 means the person is working hard but could still perform 1-2 more reps before reaching failure.

There's an excellent breakdown of RPE by Jeff Nippard here 2.

Sources

  1. Kenzie Mahaffey, "The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale Explained", National Academy of Sports Medicine, https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/turabian/turabian-notes-and-bibliography-citation-quick-guide.html.
  2. Jeff Nippard, "How To Tell If You're Training Hard Enough (Using Science)", YouTube, https://youtu.be/deDlhPmT2SY?si=_i66cFM0nOS_RBNz.