anabolic_geek
VETERANS
The Problem With Fixed Rep Numbers (or going to failure)
So, we all know that progressive overload is the ticket to gains, right? You increase weight, increase volume and increase intensity and, with the right diet (and ‘supplements’ heh) your muscles get bigger and stronger.One of the big problems with this is that we have no way to easily gauge intensity. Some people will just sit down and do their sets and reps. Some people will progress the number of reps and sets. Or maybe they’ll cut down the rest time. Either way, this isn’t a very efficient way to train unless you’re sitting there with a stopwatch each workout – how will you know that you’ve progressed?
There’s another problem hiding in there too: individual variation from day to day. Sometimes, you hit the gym and you feel almost invincible like you could lift half the gym and simply triple your weight. But some days, you feel like skipping the whole workout and going straight to the sauna.What do I want to say with that? Well, your body fluctuates. Because days are different. Some days you get too little sleep, food, you are stressed, you name it. However, this also means that your estimated 1 RM value fluctuates in each session.
So it could be, that one day, you can easily do 8 reps with 80% 1 RM. The next day you didn’t get as much sleep and food, and you’ll only be able to do 7 reps. And that’s where the Reps in the Reserve system provides a ways better solution for you. This does not mean that a system based on percentages is completely useless. It certainly is not, but it has its limitations in accuracy. Because it is a set number that does not adjust to your body’s condition.
Fatigue management is another common issue bodybuilders and powerlifters face. If you’re like most bros, you’ve had it drilled into your head by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger that if you’re not taking every set to absolute failure then you won’t grow. First, not only is this completely false but it doesn’t leave any room whatsoever for intensity progression. Furthermore, if you keep boosting the volume week after week, sooner or later you’ll get to the point where all those sets to failure will start to catch up with you – leading to issues like problems late in the session, inability to exercise a given fatigued body part 2 or 3 days later and it’s also REALLY hard on your nervous system.
And this is why autoregulation like reps in reserve is so important. When you aim at 2 reps left in the tank you simply do a set of 8 on a day you feel great, and a set of 6 or 7 when you feel a bit off. The most important is that you constantly apply the principle of progressive overload. Increase weights or reps in reserve from week-to-week and you will see great progress. An example could be starting in Week 1 with reps in reserve 5 and progressing over 5 weeks to reps in reserve 0 and then you take a deload. It’s that simple.
Don’t let set numbers dictate your workout. this will not only stall progress but also higher the chance of you actually hurting yourself in the gym. I often see people forcing themselves to get back to their PR from the last workout. Don’t be that guy.
Where does RIR come from?
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) was a concept initially developed by Gunnar Borg to quantify perceived exertion of (conditioning) exercise. The original scale was based on heart rate (60 to 200bpm → RPE 6 to 20). This scale evolved to the now commonly used 1 to 10 scale which is based on a subjective perception of exertion (we use this scale in TTP conditioning sessions periodically for similar reasons we use RPE/RIR in lifting).Mike Tuchscherer introduced and modified this scale for use in powerlifting. Here, the RPE represents how many more repetitions you believe you could do before reaching failure within a set. Reps In Reserve (RIR) is simply a variation of this concept (with the well validated upside of being more intuitive).
RPE 8 and 2 RIR are (for our purposes) the same thing. In fact, the prescription of “RPE 8 (2 RIR)” that we sometimes use, can be seen as a bit redundant (as it’s saying the same thing twice) and is interchangeable with AHAFA (2 RIR) = As Heavy As Form Allows (2 Repetitions in Reserve).
What does RIR (Reps In Reserve) really mean?
RIR means “Reps in Reserve” = how many more reps could you do before failure (technical failure OR actually missing a lift). For our purposes, we use RIR in reference to technical failure (i.e. the most reps you could do with good form).3+ RIR (or RPE < 7) = More than 3 Reps In Reserve = more than 3 repetitions away from (technical) failure
3 RIR (or RPE 7) = 3 Reps In Reserve = 3 repetitions away from failure
2 RIR (or RPE 8) = 2 Reps In Reserve = 2 repetitions away from failure
1 RIR (or RPE 9) = 1 Rep In Reserve = 1 repetitions away from failure
0 RIR (or RPE 10) = 0 Reps In Reserve = 0 repetitions away from failure/max effort
Why do we use RIR?
We know that training close to failure is important for strength development and muscle hypertrophy (“Hard training is smart training”). Whereas staying further away from failure can be useful for getting used to a new movement or to develop power.RIR gives you an opportunity to personalize the prescription in each session to meet your demands. Due to differences in preparedness (general strength levels, technique and experience), daily readiness (recovery status) and neuromuscular efficiency, there can be big differences between athletes on how hard a given %1RM is going to be in a given training session.
RIR is also useful when you don’t know your 1RM for a given lift (if you haven’t tested it for a while or it’s a movement, such as “single arm DB row”, where testing 1RM isn’t meaningful or safe).
Most importantly, RIR gives us a structured way to teach you how to train hard (while keeping effort appropriate to the stimulus we’re looking for), and train smart (to auto-regulate by adjusting your training to your current level and daily readiness, influenced by stress levels, sleep, nutrition, overall training volume, recovery practices etc.).
What are the disadvantages of Reps in Reserve?
There are definitely disadvantages, but the good thing is that you can work on them. The better your lifting skills are, longer you go to the gym, and of course the longer you use the reps in reserve system, the better you will be in assessing RIR during an exercise or a workout. But there are some things you need to take care of.Your Mindset
Some lifter (me included) love to go balls to the wall. that often happens when working out with a new gym buddy. You squeeze out the last rep but note down a rep in reserve of 2. So if you are like me and you tend to overestimate yourself, stop it. You don’t need to show off and you want to progress.However, the opposite also exists. Some people overthink the whole RPE and RIR thing. They spend hours at home calculating sets and reps but end up under assessing their own skills because they are scared of overtraining. Also, these people leave gains on the streets.
As always, balance is key. Be honest about your effort, but don’t overcomplicate it.
Low Intensities are Hard to Assess
For bodybuilders and powerlifters reps in reserve are a great measure. The problem is, as soon as you want reps in reserve of higher than 5, estimation becomes difficult. Because many people (me included) will not be able to state the difference between an RIR of 6 and an RIR of 7.If you want to go that low in intensity, don’t use Reps in Reserve.
How to read the RIR prescriptions?
All the RIR examples are based on weights you could lift today (based on your daily readiness), not on what you think you “should” be able to lift or what you might have lifted sometime in the past.1. Back squat - 5 x 5 @ 2 RIR on 1st set (80-85%)
= Do the 1st set at a weight between 80 and 85% of your 1RM that you could do seven (7) repetitions with (5 + 2 RIR).
Then, based on how the 1st set went (how good an estimate of 2 RIR it was), you can either
- stay at the same weight (if the set was @ 2 RIR)
- move up on weight (if the set was easier than 2 RIR)
- move down on weight (if the set was harder than 2 RIR)
2. Back squat - 5 x 5 @ 1-2 RIR (80-85%)
(this is very similar to the above example, the only difference is a more specific RIR range)
= Do the 1st set at a weight between 80 and 85% of your 1RM that you could do 6-7 repetitions with (5 + 1-2 RIR). Considering this is 25 total reps, it is likely a smarter choice to do the 1st set @ 2 RIR then work up to @ 1 RIR through the remaining sets.
3. Back squat - 5 x 5 @ 2 RIR or 2 RIR on all sets (80-85%)
= Do all the sets at a weight between 80 and 85% of your 1RM that you could do seven (7) repetitions with (5 + 2 RIR).
Based on how each set goes, you might need to move up and/or down within the % range to meet the 2 RIR on the remaining sets.
4. Back squat - 3 x 5 @ 3+ RIR all sets (70%)
= Do all the sets at 70% of your 1RM and should be at a weight you feel like you could do for more than eight (8+) repetitions.
“+”/AMAP (As Many As Possible) sets and RIR
1. Strict pull up - 3 x AMAP (1-2 RIR)= Do as many pull-ups as you can while staying 1 - 2 repetitions away from failure on each set
2. Deadlift - 1 x 3+ (2 RIR)
= Do a set of more than 3 deadlifts while staying 2 repetitions away from failure.
What if my RIR doesn’t fit within the prescribed (Rx) % range?
The % ranges we use are designed to match the assigned RIRs for most athlete’s. However, It is completely possible that, relative to you and your daily readiness, the Rx % range is lighter or heavier than the RIR allows. In this case, you should adjust the weight to match the RIR, rather than forcing yourself to stick with the %s. When this happens, consider the following:- If you’re having a great day and are able to go much heavier than the assigned %s, look at the training week as a whole to avoid digging yourself into too deep of a hole (reach out to us if in doubt) in a single session.
- If you need to go much lighter than assigned %s, consider that you might not be recovering well from your training. Check that your sleep and nutrition are in good enough to recover. If you run into this problem more than once, reach out to us and we can work it out together.
This is hard, I’m not sure how many more reps I could do
Good.You’re here to grow and we are here to guide you. The struggle is an integral part of the process. With deliberate practice and by paying attention, you will develop your awareness of how close to failure you are. As you get better at auto-regulation of your training, you will be rewarded with better results.
Can’t you just tell me exactly what weight/percentage (%) to do?
I could, AND here’s why I think it would be a mistake:- You would learn less about yourself and training. Helping you develop self-awareness and ability to “auto-regulate” (adjust training to you and your daily readiness) is important to us as I want you to be(come) a thoughtful, independent athlete.
- I would be more likely to get the prescription “wrong” (or let’s say “less right”) without the use of RIR (or RPE). Using RIR makes the program adaptable and more personal to you.
Conclusion
As you can see, reps in reserve are not that complicated and can easily be incorporated in your workout. Even if you don’t have years of training under your belt.However, the more advanced you are, the sooner you should use it. That does not mean that RIR is a must use for all athletes, but especially for isolation exercises reps in reserve are a great tool.
By setting limits to how close you are to failure, you move enough weight to stimulate muscle growth and strength gains, while the minimizing risk of injury and limiting your total systemic fatigue.
The bottom line is that Reps in Reserve can truly take your lifting career to the next level. Maybe it may seem a bit hard at first, but with time comes the perfection. Trust me, you need to get used to reps in reserve at first, but after a while, you wouldn’t want to go back. It’s simple, yet effective.
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I couldn’t figure it out smh
