Fellas, we are less than a month away from the start of WBF Season V: 73024752
This ramp up, these couple of weeks are just as important and, in some ways, even more important than the time we spend in program. This is a time to get our heads around the fact that 7 days a week for 52 weeks we will be putting in a physical exertion ranging from a little cardio to some of the most intense, grueling and frankly fucking insane workouts to ever come out of my demented mind.
That said, this is going to be one of the most important articles I write. I really need you guys to read this one a couple of times, take in what I am saying. This is the keystone, the very heart of the program. I have said it before, but am not sure if I really explained it in depth enough or really stressed its importance to the degree it needs to be. Today we are going to revisit RPE.
WHAT IS RPE?
RPE stands for the Rate of Perceived Exertion. Rather than using the objective scale of how much weight is on the bar, WB Fitness programs rely completely on RPE. How much you lift simply does not matter. In the words of Kai Greene “i am not a weightlifter, i never want to be a weightlifter. I am a body builder. I will never be a weightlifter” The focus for Kai is on his body and never on the weights. In Kai’s brilliant way of explaining things in a perfectly simple manner he says “the weight is just a tool. Do you focus on the hammer or the nail? You better focus on the thing you’re trying to hit.”
Your focus needs to be, like Kai points out, constantly on your muscles and this is where RPE comes in. As a quick reminder on how RPE works. It is a 1-10 scale. 10 RPE is maximum effort. If you do a lift at 10 RPE it means when you are done you are absolutely positive that you can not do one more. 9.5 RPE is when you finish your last lift you think you might be able to get another lift in but its iffy and you might fail. 9 RPE means you can absolutely get one more but no more than that. 8.5 means you can get one more and maybe one after that but that second one might be a fail.
Keep in mind the fluid nature of this. a 9 RPE on the first set of 12 is going to be different than a 9 RPE on the 5th set of 12. A 9 RPE in week three is going
There are a ton of RPE scales and a lot of them detailed with exact percentages, but this one is my favorite. It is simple, accurate and hits home the most important parts.
to be different from a 9 RPE in week 16. As your strength grows with work or diminishes through fatigue your RPE will change. This is where I am going to call you fuckers out.
How many of you are working to dial in your RPE versus just guessing. My bet is EVERY FUCKING LAST ONE OF YOU. RPE requires trial and error and constantly changing up the weight. Let’s say you are doing a set of squats 5×12 and you are supposed to dial in a 9.5 RPE. One of three things will happen and you will take the following actions
1) RESULT: On your 12th squat you will feel like you might be able to get one more but you are not sure. ACTION: You have successfully performed 1×12 squat at 9.5 RPE, rerack weight and take your rest period before next set.
2) RESULT: You hit your maximum effort prior to getting the 12th squat….let’s say it is squat 8 and you know there is no way possible for you to get 9. You have missed 1×12 RPE 9.5 and instead hit 1×8 RPE 10. ACTION: Rerack the weight, reduce the weight on the bar such that you think you will be able to dial in a set of 12 at RPE 9.5 for the next set. Do not pick the same weight back up and get the remaining 4. That is focusing on the weight. The goal was to get the body to failure in 12 reps. You got there in 8. Deload and move on trying to hit the goal for the next set. Also, don’t just leave the weight on the bar and hope the next set will be easier. It won’t be. You weren’t able to get 12 before and now you are going to try with the same weight but fatigued from already hitting a failure set? Come on.
3) RESULT: You hit 12 reps but you realize you can keep cranking out the reps for another 3 or 4 or whatever. ACTION: Stop lifting and re-rack. You missed your goal of 12 reps at 9.5 RPE and hit 12 reps at 8 RPE. Don’t keep reping to failure. The number of reps in a particular set has carefully been thought out to encourage hypertrophy. Instead rerack the weight and add a few pounds to try and dial in the correct number of reps at the correct RPE for the next step.
You need to be writing these weights down and studying them in the off time. This way you will come to know your body better, know your fatigue rate, understand what you are capable of. No more fucking around guys, let’s get serious.
You want the goals, put in the work. The work isn’t just the lifting and the eating. There is paperwork to be done. Bodybuilding is a mental game just as much as a physical one. The beauty about bodybuilding is that it is honest. You get what you deserve when you deserve it. If you aren’t willing to put in all the work at the gym, in the kitchen, in the notebooks then you won’t get the gains. A lot of people out there want to reap the benefits before sowing the seed.
People who argue that if you treat people a certain way they will come to act like they deserve it and that not treating them that way is why they act like they don’t deserve it are just plain fucked in the head. You don’t get your
“Let’s get serious”
gains until you put in that work, suffer the DOMS, be hungry, be sore, spend hours making notes, cooking food, cancel things you want to do because your goal is front and center. When you sacrifice, when you dedicate yourself and when you put yourself on the line consistently and for long enough you will have the results you want.
No one gives us shit, we earn it.
Make sure you understand RPE, make sure you are fastidious with its application and recording notes and studying those notes so that with each workout you learn and grow. No two workouts should be the same.
It’s almost time to grind people, lets get fucking serious.