RPE Chart for Lifting: RPE to Reps in Reserve to % of 1RM, With a Log Template

An RPE chart translates how hard a set felt into two practical numbers: how many reps you had left, and about what percent of your one-rep max (1RM) the weight was. RPE 10 means you could not have done another rep. RPE 9 means one more rep was possible, RPE 8 means two, and so on. Pair that with the table below and you can pick a working weight for any rep target without testing a true max.

What does each RPE number mean?

The scale most lifters use is the repetitions-in-reserve (RIR) version by Zourdos and colleagues, published in 2016 in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Their study tied each RPE number to reps left in the tank and found that bar speed slows as RPE rises (the paper on the AUT repository).

What is the RPE to percentage chart?

This chart maps reps and RPE to a percent of 1RM. The percentages come from the popular chart coaches attribute to Mike Tuchscherer's Reactive Training Systems, not from the Zourdos study, and they are averages. Treat them as a starting estimate for a given lift and adjust from your own log.

The pattern is simple. One extra rep in reserve costs the same as one extra rep on the bar, so RPE 9 for 5 reps equals RPE 10 for 6 reps (83.7%). That is why the chart is really one row of numbers shifted across.

How do you use an RPE chart? A worked example

Say you squat 225 lb (about 102 kg) for 5 reps and it felt like RPE 8, with two reps left.

1. Look up 5 reps at RPE 8: 81.1%.
2. Estimated 1RM = 225 ÷ 0.811 = about 277 lb.
3. Next you want a heavier triple at RPE 8. Look up 3 reps at RPE 8: 86.3%.
4. Working weight = 277 × 0.863 = about 239 lb, so load 240 lb.

You can check the first step another way. Count the two reps in reserve as reps you could have done: 5 + 2 = 7 reps. The Epley formula (weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)) gives 225 × (1 + 7 ÷ 30) = about 277 lb as well. Our one-rep max formula post has the formula and rep-range limits.

When is RPE less reliable?

RPE is a judgement, so it carries error. Lifters tend to guess reps in reserve more accurately close to failure than far from it, and newer lifters often misjudge. Sets of 10 or more reps, fatigue late in a workout, and lifts you do rarely all make the number noisier. See the Stronger By Science overview of reps in reserve for the practical limits.

A few ways to keep it honest:

• Be strict about what counts as a rep: same depth, pause and lockout.
• Calibrate with one hard set of a lift now and then, ending at true effort with safe equipment and spotter or safeties.
• Don't chase RPE 10 on every set. Save it for the last set of an exercise, if at all, and see our deload week template for when to back off.

This is general training information, not medical advice. If something hurts or feels wrong, stop the set.

A simple RPE log template

Copy this line per exercise:

EXERCISE:  ______________   DATE: __________
TARGET:    ___ reps @ RPE ___
SET 1:     ____ lb x ___   RPE ___
SET 2:     ____ lb x ___   RPE ___
SET 3:     ____ lb x ___   RPE ___
NEXT TIME: same weight and aim for RPE ___ , or add weight if RPE was <= ___

For example:

EXERCISE:  Back squat   DATE: 2026-10-18
TARGET:    5 reps @ RPE 8
SET 1:     225 lb x 5   RPE 8
SET 2:     225 lb x 5   RPE 8.5
SET 3:     225 lb x 5   RPE 9
NEXT TIME: same weight, aim for RPE 8 on set 3. Add weight if all sets are 8 or lower

The rule is deliberately plain. When your sets come in at or below the RPE you planned, the weight was too light and you can add some. When they come in higher, hold the weight. If you want a fuller progression rule, use the progressive overload template.

How do you log RPE in PeakBFF?

PeakBFF's set rows record weight and reps, with no per-set RPE field. Here is the workflow that works today:

1. Log each completed set as usual.
2. While the workout is active, open the workout menu and choose Add note (or Edit note), then write the RPE per exercise, for example Squat 5x5 @8, last set 9. See our workout notes template.
3. After the session, open that exercise's History to see the estimated 1RM and heaviest set. Tap the personal-record strip to open the one-rep max calculator, and enter your weight with reps plus reps in reserve (225 lb for 7 reps in the example above) to get the RPE-adjusted estimate and the working-weight table.

If you build plans with the AI workout plan generator (a Plus feature), the draft you review lists a target RPE for each exercise next to its sets and reps, so you know the effort to aim for before you save the plan. See the AI plan generator comparison. For tracking best lifts over time, see our personal records app comparison.

PeakBFF stores loads in metric and shows kg or lb based on your setting, so the calculator matches the unit you train in. Download PeakBFF for iOS or Android to keep your sets, notes and 1RM estimates in one log.

RPE in one line

Pick a rep target and an RPE, use the chart to pick the weight, log the RPE you actually hit, and let the next session adjust from that number.