Are You Training Hard Enough? Understanding Reps In Reserve (RIR)
It’s common to wonder whether you’re pushing yourself the right amount—not too easy, but not overdoing it either.
That’s where Reps In Reserve (RIR) comes in. This simple concept helps you understand and communicate how hard you're working, which is essential for optimizing your training progress.
Reps In Reserve (RIR) and Its Importance in Your Progress
During our training sessions, it’s essential to know how hard you're working to ensure you’re progressing effectively. One of the best ways to gauge this is by using a concept called Reps In Reserve (RIR). RIR refers to how many reps you could still perform before reaching failure—where you physically cannot complete another rep with good form.
For instance, if you finish a set and feel like you could’ve done two more reps before hitting your limit, you’re at 2 RIR. Ideally, for muscle growth and overall progress, you want to work within 1-3 RIR. This range ensures that you’re pushing hard enough to challenge your muscles but not so hard that you burn out or risk injury. Training at 4+ RIR would mean you're not pushing yourself enough to stimulate growth, while hitting failure (0 RIR) too often can lead to fatigue and poor recovery.
Why Is This Important for Your Progress?
Training within the 1-3 RIR range is crucial for making steady progress. By staying in this optimal range, you can strike a balance between working hard enough to trigger adaptations and giving your body the chance to recover and improve.
Conclusion
Over time, this will lead to progressive overload—gradually increasing the weight, reps, or intensity of your workouts. This is how your muscles grow and become stronger.
On the flip side, if you consistently train too easily (4+ RIR) or fail to challenge yourself, it becomes difficult to achieve progress. Conversely, always pushing to failure (0 RIR) can lead to burnout, fatigue, and possible injury.
Paying attention to how hard you're working during each session and communicating that with me will help us make better adjustments to your program, ensuring you continue to improve safely and effectively!