“Coach, What Weight Should I Use?”

One of the most common questions coaches hear is: “Coach, what weight should I use?”

Percentage-based training is a great tool, especially when we have a reliable 1RM to base those percentages off of. If we know an athlete’s 1RM, we can use percentages to prescribe training loads and create a clear target for the session.

But even with a known 1RM, I still like to use RIR (Reps In Reserve) in combination with percentage-based training.

Why? Because an athlete’s 1RM doesn’t account for everything happening outside of the gym.

Sleep, stress, nutrition, school, work, travel, previous training, and overall fatigue can all impact how an athlete performs on a given day.

That’s why I want athletes to understand RIR.

What Is RIR?

RIR asks: “How many more quality reps could I have done?”

If you’re programmed for 10 reps:

• 3 RIR = you could have done 13 reps

• 2 RIR = you could have done 12

• 1 RIR = you could have done 11

• 0 RIR = you couldn’t complete another rep with good form

RPE is another way to describe effort on a 1–10 scale:

• RPE 7 ≈ 3 reps left

• RPE 8 ≈ 2 reps left

• RPE 9 ≈ 1 rep left

• RPE 10 = max effort

Why Combine Percentage + RIR?

Let’s say an athlete is prescribed 85% of their 1RM for 5 reps.

On paper, that percentage gives us a specific load.

But what if the athlete slept poorly, had a stressful day at school, or is carrying fatigue from previous training?

That 85% might feel significantly harder than it normally would.

Rather than forcing the athlete to hit a number just because it’s on the program, we can use RIR to help determine whether that load matches the intended intensity.

The percentage gives us a starting point.

RIR helps us autoregulate based on how the athlete is actually performing that day.

Why I Teach Autoregulation

This is why I think teaching athletes how to autoregulate is so important.

We aren't just teaching them what weight to put on the bar.

We're teaching them how to understand their own training, recognize how they’re performing, and make appropriate adjustments when needed.

Two athletes can use completely different weights and still be training at the same relative intensity.

The goal isn't to blindly chase a number

It’s to hit the intended intensity with intent, while accounting for the athlete in front of us that day.