Autoregulation simply means programming in such a way to allow us to put the right weight on the bar and/or do the right number of sets and reps in reaction to how the lifter is feeling on a given day.
When writing an individual training session, we strive to do a certain amount of work at a certain level of difficulty. The weight, sets and reps may change based on a lifter’s fatigue, motivation, outside-the-gym stress, nutrition, etc. If all these factors are in check, the lifter will likely have a great training session. But what if they’re not in check? Do we stay the course and accept the fact that the lifter will have a bad session? Or run the risk of being unable to complete the assigned weight, sets and reps?
Of course not. A well-designed program utilizes autoregulation to make sure we have the most productive training session possible, regardless of the circumstances.Here are a few strategies we use to do this:
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
We often assign load (the weight on the bar) using RPE on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the maximal weight you could use for the given rep range. Yes, RPE is subjective, but self-assessing the difficulty of a set is a worthwhile skill to develop. Boomer lifters will say, “just listen to your body!” Well, that’s exactly what we’re learning to do when we practice using RPE-based load selection.
Reps in Reserve (RIR)
RIR is simply how many reps a lifter is from failure. When performing hypertrophy-based training with the goal of building muscle, we’ll often assign a weight and then leave the reps opened-ended via RIR. Rather than arbitrarily stopping at say 10 reps, for example, we’ll let the lifter push themselves to the prescribed RIR. We’ll typically use 1-3 RIR for most of our hypertrophy work and accessory exercises. On a great day, you’ll get more reps before you hit the RIR, and on tough days, you simply won’t do as many reps, but the effort is equalized.
Volume with RPE Threshold
How do you decide how many sets is enough? This one was a little tougher for me to grasp as a coach, but once I realized you could autoregulate volume too, it was a gamechanger.
After a lifter performs their heavy top set, I’ll often assign backdown sets at a percentage of the top set and have them keep doing backdown sets until they hit a certain RPE. Once the RPE jumps up, the backdown work is done. Here’s an example assignment:
Top set: 1×5 @ 9 RPE
Backdown sets: Sets of 5 @ 90% of top set until you reach 9 RPE again
And the lifter does:
315 x 5 @ 9 RPE
285 x 5 @ 8 RPE (not too hard)
285 x 5 @ 8 RPE (still cruising)
285 x 5 @ 9 RPE (RPE jumped up, so backdown sets are done)
Your Body is Talking, so Start Listening
Autoregulation isn’t an excuse to mail it in every time you feel a little tired. It’s a built-in safety net to stop you from doing anything stupid or reckless when you’re not on your A game. And let’s be honest, those of us who aren’t professional lifters (i.e., all of us) simply aren’t going to be on our A game all the time. But if you string together the most possible productive training sessions without setbacks, both physical and mental, you’re going to get really, really strong. Autoregulation helps you chart the course and take detours instead of crashing into the “road closed” sign.
