In many strength/hypertrophy settings, ‘Reps in Reserve’ or RIR is a common indicator used to judge the intensity of a particular exercise or set. In basic terms it refers to the number of extra reps you predict you’d be able to compete following the cessation of a set. For example, if you found the set quite easy you may give it a 5 RIR. Alternatively if you felt like you were close to failure you may give it 0-1 RIR.
It can be a useful tool for several reasons.
Firstly, a coach can use RIR to prescribe a particular intensity level for a given exercise. For example, if an athlete is performing a new lift where the loading is different/unfamiliar, a coach can give an RIR indicator. This will allow the athlete to find for themselves an appropriate load that more accurately matches the intention, rather than the coach originally prescribing a weight that is too heavy/light.
Monitoring training intensity is a fundamental concept within Unit Programming Collective’s programming protocols??????? It will typically differ depending on the phase of an athlete’s mesocycle. RIR is therefore an extremely useful tool to ensure that an athlete is staying ‘within the lines’ of their training block objectives.
This links nicely to the second point, whereby RIR can be a good tool to monitor overtraining or overreaching. If an individual has expended themselves too much, if training volume has exceeded the maximum recoverable volume, or if other extraneous variables have not been maintained, an athlete’s RIR indicator may be lower than previous lifts at the same load. The coach is therefore made aware if programming might need to be reduced/tapered to accommodate this lower level of physiological functioning.
Thirdly, it can allow a coach to assess how an athlete is performing/progressing within their macrocycle. An athlete’s perception of how easy/difficult a lift was can provide a good indication of any gains (or drops) in performance. Comparison between previous lifts and changes in RIR can display whether they are progressing as they should, or alternatively, whether their performance is suffering.
However, as with all good things, there are some downsides. RIR’s can be difficult to predict, especially with beginners. Also, the further away from failure you are, the harder it gets to accurately predict how far away from failure you actually are.
In terms of programming, it can be fairly ineffective to use RIR in athletes who are not aware of their full capabilities, and who have not experienced what true mechanical failure is like. It is therefore recommended that once an inexperienced athlete has displayed consistent movement mechanics, and is in a position where it would be advantageous to do so, that they will take a particular movement to true mechanical failure- ideally in the presence of someone who can spot and guide their set. Once they have this reference point, they will be in a far greater position to accurately estimate their RIR in future sessions.
Here at UPC we will use RIR in a multitude of scenarios, as previously listed in this article. In holistic terms we will nearly always want strength and hypertrophy focused athletes within a 5 RIR range, in order to benefit from muscular adaptations, with the exception of potential deload phases.
Concluding this article, RIR is an extremely useful tool in an athlete/coach’s arsenal, and whilst it should be utilised with caution and have context applied to its uses, it is still a near-vital consideration in the majority of individual’s programming.
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