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RPE chart
Find your reps down the side and the RPE across the top: the cell is the percentage of your one-rep max that set calls for. Enter your max to get the same chart in kg or lb, rounded to plates.
Example result
117.5kg
135kg
Loads from a 140 kg max, rounded to 2.5 kg.
| Reps | RPE 10 | RPE 9 | RPE 8 | RPE 7 | RPE 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 140 kg | 135 kg | 132.5 kg | 127.5 kg | 122.5 kg |
| 2 | 135 kg | 132.5 kg | 127.5 kg | 122.5 kg | 120 kg |
| 3 | 132.5 kg | 127.5 kg | 122.5 kg | 120 kg | 117.5 kg |
| 4 | 127.5 kg | 122.5 kg | 120 kg | 117.5 kg | 112.5 kg |
| 5 | 122.5 kg | 120 kg | 117.5 kg | 112.5 kg | 110 kg |
| 6 | 120 kg | 117.5 kg | 112.5 kg | 110 kg | 107.5 kg |
| 8 | 112.5 kg | 110 kg | 107.5 kg | 105 kg | 102.5 kg |
| 10 | 107.5 kg | 105 kg | 102.5 kg | 100 kg | 97.5 kg |
| 12 | 102.5 kg | 100 kg | 97.5 kg | 95 kg | 92.5 kg |
RPE to percentage chart
Percentage of one-rep max by reps and RPE. RPE 10 is no reps left, RPE 9 one left, RPE 8 two left, and each half step is half a rep.
| Reps | RPE 10 | RPE 9.5 | RPE 9 | RPE 8.5 | RPE 8 | RPE 7.5 | RPE 7 | RPE 6.5 | RPE 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100% | 98% | 97% | 95% | 94% | 92% | 91% | 90% | 88% |
| 2 | 97% | 95% | 94% | 92% | 91% | 90% | 88% | 87% | 86% |
| 3 | 94% | 92% | 91% | 90% | 88% | 87% | 86% | 85% | 83% |
| 4 | 91% | 90% | 88% | 87% | 86% | 85% | 83% | 82% | 81% |
| 5 | 88% | 87% | 86% | 85% | 83% | 82% | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| 6 | 86% | 85% | 83% | 82% | 81% | 80% | 79% | 78% | 77% |
| 7 | 83% | 82% | 81% | 80% | 79% | 78% | 77% | 76% | 75% |
| 8 | 81% | 80% | 79% | 78% | 77% | 76% | 75% | 74% | 73% |
| 9 | 79% | 78% | 77% | 76% | 75% | 74% | 73% | 72% | 71% |
| 10 | 77% | 76% | 75% | 74% | 73% | 72% | 71% | 71% | 70% |
| 12 | 73% | 72% | 71% | 71% | 70% | 69% | 68% | 67% | 67% |
RPE chart examples
The chart is the same for everyone. What changes is the max it's applied to, and what the lifter does with the loads.
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Example 1
Planning a heavy squat day
A powerlifter with a 405 lb squat whose program calls for a single at RPE 9, then sets of 5 at RPE 8.
- Your 1RM (optional)
- 405 lb
- 5 reps at RPE 8340 lb
- Top single at RPE 9390 lb
Load the single from the chart, then judge it honestly. If it moved like RPE 8, today's max is higher, so the fives go up by one plate step; if it felt like RPE 10, they come down by one.
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Example 2
A woman's first RPE block on the bench
A 60 kg bench max tested last month, starting a block of fives at RPE 8.
- Your 1RM (optional)
- 60 kg
- 5 reps at RPE 850 kg
- Top single at RPE 957.5 kg
At a 60 kg max one plate step is a big share of the load, so the first week is the chart's guess. After the first set, adjust by what the RPE was, not by what the chart said.
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Example 3
Deadlift top single at a meet prep
A 200 kg deadlifter six weeks out who wants a top single at RPE 9 without testing.
- Your 1RM (optional)
- 200 kg
- 5 reps at RPE 8167.5 kg
- Top single at RPE 9192.5 kg
An RPE 9 single is a good rehearsal of an opener. If the chart load goes up easier than RPE 9, that's information about the meet, so log it rather than chasing a heavier single the same day.
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Example 4
Older lifter, lighter max
A 62-year-old pressing 135 lb on the bench who wants to keep most sets 2 or more reps from failure.
- Your 1RM (optional)
- 135 lb
- 5 reps at RPE 8115 lb
- Top single at RPE 9130 lb
The RPE 8 column is the one to live in. When those sets start feeling like RPE 7, the max has gone up: re-estimate it from a recent set with the RPE calculator.
How to read an RPE chart
Pick the reps and the RPE your program asks for and read the cell, then multiply it by your max. For 5 reps at RPE 8 from a 140 kg max, the chart's 83% gives about 117.5 kg on the bar.
The diagonals repeat because they describe the same effort: 1 rep at RPE 8 and 3 at RPE 10 both mean 3 reps to failure, so they share a cell value. Use the chart to pick a starting load, then let the first set's RPE correct it. To go straight from a set you did to the next one, the RPE calculator does both steps.
This chart next to the Tuchscherer RPE chart
Many RPE charts online are adapted from the table Mike Tuchscherer published with Reactive Training Systems. This one comes from a formula instead, and its cells run higher: by about 1.5 points for a single at RPE 9, growing to about 5 points at 12 reps and RPE 6. The comparison below uses the Tuchscherer-style chart as Fitness Volt publishes it.
Where it matters least is moving between two cells. Going from 5 at RPE 8 to 3 at RPE 9 is 9.1% heavier on this chart and 10.0% on the Tuchscherer-style one (89.2 ÷ 81.1). Tuchscherer himself recommends customizing the chart for each lift from your own 1, 4 and 8 rep maxes, because lifters differ.
| Set | This chart, before rounding | Tuchscherer-style chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1 rep at RPE 9 | 96.8% | 95.5% |
| 1 rep at RPE 8 | 93.8% | 92.2% |
| 5 reps at RPE 8 | 83.3% | 81.1% |
| 10 reps at RPE 10 | 76.9% | 73.9% |
| 12 reps at RPE 8 | 69.8% | 65.6% |
Where the percentages come from
Every cell comes from the formula the RIRLift app uses to estimate maxes. RPE is converted to reps in reserve (10 − RPE), added to the reps to give reps to failure, and run through Epley's formula in a form where a true single is exactly 100%.
Percentages are rounded to whole numbers, and loads to 2.5 kg or 5 lb.
% of 1RM = 1 ÷ (1 + (reps + (10 − RPE) − 1) ÷ 30)
5 reps at RPE 8: 1 ÷ (1 + (5 + 2 − 1) ÷ 30) = 83.3%, shown as 83%
140 kg × 0.833 = 116.7, shown as 117.5 kgMake it fit you
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Use a recent max
An estimated max from the last few weeks beats a tested one from last year. Get one from any recent hard set with the one-rep max calculator.
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Keep one chart per lift if your numbers differ
Some lifters grind out more reps on the squat than the bench at the same percentage. If the chart is reliably off for one lift, nudge that lift's max up or down rather than distrusting the whole chart.
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Round to the plates you own
Loads round to 2.5 kg or 5 lb. With fractional plates, round down to the nearest 1 kg or 2.5 lb and expect the set to land a touch under the target RPE.
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Let the first set overrule the chart
If a set meant for RPE 8 felt like RPE 9, take one plate step off the next set. The chart is a starting point; the RPE you feel is today's measurement.
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Think in reps left if RPE feels abstract
RPE 8 is 2 reps left. The RIR calculator shows the same chart labeled by reps in reserve.
Questions
What percentage is RPE 8?
It depends on the reps. On this chart RPE 8 is 94% for a single, 83% for 5 reps and 77% for 8 reps.
How do I convert RPE to a percentage?
Add the reps to the reps in reserve (10 minus the RPE) to get reps to failure, then read the percentage from the chart or the formula in the method above.
Why do RPE charts disagree with each other?
They come from different sources: many copy a table adapted from Reactive Training Systems, others use a formula like this one. Each is an average, and the gap between two cells matters more than either cell.
Is this the same RPE scale as the cardio one?
No. The lifting scale counts reps left before failure, so RPE 8 means 2 left. What is RPE in lifting explains how it differs from the exertion scale used for cardio.
Should I use an RPE chart or percentages?
The chart is percentages that move with the day. RPE vs RIR covers which effort rating is easier to log honestly.
Related calculators and templates
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RPE calculator
Your max from a set, and the load for the next one.
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RIR calculator (reps in reserve)
The same chart by reps in reserve, plus a check on your RIR calls.
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1 rep max chart
Percentages of your max without the RPE column.
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One-rep max calculator
Get the max this chart needs from any recent set.
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What is RPE in lifting?
The scale from 1 to 10 and why it is noisy.
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Reps in reserve guide
How to judge reps left honestly, the skill every RPE chart depends on.
Sources
Loads that follow your sets
Log the reps you had left (RPE 8 is 2 in reserve) and RIRLift updates each lift's estimated max from your best working set, then picks the next set's load from the one you just did.
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