RIR (reps in reserve)

RIR is how many repetitions someone could still have completed at the end of a set before reaching technical failure. RIR 2 means two reps were left in the tank. It is an effort scale reported set by set, and it lets a coach prescribe intensity without depending on a fixed percentage of 1RM.

RIR (reps in reserve)

Also written as: RIR · reps in reserve

In practice

It is the cheapest datum to collect and the most informative one available for adjusting the following week: it needs no equipment, the client reports it in two seconds, and it captures the bad day a fixed percentage ignores.

The common mistake

Beginners systematically underestimate their RIR — they report 2 when 5 were left. Calibration improves with training age, so an RIR from someone a month into lifting reads differently than one from someone three years in.

Related terms

RPE (rate of perceived exertion)RPE is a 1-to-10 scale on which someone rates how hard an effort felt AutoregulationAutoregulation means adjusting a session's load or volume based on how the person responds that day, instead of following a number set weeks earlier 1RM (one-rep max)The 1RM is the heaviest load a person can lift once in a given exercise with correct technique Assisted progressionAssisted progression is load progression where the software writes the weights and reps of upcoming sessions from the sets, reps and RIR the client logged, while the coach keeps the decisions: the routine does not reach the client until they send it, any week they edit drops out of the calculation permanently, and automatic progression switches on and off globally and client by client.Training to failure won't build more muscle — why RIR is the smarter way to gauge effort Training close to failure works as well as going to failure — with less fatigue See the whole glossary

Program with these criteria, without the spreadsheet.

Start free

RIR (reps in reserve)

Program with these criteria, without the spreadsheet.

Ready to raiseyour standard?