Using velocity to calibrate RPE — Reactive Training Systems

RTS founder and head coach Mike Tuchscherer and I work through how to use velocity measurement to calibrate RPE — what the numbers mean, how to read them set-to-set, and where the two methods reinforce each other.

Mike is the person most responsible for RPE becoming a serious programming tool in strength sports, so this conversation gets properly into the weeds. The core idea: RPE and velocity are two reads on the same underlying thing — proximity to failure. RPE is subjective and available on every rep for free; velocity is objective but needs measurement. Used together, the velocity of your last rep becomes a check on your RPE call. If you rate a set at 8 but the bar speed says you had four reps left, that gap is information — and closing it over time is what “calibrating” your RPE actually means.

We also cover the practical workflow: which lifts to track, how much day-to-day velocity noise to expect, and when to trust the athlete’s rating over the number.

The written companion is last rep velocity and RPE, and the RPE ↔ last-rep velocity converter turns the idea into a tool you can use mid-session.