Rate each set, and the coach tells you when to add weight.
Rate each set's effort as you log it. When a weight gets easier, Squatly's coach moves you up a step. When it gets harder, it takes a step off.
Weight and reps record what you did. RPE records what it took. Log both on every set and Squatly's coach can tell when a weight has become easy enough to go up, and when it is too heavy to hold.
Rate the set when you rack the bar
Every working set in the logger has an RPE column. Ratings run from 6 to 10 in half points, so a set can be a 7.5 or an 8.5. RPE 8 is two reps left in the tank; RPE 10 is none.1
A rating takes one tap. If you skip one, nothing breaks: the coach works from the weight and reps of that set.
How your effort sets the next weight
For each lift, the coach takes the sets you rated in your last session and averages them. It compares that average with the lift's target RPE: the one your plan sets, or RPE 8 if the plan sets none.
| Last session's average RPE | Next session |
|---|---|
| More than 1 under the target | Up one step |
| More than 1 over the target | Down one step |
| Within 1 of the target | Your reps decide |
One step is 5 lb (2.5 kg) on lifts that mainly work the chest, shoulders, back or arms, and 10 lb (5 kg) on the rest.
The coach only moves the weight on effort alone when the gap is more than a full point. Effort ratings are noisy: across studies, lifters misjudge how many reps they have left by about one rep on average.2 Inside that band, your reps decide. When every set reaches the top of its rep range, the weight goes up a step. When they don't, the weight holds and you aim for one more rep.
Here is how that plays out on a squat day with a target of RPE 8:
| Set | Weight | Reps | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 225 lb | 5 | 6.5 |
| 2 | 225 lb | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | 225 lb | 5 | 6.5 |
The average is 6.7, more than a point under the target. The coach suggests 235 lb for your next squat session: one 10 lb step, the increment for the squat.
Each exercise's Data tab shows the suggested next session: the weight, and the reps and target RPE where they apply, with a label for the rule that set it. With Squatly Pro, ask the coach about a lift and it explains the call in your own numbers.
When effort climbs, the coach holds the weight
The same weight getting harder from one session to the next is one of the first signs of fatigue. The coach smooths your session RPE on each lift and flags the lift when it has risen by a point or more compared with three sessions earlier. While a lift shows fatigue, the coach won't add weight to it. If the lift has also stalled, three or more sessions at the same weight with no extra reps, it suggests taking 10 percent off.
2 active fatigue signals
While a lift shows fatigue, the coach holds its weight instead of adding more.
Why loads set by RPE work
Choosing the weight from how hard it feels can sound less exact than a percentage of your max. In an eight-week study, trained lifters who picked their squat and bench loads to hit target RPEs gained at least as much strength as lifters who used fixed percentages, on the same sets and reps. Muscle growth was similar in both groups.3
| lift | Loads set by percentage | Loads set by RPE |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 13.9 kg | 17.1 kg |
| Bench press | 9.6 kg | 10.7 kg |
Programs written in RPE
RPE Autoregulation Peak: 9-Week Meet Block prescribes every set by reps and a target RPE, with no percentages and no fixed weights. The coach reads your logged top sets and back-off sets and picks the load that should land you on the target. The program comes with Squatly Pro.
RPE Autoregulation Peak: 9-Week Meet BlockPowerlifting · 9 weeks · 4 days a weekView programRating your sets is part of the free logger. The Suggested next session card on each lift's Data tab and the coach come with Squatly Pro.
References
- 1
Novel resistance training-specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve
Zourdos MC, Klemp A, Dolan C, Quiles JM, Schau KA, Jo E, et al., 2016, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
- 2
Accuracy in predicting repetitions to task failure in resistance exercise: a scoping review and exploratory meta-analysis
Halperin I, Malleron T, Har-Nir I, Androulakis-Korakakis P, Wolf M, Fisher J, Steele J, 2022, Sports Medicine
- 3
RPE vs. percentage 1RM loading in periodized programs matched for sets and repetitions
Helms ER, Byrnes RK, Cooke DM, Haischer MH, Carzoli JP, Johnson TK, et al., 2018, Frontiers in Physiology