Research
Adherence
Barbell velocity and Reps in Reserve (RIR) based RPE are practical, reliable, and strongly correlated with resistance training performance, making them superior tools for autoregulating load and volume.
Use a barbell speed tracker or estimate your Reps in Reserve (RIR) to adjust your weights. If you are using RIR, stop a set when you feel you could only do 1-2 more reps with good form. This ensures you are training close to failure without excessive fatigue.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Intensity and volume modifications based on velocity and RIR-based RPE scores are practical, reliable and show preliminary utility for enhancing performance.
Why this rating
Strong correlations (r ≥ 0.68) reported across multiple studies.
Source
Methods for Regulating and Monitoring Resistance Training
Eric R. Helms et al. · Journal of Human Kinetics · 2020
DOI 10.2478/hukin-2020-0011
narrative_reviewCited 41×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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