How to Use RPE to Track Your Training

RPE stands for rate of perceived exertion. If you've seen it mentioned in training programs or heard your coach reference it, the concept is straightforward: after a session, you rate how hard it felt on a scale of 1 to 10. That's basically it.

The reason it's useful is that it gives you a consistent, personal measure of training intensity that doesn't require a heart rate monitor, power meter, or any equipment at all. Just your honest assessment of how hard you worked.

How the scale works

The scale runs from 1 (barely any effort, like a slow walk) to 10 (absolute maximum, couldn't have done one more rep or one more minute). Most training sessions fall somewhere between 4 and 8.

A few reference points to calibrate:

3-4: Light. You could hold a full conversation the entire time. Recovery sessions, easy jogs, technique work at low intensity.

5-6: Moderate. You're working but it feels sustainable. Most steady-state training and moderate skill work lands here.

7-8: Hard. Conversation gets difficult. You're breathing heavy and need focus to maintain quality. Interval sessions, competitive drills, heavy lifting sets.

9-10: Max or near-max. You're completely spent by the end. Race pace, max-effort testing, or the kind of session where you need to sit down afterward.

Don't overthink the number. Your gut response within a few minutes of finishing is usually the most accurate.

Turning RPE into training load

Here's where it gets useful. Multiply your RPE by the session duration in minutes, and you get a single number that represents your session's training load.

A 45-minute session at RPE 7 = 315. A 90-minute session at RPE 4 = 360. Despite feeling easier, the second session had a higher total load because of the duration.

Track these numbers across a week and you have your weekly training load. Watch how it changes over time. You're looking for gradual progression, not wild spikes, and for a pattern that includes lighter weeks mixed in with harder ones.

What RPE can and can't tell you

RPE is a subjective measure, which is both its strength and its limitation. It captures how your body and mind experienced the session, which matters a lot. But it can be influenced by sleep, stress, nutrition, and mood. A session that would normally feel like a 5 might feel like a 7 after a bad night of sleep. That's actually useful information, as long as you're paying attention to it.

Start tracking after your next session

Write down two numbers after your next session: duration and RPE. That's the minimum. If you want something that logs it, calculates weekly load, and spots trends for you, Sherpa is a free app that builds this into your post-session reflection. Two taps and it handles the rest.