Maxmize Your Gains with RIR (Reps In Reserve)
RIR, or Reps In Reserve, can be an extremely useful tool in your journey to build muscle. RIR indicates how many reps you have left before reaching technical failure. Technical failure occurs when your form or technique begins to break down, compromising the intent, usefulness, and safety of the exercise. Let's delve into what RIR entails and how it can optimize your workouts.
What is Technical Failure?
Example of what technical failure might look like:
If you're executing a barbell row and notice your lower back rounding or employing a bit too much momentum to move the weight, you've hit 0 RIR, signifying technical failure. Therefore, 3 RIR implies concluding the set three reps before your technique starts deteriorating.
Why should we train to technical failure and not absolute failure?
Both the fatigue costs and the injury risks involved with training to absolute failure vs technical failure are subpar. As we approach absolute failure, we can start to use unintended muscle groups and put ourselves in precarious positions that may increase injury risk. While the former isn’t all too bad as long as you can account for that added volume in other muscle groups in the rest of your program, the latter is something that can negatively impact your long-term progress. As we know all too well, injury and its recovery process are things that can really set us back. So training to get very similar stimuli while being much safer is in your best interest if your goal is long-term consistent progress.
Guidelines for Implementation
In your training regimen, you can adjust the weight weekly to align with the prescribed RIR, either maintaining the same load or slightly increasing it. While specific instructions of your programming may override this general rule, I recommend lifters prioritize clean and technically sound reps to ensure the exercise's safety and effectiveness.
Troubleshooting RIR
Here’s a breakdown of what specific RIRs may feel like:
0 RIR: Max effort, no possibility of executing another rep without compromising form.
1 RIR: Very hard effort, with one rep left in the tank but unlikely to complete another.
2 RIR: Hard effort, two reps left, but doubtful of a third.
3 RIR: Moderately hard effort, with three reps remaining, but uncertain about a fourth.
4 RIR: Medium effort, likely a bit out of breath, but not overly strenuous.
If you’re struggling to hit your designated RIR accurately, don’t let it deter your efforts. Mastery of RIR comes with practice and patience, so don't fret if it doesn't immediately click. Continue to film your working sets, assess your RIR by yourself or with your coach, and aim to improve on gauging RIR.
Remember that while RIR can be useful if you’re not lifting with an adequate level of effort to know what 0RIR actually feels like, it might work against you. To help you get a sense of the proper amount of effort, learn about what your technique should look like if you’re applying yourself correctly by reading more.
If you’re looking for guidance on your training and diet to maximize progress, sign up for a free consult to explore what 1:1 Coaching can do to finally get you to stop spinning your wheels.
