AUTO-REGULATING YOUR TRAINING
Written by Bowen Ji
Have you ever experienced days where you’re just not feeling up to it for whatever reason? No matter how well-structured and detailed your program may be, things sometimes just don’t go according to plan. Our bodies are simply not robots, some days we may feel stronger than usual, and on others we may lack the energy to meet our expectations in the gym. Consequently, this can lead to poor technique and overtraining, which increases your likelihood of injuries. If you can relate to this, then perhaps auto-regulating your training may be right for you.
Before we go any further, we need to talk about RPE. What is it?
RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion, which is a subjective scale ranging from 0-10. The further up the scale, the greater the intensity and closer you are to failure.
0 represents no effort. (sitting on the couch)
5 represents midpoint (heavy but capable of completing with a few repetitions left in your reserve)
10 represents your maximal effort (no more reps left in your tank)
What is Auto-Regulation?
Auto-regulation is a training approach which revolves around modifying your intensity rather than simply sticking to numbers for the session. Instead of aiming for fixed numbers, we switch our focus towards reaching a desired intensity. This is because your daily performance level is actually quite unpredictable, and can fluctuate anywhere between 10-20% depending on many factors such as nutritional intake, fatigue and stress. For instance, poor eating habits, work, family drama and poor sleep.
There will be days where you might feel great mentally, but lack the physical energy to perform to standard. There will also be times where you might feel like death, but still be physically capable of smashing amazing numbers in the gym. When this happens, it might be wise to simply alter your intensity accordingly to prevent undertraining or over-exertion (neither of which are desirable outcomes)
How To Estimate Your Desired Intensity
RPE 10 - maximal effort - form might break, going for personal bests. Exercise may be too much for you.
RPE 9 - challenging (1 rep before failure) - any more and you may risk overload, challenging to keep form.
RPE 8 - solid effort (2 reps before failure) - still challenging but confident you can maintain perfect form, you’re in complete control but respectful of your weight.
RPE 6-7 - relaxed (3-4 reps before failure) - smooth sailing, great if you’re not feeling up to it today. Great intensity for deload sessions, letting your nervous system recover. Also great for training motor control and muscle activation, which ensures everything is switched on effectively.
Note - Accurately estimating your true RPE may take some practice, but definitely achievable with time.
Benefits of Auto-Regulation:
Injury protection against muscles, ligaments and tendons which prolongs your ability to train more in the long term (this can lead to increased performance - particularly for athletes who are older or with an injury history).
Prevents under and over training, which can lead to inadequate post training adaptations and excessive training fatigue.
Highly flexible and adaptable for a busy lifestyle. Auto-regulation is easier to navigate and adjust around your life compared to your conventional training protocol.
Helps sustain your motivation in the long run.
Helps you appreciate and acknowledge the fact that life happens. You won’t beat yourself up if you miss your intended numbers.
Benefits may be slower in the short-term, but can be more beneficial in the long haul.
How to Auto-Regulate Your Training Effectively?
To repeat, the higher the RPE, the greater the intensity and closer you are towards failure. In other words, the less repetitions you will have in your reserve.
Before you begin:
Check in on yourself and ask:
Did you have a busy day? Did you get enough sleep? Are you feeling stiff or still lacking energy despite a cup of coffee or supplementation?
Are you currently under a lot of work or personal stress?
How does your energy level compare to your other sessions after warming up?
When training:
First set:
If you manage to hit/outperform your intended target easier than anticipated, simply raise your intensity
If your goal is more strength, increase resistance
If your goal is more muscular endurance, then increase volume (reps / sets) or decrease your rest period
If you fail to hit your intended numbers, simply do the reverse by either decreasing your resistance, training volume or increasing rest time.
Second set
Repeat the same process
Final set
If your aim is maximal intensity (RPE 9-10), then aim to perform to failure to ensure you have nothing left in the tank.
If you aim to maintain a steady intensity (RPE 8-9), simply repeat the numbers you performed in your 1st and 2nd set.
However, If your second set was more challenging than anticipated and you may struggle to complete the same result in your final set, simply lower your intensity (as discussed above) to sustain the desired intensity set out initially
Post session:
It is useful to self-reflect after each session. For instance:
Did you surprise yourself? What did you learn?
Could you have pushed harder? How accurate were your RPE calculations?
How can you improve your energy level?
Auto-regulating your training is a great alternative to your conventional training style. It’s highly adaptable to whatever type of training you’re into. If you have any more questions about this topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of the Phase 1 Trainers!
