Using The RPE Scale in Climbing Training
“How hard would you say you were trying on that problem?” I asked my client.
“Oh I don’t know, pretty hard I guess” they responded.
“Give me a number from 1-10, 10 being the single hardest climbing moves you’ve ever done” I replied. 😳
I could almost see the smoke billow out of their ears as the gears ground in their brain while they tried to quantify the effort. This was one of my first real lessons as a new coach, I needed to give my clients a way to gauge and measure their climbing efforts. Enter the Rate of Perceived Exertion scale.
The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is a numerical value system used to express how hard somebody feels they are working during exercise. The Swedish researcher Gunnar Borg invented it in the 1960s and it’s been widely used in strength and weight training ever since. But what is it?
To determine someones RPE the athlete is asked to rate how hard they feel they’re working. They should base this value on their respiratory rate, heart rate, level of arousal or intensity, and even pump in the case of climbing training. The original Borg scale uses values of 6-20 but a slightly simpler version of 1-10 is more commonly used now.
Using RPE during your climbing training can really help you monitor and adjust the intensity of your sessions and efforts. Before we dig into the how’s, a word on what some of these numbers might look like in application.
RPE of 1-2: This is warm up intensity, easy, like really easy. You could sustain this effort for many many hours.
RPE of 3-4: Exercising with attention to details, the body is working a bit more, think low end flash grades.
RPE of 5-6: Hard flash grades and up. These efforts are sustainable for only a handful of tries.
RPE of 7-8: This is near limit climbing, a few tries with ample rest. High levels of intensity and skill combined.
RPE of 9-10: Limit climbing. 1 rep max. This is unsustainable effort and not ideal for most training sessions.
Now, here's how you can incorporate RPE into your climbing training:
Establish a Baseline:
Begin by establishing a baseline for your RPE. Every athlete is different but determining when effort really starts and stops is the first step. This can be something as specific as a V grade or as nebulous as that first slight uptick in heart rate or breathing.
Warm-Up:
Use RPE to guide your warm-up. Start with an easy climb or warm-up routine and aim for a low to moderate RPE, I typically don’t like to see athletes perform warm up exercises or secondary climbing warm ups at more than a 2-3 RPE.
Main Climbing Session:
During the “meat and potatoes” of your climbing session, pay attention to your RPE to ensure you're working at the desired intensity. Adjust the difficulty of the climbing or the volume based on how hard each effort feels.
Intensity and Volume:
RPE can help you balance intensity and volume in your training. If a particular climb or exercise feels too easy, consider increasing the difficulty or adding more reps. Conversely, if it feels too hard, dial it back to prevent overtraining.
Progression:
You can use RPE to track your progression over time. As you get stronger and more skilled, you might find that moves or drills that once felt challenging are now easier. Past notes about RPE on exercises or drills are great markers when we look at training retrospectively.
Recovery Days:
On recovery days, aim for a low RPE, think 1-3. Engage in activities that feel easy and allow your body to recover. This might include some light climbing, mobility exercises, or a low intensity yoga session.
Strength Training:
On strength training days you should absolutely use RPE to modulate the intensity. A useful trick is to think about how many “Reps In Reserve” you have. If you feel like you have 4 more reps of a certain exercise, you’re likely at an RPE of 6. If you only have one or two left in the tank, you’re probably closer to an RPE of 8 or 9.
Listen to Your Body:
RPE is a subjective measure, and it's essential to listen to your body. If a particular session feels exceptionally challenging, it's OKAY to adjust your plan on the fly. Conversely, if you're feeling exceptionally good, you might push the session a bit harder.
Combine with Other Metrics:
Consider equating RPE with other objective metrics, such as heart rate or climbing grades. This “wide scope” approach can provide a more nuanced understanding of your training intensity, especially if you track it over time.
Post-Session Reflection:
After each workout, reflect on the overall RPE of the day. Did the session align with your goals? Were the efforts appropriately challenging? This reflection is incredibly helpful in guiding future training sessions.
When we incorporate RPE into our climbing training it can be a powerful metric that can help give shape and focus to our sessions. It can help fine tune workouts to current fitness levels, help us make adjustments as needed, and ensure that we're progressing in a sustainable and effective manner.