How to Start Velocity-Based Training - Part 8
How to Move From RPE to Velocity
If you've followed this series, you've learned what velocity is, how to measure it, why intent and arousal matter, how to manage fatigue, and how to use velocity to autoregulate your top sets.
This final post answers a different question.
How do you actually make the switch from RPE to velocity in your own training?
The Big Mistake
Most coaches and lifters who start using velocity bolt it on top of RPE.
They keep calling reps as RPE 7s and 9s, and they start measuring velocity at the same time. They equate speeds to RPE values. RPE 9 reps move at X m/s. RPE 7 reps move at Y m/s.
The result is two systems running side by side. One objective, one subjective. They don't speak the same language. Half your training decisions get made by the numbers, the other half by feel. You spend every session deciding which to trust.
The fix is to stop trying to merge them.
The Three Methods
There are three ways to make the switch from RPE to velocity:
- Gradual Phase Out (6-8 weeks of slowly removing RPE)
- Additive Approach (keep RPE, add velocity on top)
- Direct Transition (remove RPE immediately)
Only one of these fully commits to objective measurement and avoids the problem of two systems fighting each other.
The Recommended Method
Go direct.
Use percentage-based loads based on an estimated (or known) one-rep max. Remove RPE completely. Record Last Rep Velocity and RIR (0, 1, 2, or 2+) for every working set.
RIR is 'Reps in Reserve'. It's a simplified measure of perceived difficulty. The point isn't to use it as a primary training metric. It's to give you a quick sense-check against the velocity data.
Velocity is your primary metric. RIR is the backup.
Why This Works
By removing RPE, you disconnect yourself from old biases about how certain loads "should" feel. You start with a clean mental slate and let the numbers guide you.
The biggest thing stopping most lifters from switching to VBT isn't the cost of the equipment. It's confidence. Confidence to trust the numbers over how a set felt.
That confidence comes from education.
By moving to an objective, repeatable measure of fatigue, you let the data lead your decisions and remove the guesswork that comes with RPE.
Getting Started
Pick a session this week and run it without RPE.
Set your working weights as percentages of your one-rep max. Record the velocity of the last rep of every working set, plus a quick RIR estimate.
After two or three sessions, you'll start to see patterns. Loads that felt heavy will have data to back them up. Loads that felt easy will too. The velocity numbers will start to make sense as a measure of effort, and the dependence on RPE will quietly fade.
This is how the transition happens. Not through theory. Through reps.
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