Strength coach blog
how-to for online strength coaches
How to set weekly RPE targets for strength clients
Weekly RPE targets keep effort intentional so clients stop grinding every set or sandbagging work that should be productive.
RPE is a weekly effort decision, not a slogan
Online strength clients either grind every working set because the card never defines success, or they sandbag because a coach once wrote "train hard" with no number. A weekly RPE target picks one clear effort band tied to the lift priority and the week goal that showed up in the plan. The goal is honest, repeatable perceived exertion—not accidental grinders or forever-easy sets.
Pick the band from priority and week goal, then protect it with recovery
Main lifts, secondary compounds, and accessories need different RPE bands. Rebuild or recovery-poor weeks bias lower RPE and fewer near-limit sets. Progress weeks keep one tighter band on priority work without turning accessories into failure circuits. Short sessions and weak adherence mean simpler effort rules and fewer high-RPE sets, not more "push it" notes.
Write the prescription so the client can execute and log it
Name the RPE target in a form the client can check—primary lifts at RPE 7-8, secondaries at RPE 6-7, accessories at RPE 6-7 with one optional harder finisher. Say which sets get the tighter band and which stay conservative. Ambiguous notes like "go hard" create messy logs and unfinished sessions. A weekly RPE targets planner can turn lift priority, week goal, recovery, adherence, and session length into that clear target, and tools that keep programming beside workout logs make it easier to deliver the week from real feedback.
Park failure chasing until the primary RPE sticks
If the client still overshoots or undershoots the target after a clean week of practice, keep or refine the same band. Only raise effort or add a second near-limit exposure when the log shows the first RPE rule is mostly honest. Stacking RPE 9-10 sets across every lift recreates the vague train-hard problem the weekly target was meant to solve.