What is RIR and how will it help my gym sessions?

RIR stands for "Reps in Reserve." It's a concept commonly used in strength training and weightlifting to gauge how many more repetitions you could perform with a given weight before failure.

For example, if you finish a set of bench presses and you feel like you could have done three more reps before hitting failure, then your RIR for that set would be 3.

Using RIR can be help you for several reasons:

1. Auto-regulation: It allows you to quickly adjust your training intensity based on how you're feeling that day. If you're feeling particularly fatigued, you can aim for a higher RIR to prevent overexertion and potential injury. Conversely, if you're feeling strong, you can push closer to failure.

2. Progress tracking: By consistently monitoring your RIR over time, you can track your progress and see if you're getting stronger or improving your endurance.

3. Individualization: RIR is highly individualized and takes into account your unique strength levels and fatigue tolerance. What might be a challenging RIR for one person could be relatively easy for another.

4. Programming: It can be integrated into your training program to help you determine when to increase weight, reps, or sets. For example, if you consistently hit your target RIR for a particular exercise, it might be time to increase the weight.

To implement RIR into your gym progress, simply assess how many reps you could still do with good form after completing each set. Aim to leave a certain number of reps in reserve based on your goals and the specific phase of your training program. This will help you optimize your workouts for progress while minimizing the risk of overtraining or injury.

Aiming for 0-2 RIR can be considered an optimal range to train in, this maximizes muscle stimulus meaning you're pushing your muscles close to their maximum capacity. This level of effort ensures that you're providing a strong stimulus for muscle growth and strength development. By pushing close to failure without actually reaching it, you're effectively recruiting and fatiguing a high percentage of muscle fibers, which is essential for stimulating growth.

Instead of performing excessive sets or reps at submaximal effort, you focus on fewer sets with higher effort, which can lead to better results in terms of strength and muscle gains. This also encourages progressive overload, essential for continuous improvement in strength and muscle size. By regularly challenging your muscles near their limits, you force them to adapt and become stronger over time. This can involve increasing weight, reps, or sets as you progress, ensuring that your workouts remain challenging and effective.

Working out with 0-2 RIR allows you to make the most of your time in the gym. Rather than spending excessive time on low-intensity sets that may not provide significant benefits, you focus on high-quality sets that drive adaptation and progress.

While pushing close to failure is important for maximizing gains, consistently training to complete failure can increase the risk of injury and lead to burnout or overtraining. By stopping a couple of reps shy of failure, you reduce the likelihood of form breakdown and mitigate the risk of overexertion or injury.

Ultimately, aiming for 0-2 RIR strikes a balance between pushing your limits for optimal growth and managing fatigue and injury risk. It allows you to train with high intensity while still maintaining quality and safety in your workouts.