AUTOREGULATION TO GET THE MOST OUT OF EACH WORKOUT

When it comes to working out, some days are great; some days are not so great. It all depends on you on that given day. For example, did you get the right amount of sleep? Are you dealing with an injury, so you have to take it slower than you’d like to? Or maybe your energy in general is just not up where you want it to be. This doesn’t mean, down an energy drink and hit the gym. This means you’re human and may need to autoregulate your workouts. 

What Is Autoregulation?

In the most basic form, autoregulation of weight lifting, cardio, and all other exercise forms means adjusting the intensity. The most significant difference between autoregulation and having a set routine is that you’re changing the intensity on a workout-to-workout basis while you have a routine. 

What affects your strength on a daily basis? There are several factors, actually. Just a few include your stress levels, eating habits, and sleep patterns. While autoregulation isn’t necessarily a “workout program” on its own, it helps modify said workout plan to avoid things like burnout, injury, or overworking your body.

Now, something that shouldn’t shock you is that using the autoregulation form of training takes practice, like most things in life. As Mark Hawthorne said, “Practice makes progress”. No one is perfect; however, once you get the hang of something, you’ll make progress that would otherwise be unobtainable. 

How can you incorporate autoregulation exercises into your powerlifting routine? Let’s take a look.

How Rate Of Perceived Exertion Works

As one of the most popular ideologies in autoregulation workouts today, RPE, or rate of perceived exertion, is becoming a first-rate contender in the fitness world. This is because you’re not basing what you’re lifting on a set weight alone. Rather, you’re basing your lifting abilities on the energy you yourself have left to give. 

When I say it’s based on the energy you have left, it’s typically based on a scale of one to ten. However, in most cases, the lower half of the scale isn’t even referenced. Instead, it’s more like a scale of 5 to 10. In that case, five would be a moderate intensity with little to no change in the velocity of your set. Ten is considered the maximum effort. Meaning that if the person powerlifting tried for one more repetition in their workout the result would be less than optimal. Why? Because they would not be able to complete the set fully.

Here’s a better breakdown of the scale. 

Rate of Perceived Exertion:

10: Max effort; no more repetitions can be completed.

9: One more repetition is possible.

8: Three more repetitions possible.

7: There are more than three repetitions left, but the speed has reduced significantly in the final repetition.

6: More than three repetitions left, still able to move quickly and with intent.

5: No changes in velocity during the set; able to complete 5 additional repetitions before being done.

Something to remember is that your rate of perceived exertion relies on something called your repetitions in reserve (RIR). As the one completing the exercises, whether in powerlifting or other variations, you yourself decide how much you have left in your energy reserves. Can you do 5 more reps, 6 more? Maybe only 2. All of those numbers are fine, and your body will essentially thank you later for not causing it extra undo stresses. 

The RIR and RPE scales are similar. However, unlike the RPE scale, the entirety of the RIR scale is noted. It starts at one and goes to ten, with one representing little to no effort needed for the repetitions to be completed. By default, this makes ten the maximum effort needed to complete the repetitions. Below is a better breakdown of how to gauge where you’re at on the scale.

Repetitions in Reserve:

10: Maximum effort needed to complete repetitions.

9: 1 repetition left in accordance with your energy.

8: Typically, about 2 repetitions left in accordance with your energy.

7: Typically, about 3 repetitions left in accordance with your energy.

6: Between 3 to 5 repetitions left in accordance with your energy.

5: Typically, around 6 repetitions are left in accordance with your energy.

4: Anywhere from 6+ repetitions left in accordance with your energy.

3: Some effort is needed to complete repetitions.

2: Light effort is needed to complete repetitions.

1: Little or no effort is needed to complete repetitions.

Pros & Cons Of Autoregulation

In terms of those athletes first starting out on any exercise regime. It can actually be a very beneficial way to learn about your body. How so? You’ll be able to understand what your body can do and what causes overtraining or muscle fatigue more clearly. You’ll also be able to avoid injury in the long run by gaining said understanding. 

The downside to using autoregulation comes in when a person is essentially an emotional roller coaster just waiting to go off its track. That is to say, the person “emotionally” deciding how much they can handle may either overdo it or, in some cases, not do enough because they’re not in the right state of mind. Another drawback may be a person’s ability to gauge and stay somewhat consistent. What does that mean? This means that a person may one day decide to go at a certain level of RPE and, next, a lower variation to the point where tracking is almost impossible. 

That being said, those who decide to train this way may want to note their day-to-day workouts to keep better track. This can be done using a pen-to-paper approach or an app on their phone. 

The Right Supplements For Exercise

As with most things, you’ll no doubt want to make sure you’re getting the right nutrition and supplements. Why? You may or may not be getting the right amount of minerals and nutrients straight from your food. That’s where Canada Steroid Depot can help. How so? We have a vast array of Steroid, SARMs, and research chemicals that can help keep your exercise game on track.