What is reps in reserve (RIR)

Reps in reserve (RIR) refers to the number of repetitions that a person has left in their set before failure. For example, if a person is performing a set of 8 reps with a goal of 6 reps, they have 2 reps in reserve. In other words, they could have performed 2 more reps before reaching failure.

RIR is a way of quantifying the intensity of a resistance training set. It can be used to track progress and ensure that a person is training at the appropriate intensity to achieve their goals. For example, if a person is trying to build muscle, they may want to aim for a higher RIR (e.g., 3-4 reps in reserve) to ensure that they are able to perform enough volume to stimulate muscle growth. On the other hand, if a person is trying to improve their strength, they may want to aim for a lower RIR (e.g., 0-1 reps in reserve) to ensure that they are training at a high enough intensity to challenge their muscles.

It's important to note that RIR is not the same as the number of reps a person can perform with a given weight. For example, if a person can perform 8 reps with a given weight, but they only perform 6 reps with that weight, their RIR is 2. However, this does not necessarily mean that they could only perform 2 more reps. It's possible that they could have performed more reps with a lighter weight, or that they could have performed the same number of reps with a heavier weight.

In conclusion, reps in reserve (RIR) refers to the number of repetitions that a person has left in their set before failure. RIR is a way of quantifying the intensity of a resistance training set and can be used to track progress and ensure that a person is training at the appropriate intensity to achieve their goals.