🥇 Train by Feel (Without Guessing): RIR & RPE for Men 40+

PLUS: Smart Beats Hard When You Want Longevity

AuthorAuthor

Michael Pender & Ryan Engel
September 12, 2025

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TODAY’S LEVEL UP:

  • Coach’s Corner: Train by Feel (Without Guessing): RIR & RPE for Men 40+

  • Mindset Shift: Smart beats hard when you want longevity

  • Question from Our Readers: How do I push hard without wrecking my joints?

  • Fit Trivia (80s/90s Blockbusters): Which 90s action thriller opens with a legendary cliff-hanging scene that inspired grip-strength workouts for years?

Train by Feel (Without Guessing): RIR & RPE for Men 40+

You don’t need to max out to make progress—you need the right effort, consistently.

Two simple tools keep you progressing while protecting your joints:

  • RIR (Reps In Reserve): How many good reps do you have left when you racked the weight?

    • Hypertrophy sweet spot: 1–2 RIR (finish sets with 1–2 clean reps left).

  • RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion, 1–10): How hard the set felt.

    • Aim most working sets at RPE 7–9 (challenging, but controlled).

Weekly target:

  • Big lifts (press, row, squat/hinge): 3–4 sets @ RPE 8 (~1–2 RIR)

  • Accessories: 2–3 sets @ RPE 8–9 (0–1 RIR)

This keeps intensity high enough to grow, low enough to recover—and that’s the game after 40.

FROM RYAN’S DESK

Fast food, quick fixes, easy outs—they only satisfy the moment. But discipline, sacrifice, and vision? They build a legacy. Stop trading long-term greatness for short-term relief. Think about the man your kids, friends, and peers will remember. Build him now.

Mindset Shift:

Smart Beats Hard When You Want Longevity

Any fool can redline a workout. It takes wisdom to train hard and come back stronger tomorrow. Track your RIR/RPE in a notes app. If recovery dips, pull one set or drop RPE by ~1 for a week—then ramp again.

Question from Our Readers:

“How do I push hard without wrecking my joints?”

– Omar, 51, from Phoenix

Use this 4-point checklist:

  1. Primer set: (easy 8–10 reps) to groove form.

  2. Top set @ RPE 8: (heavy but crisp).

  3. Back-off set(s): reduce weight 5–10%, match reps—clean execution.

  4. Exit early, not late: If form slips or RIR < 0, stop the set.

Add joint-friendly swaps when needed: DB presses > barbell if shoulders gripe; trap-bar hinge > conventional if back talks.

Fit Trivia (80s/90s Blockbusters): Which 90s action thriller opens with a legendary cliff-hanging sequence that inspired grip-strength workouts for years?

Answer: Cliffhanger (1993)! Stallone’s opening set piece turned forearm strength and fingertip tension into big-screen drama—fueling countless “hang for time” challenges in garage gyms everywhere.

Ryan Engel, Intl. Fat Loss Coach

Ryan is a leading fitness coach and one of the most known professionals in the space.

He specializes in Body Recomposition and visual body aesthetics and has reached millions worldwide with his powerful messaging. He brings a unique, non-nonsense, yet sophisticated approach to body change.

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Publisher: Ryan Engel

Editor: Michael Pender

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