What Is RIR (Reps in Reserve) and How to Use It in Your Training

When it comes to strength training, most lifters fall into one of two camps:

They go through workouts on autopilot every set looks like a warm-up.
They push to failure every single set and end up sore for days, burned out, and stuck at the same weights.

Both mistakes lead to the same outcome: hours in the gym with little to show for it.

That’s why I created this breakdown on Reps in Reserve.

It’s a simple but powerful tool that helps you train with the right intensity to build muscle, gain strength, and recover properly without wrecking your joints.

If you don’t feel like reading, click here to watch the full video instead

What Is RIR?

RIR stands for Reps in Reserve. It’s a way to measure how hard you’re working in a set by asking yourself:

“If I absolutely had to, how many more reps could I do with good form?”

That number is your RIR.

RIR 2 → You could have done 2 more reps.
RIR 1 → You could have done 1 more rep.
RIR 0 → You reached failure—you couldn’t do another rep with good form.

This simple question helps you gauge intensity and avoid both extremes: not pushing hard enough or pushing so hard you can’t recover.

Why RIR Matters

Training isn’t about maxing out every time you step in the gym. It’s about consistently sending your body the right signal to get stronger and build muscle while still being able to recover.

If you always stop too early, you’ll never challenge your muscles enough to grow.

If you always go to failure, you’ll beat up your joints, burn out, and stall progress.

RIR gives you a middle ground. It also accounts for the ups and downs of daily life:

Sleep quality
Nutrition
Stress
Recovery between sessions

Some days you feel like you can lift anything. Other days, the same weight feels 20 pounds heavier. With RIR, you can adjust to how you feel that day while still training at the right intensity.

Real-Life Example

Let’s say you squat 150 lbs for 4 sets of 8 on Monday. You finish each set feeling like you could have done 3 more reps (RIR 3).

But by Friday, after a stressful week and poor sleep, you can only manage 140 lbs for 4x8. That doesn’t mean you got weaker—it just means you had less in the tank that day.

As long as you’re hitting the prescribed RIR, you’re still training at the right intensity and making progress.

How RIR Looks in Programming

Here’s how RIR is used inside my training programs:

Barbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 8–12 at RIR 2.→ Choose a weight where you can hit 8–12 reps and still have 2 reps left in the tank. If you can do 20 reps and claim it’s RIR 2, the weight is too light.
Goblet Squat: 2 sets of 8–12 at RIR 1, followed by 1 set at RIR 0.→ For the first two sets, stop with one rep left in the tank. On the last set, push to failure.

This approach balances intensity with recovery. You’ll push hard enough to grow, but you won’t wreck your body in the process.

The Takeaway

RIR is a simple yet powerful tool for training smarter. It keeps you from wasting time with sets that are too easy—and protects you from burning out by pushing to failure every time.

Find that sweet spot where:

Your physique actually starts to change
Your lifts go up week after week
Your body recovers so you can keep showing up strong

Start applying RIR in your training and you’ll notice the difference.

Want to take this further? Download the Workout Creator Guide here, where I’ll show you how to build an entire program around principles like RIR, progressive overload, and smart recovery.

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