What does @8 mean?
@8 means you finished the set with about two reps left in the tank. @9 is one left. @10 is nothing left. Most people guess about one rep short, so a set that feels like an 8 often has a bit more in it.
By Anthony Topalides, who lifts and makes Two Plates. Checked against the sources below on 27 October 2026.
| RPE | Reps you had left |
|---|---|
| @10 | 0 |
| @9 | 1 |
| @8 | 2 |
| @7 | 3 |
Where the numbers come from
RPE stands for rating of perceived exertion. The version lifters use counts reps in reserve, the reps you had left when you racked it. A 2016 study by Michael Zourdos and colleagues built the scale that way, with RPE 10 as no reps left, RPE 9 as one, and so on down.
We guess a little short
A 2022 review led by Israel Halperin pooled 12 studies. On average people guessed about one rep short of what they really had left, and they were further off on sets of more than 12 reps. So if a set felt like an 8, you probably had a bit more in you.
Next session
Next set, before you rack it, ask yourself how many more you had. Write the number down next to the set.
About the app
I make Two Plates, so I'm biased. Effort sits on the keypad, one tap on any set, on your phone or your Apple Watch.
Where this comes from
- Zourdos and others, Novel resistance training-specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016
- Halperin and others, Accuracy in predicting repetitions to task failure in resistance exercise, Sports Medicine 52, 2022