Fitlab crossfit open-21 (1)

Yesterday when I checked into the 5:30pm CrossFit class, I was genuinely pumped for back squats. The programming read: 8 sets of 3 @ 75%. Perfect. I love a good squat session.

Then WodBoard told me what 75% was for me: 110kg.

My excitement dropped instantly. Not because I’m afraid of heavy squats, but because that number suddenly felt… wrong. I haven’t been squatting consistently, my sleep wasn’t great the night before, and—if I’m honest—my percentages are still based on a version of me that existed before kids, before running a business, and before life was this full.

And this is exactly where so many of us get caught:
We compare our current capacity to a snapshot of ourselves from a completely different season of life.

It makes sense—we don’t have data for our future selves, so we lean on the only data point we have: what we used to be able to do. But here’s the problem.

The Trouble With Training Off “Past You”

1. We tend to inflate our past abilities.

Our brain loves nostalgia. We remember our best lifts, our fastest times, our peak strength—not the days we missed reps, skipped sleep, or ate like uni students. That 1RM from five years ago probably represented one exceptional moment, not your everyday training capacity.

2. Life stressors evolve.

Your 20s training life and your 30s or 40s training life are not comparable.
Back then you may have:

  • slept 8+ hours regularly
  • trained 5–6 times per week
  • carried minimal life admin
  • lived with a much lower cognitive load

Now?
Careers, kids, finances, time compression… The stress bucket is fuller before training even begins. And strength always reflects stress.

3. Hormones change as we age.

This matters far more than most people think.

  • For men, testosterone peaks in the mid-20s and gradually declines—affecting strength, muscle recovery, and even motivation to train.
  • For women, the hormonal landscape is more complex. Strength, energy, and recovery fluctuate across the menstrual cycle. As women move into their 30s and 40s, progesterone and estrogen shifts can impact sleep, mood, tendon laxity, and fatigue. Perimenopause brings another hormonal rhythm entirely, which often affects recovery capacity and central nervous system readiness.

The point? Your body today is not the body that hit that old 1RM. And that’s not a problem—unless you keep forcing it to behave as though nothing has changed.

So What Do We Do? Chase the Old Numbers or Adjust?

On that squat day, I chose the latter:
I updated my training max to my current capacity—not my historical maximum.

And the result?
A great session. Solid reps. Good movement. No panic, no ego, no frustration. Just training for the body I currently have, not the ghost of my old PBs.

Percentages are a tool, not a law.
They’re scaffolding, not scripture.

Which brings us to a more flexible, more honest, and more effective method:

Enter RPE: The Training Tool for Real Life

What is RPE?

RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion. It’s a scale—usually from 1 to 10—that measures how hard a set feels, not what the maths says it “should be.”

  • RPE 6 → moving well, bar is fast, 4+ reps left
  • RPE 7 → challenging but controlled
  • RPE 8 → 2 reps left in the tank
  • RPE 9 → 1 rep left
  • RPE 10 → absolute max effort

RPE accounts for everything that affects strength:
sleep, stress, hydration, nutrition, cycle phase, nervous system readiness, emotional fatigue—even the time of day.

Percentages don’t care about any of that.
RPE does.

Why RPE Works Beautifully in Situations Like Mine

If your “75%” feels like a brick wall, RPE gives you permission to adjust without guilt.

Maybe today, 75% = RPE 9.
But the goal of the session was 8 x 3 at 75%, which should feel like RPE 7–8.

So instead of forcing the old number—110kg—I let the stimulus guide me.
I dropped the weight.
I moved better.
And I still trained exactly what the program intended.

The dose was right.
The intensity was right.
And the training outcome was right.

Training Should Meet You Where You Are, Not Where You Were

The goal is longevity, consistency, and progress over the long arc of your training life—not chasing ghosts of PBs from a past era.

If you see a percentage on the board and it feels impossible that day, don’t panic and don’t force it.
Use RPE. Adjust. Move well. Train smart.

In our group classes at FitLab, we always encourage you to listen to your body and take on a load that listens to your current capacity. And if you’re in doubt about this, speak to a coach!

See you on the floor,

Coach Steve