Your first week is all about finding the right starting point, challenging yet sustainable. You’ll be repeating most of these workouts and exercises for the next 6-weeks, so start with a weight that allows excellent form while feeling tough by the last few reps. We will have lots of time to work with progressive overload strategies. RPE is your Rate of Perceived Exertion — a way to measure how hard a set feels based on effort, not just reps or weight. Everyone’s RPE will feel different depending factors like experience, movement familiarity, sleep, stress, nutrition, or even the time of day. Different training levels will feel comfortable working at different intensities. What feels like an RPE 7 for one person might feel like a 9 for someone else — and that’s okay. The goal is to meet your body where it’s at each day and focus on effort over ego. Focus on choose weights that feel moderately challenging but sustainable, focus on precision and movement quality, and dial in your form—this will set the foundation for progressive overload.