Customer Service 1-888-707-1880
Dyaco Canada Inc. 2021
Email: [email protected]
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RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION
Heart rate is important but listening to your body also has a lot of advantages. There are more
variables involved in how hard you should work out than just heart rate. Your stress level, physical
health, emotional health, temperature, humidity, the time of day, the last time you ate and what you
ate all contribute to the intensity at which you should workout. If you listen to your body, it will tell
you all of these things.
The rate of perceived exertion (RPE), also known as the Borg scale, was developed by Swedish
physiologist G.A.V. Borg. This scale helps users determine an approximate heart rate level when a
heart rate monitor is not in use. Using the scale below, rate the level of intensity of your workout or
the perception of your effort during your workout. Once the rating has been determined, simply add
a “0” to the rating to get your approximate heart rate. For example, if your workout felt comfortable,
you would rate it a “12”. Then add a “0” to get an approximate heart rate during your workout of
120 beats per minute.
The scale is as follows:
Rating Perception of Effort
6 Minimal
7 Very, very light
8 Very, very light +
9 Very light
10 Very light +
11 Fairly light
12 Comfortable
13 Somewhat hard
14 Somewhat hard +
15 Hard
16 Hard +
17 Very hard
18 Very hard +
19 Very, very hard
20 Maximal
