Spirit CU800 ENT, Owner'S Manual, Page: 37 / 52

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RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION
There are more variables involved in how hard you should workout 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.
The rate of perceived exertion (RPE), also know as the Borg scale, was developed by Swedish physiologist
G.A.V. Borg. The scale helps users determine an approximate heart rate level when a heart rate monitor
was 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