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Customer Service 1-888-707-1880 Dyaco Canada Inc. 2018
Email: [email protected]
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 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. 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 rates exercise intensity from 6 to 20 depending
upon how you feel or the perception of your effort.
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
You can get an approximate heart rate level for each rating by simply adding a zero to each
rating. For example, a rating of 12 will result in an approximate heart rate of 120 beats per
minute. Your RPE will vary depending on the factors discussed earlier. That is the major
benefit of this type of training. If your body is strong and rested, you will feel strong, and your
pace will feel easier. When your body is in this condition, you are able to train harder, and the
RPE will support this. If you are feeling tired and sluggish, it is because your body needs a
break. In this condition, your pace will feel harder. Again, this will show up in your RPE, and
you will train at the proper level for that day.
