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Perceived Effort
Perceived Effort
CYCLING PERFORMANCE TIPS
PERCEIVED EFFORT
How hard am I working? Am I pushing myself and getting the maximum from my training efforts? These are common questions for those of us focused on a high quality workout. Although Heart Rate Monitors are touted as THE only way to know the exact intensity level of your cardiovascular workout, there is a cheaper, easier alternative - the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale {below} proposed by G. A. Borg in 1982 (Med Sci in Sports Exer. 14(5):377-81, 1982).
The RPE scale ranges from 6 to 20, and includes a literal description for each level of exercise intensity. It was designed so adding a 0 to the level of exertion would give a rough estimate of your heart rate i.e. if you were resting (a 6 on the scale) your heart rate would be in the neighborhood of 60. Although RPE isn't accurate enough for detailed physiologic studies, research has demonstrated an amazingly high correlation for any individual from day to day. In other words if you felt you were exercising at a 13 (somewhat hard) on two different days, and checked your heart rate, it would be quite similar.
How can you use the RPE scale? First familiarize yourself with the levels. Then, using a treadmill or wind trainer, rate your own level of exertion BEFORE you check your pulse rate. With a little practice you will find that you will be amazingly accurate in predicting your heart rate. At that point you can use your own RPE instead of a heart rate monitor to monitor the intensity of the day's workout.
RPE can change as fitness improves (a higher heart rate for any level of perceived exertion) and with factors such as hydration, carbohydrate status, and ambient temperature. So recalibrate your own RPE scale regularly during the season if you are using this tool in your training.
RPE scale
6 - resting
7 - very, very light
9 - very light
11 - fairly light
13 - somewhat hard
15 - hard
17 - very hard
19 - very, very hard
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0-9
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