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HEART RATE - 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, phys-
ical 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
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Minimal
Very, Very Light
Very, Very Light +
Very Light
Very Light +
Fairly Light
Comfortable
Somewhat Hard
Somewhat Hard +
Hard
Hard +
Very Hard
Very Hard +
Very, Very Hard
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. If your
body is strong and rested, you will feel strong and your pace will
feel comfortable. 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 difficult. Again, this will show up in
your RPE and you will train at the proper level for that day.
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