Fitness Focus
Copy-and-Share by Brad A. Roy, Ph.D., FACSM, FACHE
Monitoring Your Exercise Intensity
Brought to you by the American College of Sports Medicine www.acsm.org
RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION
E
xercise intensity is an important variable for all exercise
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training workouts and refers to the level of physiologic Posted on the walls of many fitness facilities are numbered
work being accomplished during exercise. Although scales going from 6 to 20 or 0 to 10. These are referred to as
directly measuring oxygen uptake (V̇O2) is the most accurate RPE Scales, originally developed by Gunnar Borg, M.D.,
indicator of exercise intensity, it generally is measured in a Ph.D., a Swedish psychologist. Perceived exertion reflects an
laboratory setting and it is not realistic to use it to monitor day- interaction between the body and mind that links physiological
to-day training. Without the benefit of V̇O2 measurement, there sensations experienced during exercise to generate a ‘‘percep-
are three other measures that can be used to monitor exercise tion of effort.’’ These sensations include things such as HR,
intensity: target heat rate, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and sweating, breathing, muscle fatigue, discomfort, and other
the ‘‘Talk Test.’’ symptoms that occur during activity. Research has shown a
strong correlation of one’s rating of perceived effort to other
TARGET HEART RATE parameters of exercise intensity such as HR and anaerobic
Physical activity guidelines typically present exercise intensity threshold.
as a percentage of age-related maximum heart rate and A sample of the Borg 6-to-20 scale is presented in the
categorize these levels as ‘‘light,’’ ‘‘moderate,’’ or ‘‘vigorous.’’ sidebar. A rating of 6 means ‘‘no exertion at all’’ and is
Moderate intensity is defined as 64% to 75% of a person’s consistent with rest, a rating of 11 to 13 generally indicates
maximum heart rate (MHR) and vigorous as 76% to 95% of the moderate or conversation pace intensity, and a rating of 20
MHR. Maximal heart rate is determined via a maximal exercise refers to maximal exertion. There are a few key factors to keep
test or by using an estimation formula, most commonly 220 - your in mind when using the RPE Scale:
age. Unfortunately, although commonly used, such HR estimation
• Try not to focus on any one sensation, or location (e.g., legs),
formulas can be 10 to 15 BPM more or less than your actual
but on your total body feeling of exertion
MHR and thus should be used with caution.
The easiest and most accurate method for monitoring • Remember that the scale ranges from 6 or rest to 20 at
maximal effort; you want to choose the number that best
exercise HR is to wear a HR monitor or to use the monitors
reflects the level of exertion you are feeling overall.
that frequently are included in the exercise equipment. Without
a HR monitor, you will need to stop exercising for a moment to • There is no right or wrong answer; thus, careful reflection on
take your pulse. Some medications (e.g., beta blockers) and the descriptors will help you better quantify your rating.
health conditions (e.g., atrial fibrillation) can affect HR, making
it a challenge to monitor accurately.
(For your clients: Place your business card
here, copy, and distribute.)
B 2015 by the American College of Sports Medicine. Reprint permission is granted to subscribers of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal A. CALL 800-486-5643 TO SUBSCRIBE OR JOIN
VOL. 19/ NO. 4 ACSM’s HEALTH & FITNESS JOURNALA 3
Copyright © 2015 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
• Strive to assess your feeling of exertion as honestly as TALK TEST
possible without considering the actual workload or what Exercise intensity also can be monitored by using the ‘‘Talk
others around you are doing. Test.’’ Research has shown that this simple test is a valid
RPE also can be useful in monitoring your exercise measure of what is referred to as the ‘‘ventilatory threshold’’ or,
progress. For example, at baseline, your RPE while walking at more simply, moderate activity. This level of exertion is the
3 miles per hour was 13 and, 2 months later, you find that your fastest rate that you can exercise and talk comfortably, still
perception at 3 miles per hour has reduced to 9 to 10 and an speaking three to five words per breath. Using the ‘‘Talk Test’’
RPE of 13 is now associated with a faster 4-miles-per-hour is a simple, yet effective, way to gauge exercise intensity.
pace. Monitoring exercise intensity is an important variable for
people at all levels of conditioning. Using one or all three of
these methods simultaneously will maximize your workout
SIDEBAR: BORG RPE SCALE benefits by exercising at the proper intensity level for your
current health, conditioning status, and fitness goals. For more
6 No exertion at all
personalized strategies, let an ACSM-certified exercise physi-
7 Extremely light
ologist help you zero in on your target intensity levels.
8
9 Very light (easy activity/walking at a comfortable pace)
Brad A. Roy, Ph.D., FACSM, FACHE, is an administrator/executive director
10 at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. He is responsible for The Summit
11 Light Medical Fitness Center, a 114,800 sq ft medical fitness center located in
Kalispell, Montana, and a number of other hospital departments.
12
13 Somewhat hard (upper end of conversation pace; a
bit of an effort but you can continue)
14
15 Hard (heavy, hard work, starting to tire)
16
17 Very hard (very strenuous, feeling very fatigued)
18
19 Extremely hard (can’t do much more, almost ready
to stop)
20 Maximal exertion
4 ACSM’s HEALTH & FITNESS JOURNALA | www.acsm-healthfitness.org VOL. 19/ NO. 4
Copyright © 2015 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
