During a workout, it is important to monitor the intensity of exercise to make sure you are adequately pushing yourself but not too hard! One way to do this is by utilizing the "rate of perceived exertion" scale (RPE scale) which refers to the subjective feeling of how hard you are working based off of physical sensations when you exercise such as how fast your heart is beating, how sweaty you are, how out of breath you are, etc.
There are two methods of measuring RPE:
The Borg Scale (6-20)
The Modified Borg Scale (Category-Ratio 0-10 Scale)
The Borg Scale
This scale ranges from 6 (no exertion or how you feel while sitting/lying down), to 20 (maximal exertion or how you would feel during an all-out sprint). A score of 7 on the Borg Scale corresponds to extremely light activity, 11 to light activity such as a stroll, 13 to somewhat hard activity and 15 to heavy activity such as jogging.
Research has shown a high correlation between RPE heart rate for the Borg Scale, where heart rate (HR) is 10 times the RPE. For example, 6 on the Borg Scale is associated with a heart rate of about 60 beats per minute. While this isn’t completely accurate, using this correlation can predict your heart rate during exercise if you don’t have a heart rate monitor! Keep in mind the inaccuracies though, as if you are 30 you have a predicted HR max of 190bpm and having an RPE of 20 would predict your HR at 200bpm. While this is possible, you might not be at 200bpm.
The Modified Borg Scale (Borg CR10)
Borg also made a modified scale that ranges from 0-10 with 0 being no exertion and 10 representing maximal exertion. A score of 2 is related to slight activity, 3 moderate activity, 5 severe activity, 7 very severe activity and 9 is very very severe activity. This scale also has a dual purpose as it can be used to measure pain in addition to exertion.
How RPE Can Help You
RPE is beneficial when you do not have access to a heart rate monitor but want to get the most out of your workouts! Having a copy of the RPE scale on your phone or by your workout space can be beneficial as you can check-in with yourself during your workout. If you notice that you are doing a warm up which you meant to be light intensity but you perceive your exertion level to be a 13 on the Borg scale (somewhat hard), this should be a sign to take your warmup down a notch. This can also help you make sure you are pushing yourself and not going too hard or overworking yourself! You definitely don’t want to be feeling a 19 on the Borg scale (extremely hard) too early in your workout or you will likely not be able to finish it properly.
Resources
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Borg_Rating_Of_Perceived_Exertion (Link to both scales)
Nerys Williams, The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale, Occupational Medicine, Volume 67, Issue 5, July 2017, Pages 404–405, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqx063
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