What Can the Rate of Perceived Exertion Tell You About Your Workouts?
Key takeaways:
The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is a scale that measures your workout intensity based on physical sensations, such as increased breathing and sweating.
You can use the RPE scale to assess how you feel during a workout and estimate your heart rate.
The RPE scale can also help you create a balanced fitness plan, track progress, and avoid overtraining.
It's important to understand your workout intensity, whether you're a seasoned athlete or a fitness newbie. Keeping track of your exercise intensity can help you measure progress and avoid overexertion. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale can help you do that.
The RPE allows you to gauge exercise intensity based on how you feel during a workout. It sounds simple, but there's a slight learning curve. Once you learn to use it, however, you can easily adjust your training plan based on your needs and goals.
What is the rate of perceived exertion?
RPE is a subjective measurement system used to gauge an activity’s intensity. Developed in the 1960s by Swedish researcher Dr. Gunnar Borg, it uses a 15-point scale that tracks physical exertion from none at all to extreme.
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RPE relies on self-reported physical sensations, including increases in:
Heart rate
Breathing rate
Perspiration
Muscle fatigue
RPE also takes into account mental perceptions of effort — such as how challenging or manageable the exercise feels.
How do you calculate your rate of perceived exertion?
There are two scales for measuring RPE — the original 15-point scale and a modified 10-point scale, also developed by Borg. According to research, they provide similar results and can be used interchangeably.
Borg RPE scale
This 15-point scale goes from 6 to 20. A 6 is equivalent to no effort and 20 is maximum exertion.
In general, a 9 is very light activity equal to walking at a relaxed pace. Moderate exercise typically falls between 12 and 14 RPE. At this level, the activity feels challenging, but you are able to continue comfortably. At 17, the activity is considered very hard. Healthy people will be able to keep going. But they will feel quite fatigued and need to push themselves to continue.
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The 15-Point Borg RPE Scale
Score | Level of exertion |
6 | No exertion |
7 | |
7.5 | Extremely light |
8 | |
9 | Very light |
10 | |
11 | Light |
12 | |
13 | Somewhat hard |
14 | |
15 | Hard (heavy) |
16 | |
17 | Very hard |
18 | |
19 | Extremely hard |
20 | Maximum exertion |
Modified RPE scale
The 10-point modified scale is a condensed version of the original. It goes from 0 to 10, where 0 is no effort and 10 is maximum effort. A 3 is considered moderate, a 5 is “severe,” and a 7 is “very severe.” At 9, activity is near maximal.
The 10-Point Borg Scale
Score | Level of exertion |
0 | No exertion |
0.5 | Very, very slight |
1 | Very slight |
2 | Slight |
3 | Moderate |
4 | Somewhat severe |
5 | Severe |
6 | |
7 | Very severe |
8 | |
9 | Very, very severe |
10 | Maximum exertion |
Since the RPE is subjective, there is no single method of assessing your workout intensity. It’s important to take all of your bodily sensations into consideration, not just your breathing or heart rate.
To effectively use the RPE, you have to learn to observe your body and bodily sensations. This may take time and practice. Once you establish your baseline, you’ll be able to more easily recognize changes in your RPE.
What are the benefits of using a rate of perceived exertion scale?
Self-monitoring your workout intensity using the RPE scale can be useful in many ways. For example, it can help you:
Track your heart rate. If you're a young adult and not wearing a heart monitor, you can use the RPE scale to estimate your heart rate during an activity by multiplying your RPE by 10. For example, if you're working at a 12 RPE, your heart rate is likely around 120 beats per minute. But your RPE may be associated with a lower heart rate as you age.
Measure workout intensity. An effective workout program includes high-intensity, moderate-intensity, and low-intensity days. You can use RPE as a guide to ensure you’re working out at your target intensity.
Plan your exercise routine. If you planned a light, recovery workout, but your RPE is at a 14, you’re working too hard and need to dial back the intensity. Similarly, if you planned a high-intensity workout, but your RPE is at 10, you should up the intensity.
Track your progress. You can use RPE to track improvements in fitness over time. If a workout felt like a 17 two months ago and now feels like a 13, your fitness is probably improving.
Alert you to overtraining. Increases in RPE scores in the absence of any other changes to your routine may indicate overtraining. You might need to adjust your workout program to make more time for recovery.
What factors can affect your rate of perceived exertion?
Your body is different every day, as is the way you perceive fatigue, exertion, pain, and more. Therefore, RPE can be highly variable. Any external or lifestyle factors that make your workout harder can increase your RPE scores. Some examples include:
Climate: Working out in hot or humid weather can have physiological effects that increase RPE. Hot weather can also impact mental health, which could affect RPE.
Altitude: Working out at higher altitudes places greater stress on the cardiorespiratory system. Until you become acclimated to the increased elevation, your workouts may seem harder than normal.
Sleep status: A poor night’s sleep can increase RPE scores.
Nutritional status: Poor nutrition can increase RPE scores. In one study, a 4-week recovery nutrition program resulted in a 10% decrease in RPE during training sessions for a group of tennis players.
Mental state: Feeling stressed, anxious, depressed, or unmotivated can make workouts feel harder than they usually are.
Health status: Being ill or having an underlying health condition can raise RPE.
The bottom line
RPE is a valuable tool for tracking activity intensity. It relies on subjective assessment of a number of physical sensations that can tell you how hard you’re working. You can use your RPE score to track your heart rate and workout progress, plan your exercise routine, and avoid overtraining. RPE is variable, however, and it can be affected by environmental and lifestyle factors.
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References
Fusco, A., et al. (2020). Effect of progressive fatigue on session RPE. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology.
Hamlin, M. J., et al. (2021). The effect of sleep quality and quantity on athlete's health and perceived training quality. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
Hutchinson, M. J., et al. (2021). Comparison of two Borg exertion scales for monitoring exercise intensity in able-bodied participants, and those with paraplegia and tetraplegia. Spinal Cord.
Maw, G. J., et al. (1993). Ratings of perceived exertion and affect in hot and cool environments. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.
Moulson, N., et al. (2021). Exercise and elevation. American College of Cardiology.
Tawatsupa, B., et al. (2012). Heat stress, health and well-being: Findings from a large national cohort of Thai adults. British Medical Journal Open.
Vahk, A., et al. (2018). Effects of recovery nutrition on body composition and session RPE in college tennis players. International Journal of Exercise Science, Conference Proceedings.
Williams, N., et al. (2017). The Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. Occupational Medicine.
