Session RPE During Prolonged Exercise Training

Abstract

Introduction: Various strategies are used to monitor training intensity and permit the calculation of training load. Traditional measures such as speed, heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (HLa) are widely used. The session RPE (sRPE) has been used as an alternative method of training monitoring. PURPOSE: This study compared the evolution of speed, HR, HLa and sRPE during an intensive swimming training session. METHODS: Collegiate swimmers (NCAA Div III), during mid preparatory season, performed 4 x 10 x 100 yd, on a 1:15-1:30 sendoff, and with 10 min rest between sets. Speed and HR were measured after each repetition, and averaged per set. HLa was measured immediately after each set. sRPE was measured after each set, but asking the athlete to rate the effort “as if this was the completion of the workout.” RESULTS: Speed, HR and HLa were essentially constant across the training session, indicating that both the external and internal training load was constant and only dependent on volume of training. The sRPE increased significantly from set to set. CONCLUSIONS: The progressive increase in sRPE suggests that it reflects some aspect of internal training load not reflected by the objective measures.