The Effect of Adding Lower Intensity Work on Perceived Aversiveness of Exercise

Abstract

Two studies tested the hypothesis that exertional trend influences perceived aversiveness of an exercise bout. In Study 1, participants (64 women and 26 men) read descriptions of 8 fictitious people’s ratings of perceived exertion during exercise sessions on a stationary bicycle, including a 15-min session with a pattern of increasing exertion and a 20-min session with a pattern of exertion identical to the 15-min session with the addition of a 5-min period of reduced exertion at the end. Despite a greater overall workload, the 20-min session was perceived as significantly less aversive than the 15-min session. In Study 2, participants (11 women and 9 men) completed 15- and 20-min sessions on a cycle ergometer with the same basic exertional patterns as in Study 1. Ratings of the aversiveness of the 2 sessions did not differ significantly, despite the difference in duration. Results demonstrate that adding a period of reduced exertion attenuates the perceived aversiveness of a bout of exercise.