Abstract
Objective. The Session Rating of Perceived Extertion (RPE) is a method of measuring exercise intensity that may be useful for the quantitative assessment of exercise training programmes. However, there are inadequate data regarding the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method. This study was designed to evaluate both the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method in comparison to objective measures (%HRpeak, %HRreserve and %VO2peak) of exercise intensity. Methods. Fourteen healthy volunteers (7 male, 7 female) performed 6 randomly ordered 30-minute constant-load exercise bouts at 3 different intensities, with each intensity being repeated. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout each exercise bout and normalised to maximal values obtained during a preliminary maximal exercise test. Thirty minutes following the conclusion of each exercise bout, the subject rated the global intensity of the bout using a modification of the Category Ratio (CR) (0 - 10) RPE scale. This rating was compared to the mean value of objectively measured exercise intensity across the duration of the bout. Results. There were significant non-linear relationships between Session RPE and %VO2peak (R2 = 0.76), %HRpeak (R2 = 0.74) and %HRreserve (R2 = 0.71). There were no significant differences between test and retest values of %VO2peak, %HRpeak, %HRreserve and Session RPE during the easy (47 v. 47%, 65 v. 66%, 47 v. 48% and 2.0 v. 1.9), moderate (69 v. 70%, 83 v. 84%, 74 v. 75%, and 4.2 v. 4.3) and hard (81 v. 81%, 94 v. 94%, 91 v. 91% and 7.3 v. 7.4) exercise bouts. Correlations between repeated bouts for %VO2peak (r = 0.98), %HRpeak (r = 0.98), %HRreserve (r = 0.98) and Session RPE (r = 0.88) were significant and strong. Conclusions. The results support the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method of monitoring exercise intensity, although as might be predicted for a subjective method the Session RPE was less precise than the objective measures of exercise training intensity. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 18 (1) 2006: pp. 14-17
Highlights
IntroductionThe Session Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) method of monitoring exercise intensity was developed in 199510 as a modification of the Category Ratio (CR) RPE method.[2,3,19,20,22] The modification involved asking the subject to give a global rating of the perceived exertion for the entire exercise session ~30 minutes after the conclusion of an exercise bout rather than rating the momentary level of exertion as is the usual practice with RPE.[2,3,19,20,22] At that time, limited objective data were presented in support of the validity of the technique, on the basis of both heart rate (HR) and blood lactate responses
There were significant non-linear relationships between Session Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and %VO2peak (R2 = 0.76), %HRpeak (R2 = 0.74) and %HRreserve (R2 = 0.71)
There were no significant differences between test and retest values of %VO2peak, %HRpeak, %HRreserve and Session RPE during the easy (47 v. 47%, 65 v. 66%, 47 v. 48% and 2.0 v. 1.9), moderate
Summary
The Session Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) method of monitoring exercise intensity was developed in 199510 as a modification of the Category Ratio (CR) RPE method.[2,3,19,20,22] The modification involved asking the subject to give a global rating of the perceived exertion for the entire exercise session ~30 minutes after the conclusion of an exercise bout rather than rating the momentary level of exertion as is the usual practice with RPE.[2,3,19,20,22] At that time, limited objective data were presented in support of the validity of the technique, on the basis of both heart rate (HR) and blood lactate responses. Several papers have used the Session RPE method in a variety of settings and have demonstrated its value relative to quantifying exercise training intensities[4,7,8,9,16,17,23] and as the intensity component of larger schemes of evaluating training programmes.[6,7,10,11,13,21] Most notably, the Session RPE method has been used to demonstrate inconsistencies between the training programmes designed by coaches and executed by athletes,[11] providing a plausible explanation for the incidence of overtraining syndrome in high-level athletes.[6] the validity of the Session RPE method has not been systematically tested against accepted objective methods of measuring exercise training intensity, such as %VO2peak, %HRpeak, and %HRreserve; nor has the reliability of the method been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Session RPE method
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
