Imagine the most difficult work you've ever performed in your life. Now, imagine the easiest work you've ever done. That is what the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale aims to accommodate. For some, like those on heart rate-altering medication, the RPE scale is the only way to monitor intensity of exercise. Intermittent or continuous aerobic exercise may have two different effects on a person's RPE.
Rating of Perceived Exertion
RPE is a method of measuring intensity of work. A scale from 6 to 20 is used to correlate from very, very light work to very, very difficult work. The numbers on the scale represent a person's resting to maximal heart rate. To determine the perceived heart rate based on the scale, simply add a zero onto the end of the rating chose. The RPE scale starts at 6, because that represents the low end of a person's resting heart rate at 60. The scale extends up to 20, to represent a maximum heart rate of 200.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is physical activity that is sustainable in nature. By being sustainable, you must be using oxygen for energy production and be able to continue the exercise for at least three minutes. Aerobic exercise is usually done as a dynamic movement using large muscle groups. Examples can include walking, jogging, bicycling and swimming.
Duration
Aerobic exercise for health is recommended to be done for 20 to 30 minutes on five to seven days per week. For some, 20 minutes of continuous exercise can feel impossible. Since heart rate increases linearly with duration and intensity of exercise, it is safe to say that continuous exercise may have a linear increase on RPE. Breaking up exercise into intermittent durations of at least three minutes can help decrease RPE and assures that the exercise stays aerobic.
Benefits
Intermittent exercise that totals 20 to 30 minutes may be beneficial for a variety of people. For some, just starting an exercise program, five- to 10-minute intervals can seem much more manageable than a full 30 minutes. For others, like those with cardiovascular, respiratory or orthopedic disease, intermittent exercise may be all that can be physiologically done. For example, if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, shortness of breath may keep you from performing sustained exercise. If you can't catch your breath, your RPE more than likely will be higher.
References
- "Health Fitness Instructor's Handbook"; Edward T. Howley and B. Don Franks; 2003
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; Mitchell H. Whaley, Ph.D., Peter H. Brubaker, Ph.D., Robert M. Otto, Ph.D., editors; 2006
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