Ratings of Perceived Exertion During Acute Resistance Exercise Performed at Imposed and Self-Selected Loads in Recreationally Trained Women

Abstract

Cotter, JA, Garver, MJ, Dinyer, TK, Fairman, CM, and Focht, BC. Ratings of perceived exertion during acute resistance exercise performed at imposed and self-selected loads in recreationally trained women. J Strength Cond Res 31(8): 2313-2318, 2017-Resistance exercise (RE) is commonly used to elicit skeletal muscle adaptation. Relative intensity of a training load links closely with the outcomes of regular RE. This study examined the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) responses to acute bouts of RE using imposed (40% and 70% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) and self-selected (SS) loads in recreationally trained women. Twenty physically active women (23.15 ± 2.92 years), who reported regular RE training of at least 3 weekly sessions for the past year, volunteered to participate. During the initial visit, participants completed 1RM testing on 4 exercises in the following order: leg extension, chest press, leg curl, and lat pull-down. On subsequent visits, the same exercises were completed at the SS or imposed loads. The RPE was assessed after the completion of each set of exercises during the 3 RE conditions using the Borg-15 category scale. Self-selected loads corresponded to an average of approximately 57%1RM (±7.62). Overall, RPE increased with load (40%1RM = 11.26 [±1.95]; SS 57%1RM = 13.94 [±1.58]; and, 70%1RM = 15.52 [±2.05]). Reflecting the linear pattern found between load and perceived effort, the present data provide evidence that RPE levels less than 15 likely equate to loads which are not consistent with contemporary American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for enhancing musculoskeletal health which includes strength and hypertrophy. Women desiring increases in strength and lean mass likely need to train at an exertion level at or surpassing a rating of 15 on the Borg-15 category. This article examined the modification of training load on perceived exertion, but other variables, such as the number of repetitions completed, may also be targeted to achieve a desired RPE. The primary understanding is that women who engage in RE may not self-select loads that are consistent with the ACSM recommendations for musculoskeletal health.

Can people self-select an exercise intensity sufficient to enhance muscular strength during weight training?

“…In studies with resistance-trained people (at least 12 months of experience with weight training), the self-selected loads were lower than those recommended for eliciting strength gains. [17,20] These studies consisted of only 1 experimental session. In the study of Faries and Lutz [28] that lasted 6 weeks, the authors observed that in the fifth training session, the loads reached those recommended by the guidelines.…”

“…However, in studies conducted with recreationally trained adults (minimum of 6 months of resistance training experience), it was observed that these loads were below the recommended intensity to enhance muscle strength. [17,20]…”

Heart Rate Variability Responses to an Undulating Resistance Training Program in Free-Living Conditions: A Case Study in a Collegiate Athlete

“…In the present study, RPE was shown to have significant correlation with total volume-load, but not with HRV metrics. RPE has been shown to be a strong indicator of fatigue accumulated during resistance training programs [25,26,27,28,29,30]. The combination of subjective measures from RPE and objective measures from HRV metrics may be a viable option for measuring fatigue accumulation and tracking recovery for researchers and practitioners.…”

“…Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) using the Borg CR-10 scale was collected after each training session as a means of measuring intensity and a subjective measure of fatigue accumulation. RPE was used in addition to 1RM percentage loading zones to determine intensities of the prescribed training sessions, as well as the athlete’s perception of performance [24,25,26,27]. Intra-set rest periods were 60–90 s for the first mesocycle, two minutes for the second mesocycle, two to three minutes for the third mesocycle, and three minutes for the fourth mesocycle.…”

Structure of a year cycle of athletes training in aerobics (woman) with various psychophysiological and functional features

“…Other researches show necessity of ensuring level of athletes' health: determination of correlation features of subjective and physiological parameters on reaction to load [18][19][20]; due to use of modern techniques of a cardio-strength training [21,22]; application of tests for evaluation of functionality [23][24][25]; application of biochemical tests for determination of health level [26][27][28]; increase in indicators of life quality [29][30][31].…”