Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during cycling exercises at constant power output

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to study the overall rating of perceived exertion (RPEov) according to the 6-20 scale proposed by Borg (1970) and muscular RPE (RPEmu) in exercises at constant load. The relationship between RPE and heart rate for three different loads was studied during exhausting exercises in 10 participants. Whether the drift of RPE during a 20 min exercise at constant load could be an index of the endurance time during long-lasting exercises at constant load was also investigated. At 1-week intervals, the participants performed cycling exercises up to exhaustion at 60, 73, and 86% maximal aerobic power (MAP) measured during an incremental test. Heart rate, RPEov, RPEmu and exhaustion time (tlim) were measured. The upward shift of the HRmax-RPE regressions was significant between 86, 73 and 60% MAP (p < 0.001) for RPEov and RPEmu. This result suggests that the equation HR = 10 x RPE proposed by Borg (1973) for incremental exercise is not valid for long-lasting exercise at constant load until exhaustion because the heart rate corresponding to a given RPE depends on load and time. Mean RPE increased linearly with time up to exhaustion. Unexpectedly, the relationships between RPEmu or RPEov and percentage of exhaustion time were similar for exercises at 60 and 73% MAP although the exhaustion times were very different (79.40 +/- 30.64 min versus 36.19 +/- 15.99 min, respectively) (p < 0.001). Consequently, it is likely that RPE was a subjective estimation of the hardness of exercise rather than the intensity of exercise. The RPE pattern at the beginning of long-lasting exercises at constant load (60 and 73% MAP) cannot be considered as a sensitive predictor of the point of self-imposed exhaustion for individuals. Indeed, the errors in the estimation of exhaustion time from extrapolation of RPE at the beginning of exercise were very large. Moreover, at 60% MAP, a steady-state in RPE was observed during 20 min in five subjects whose tlim were not longer than tlim of the other subjects. In addition, the data of the present study indicate that RPEmu could be more useful than RPEov in cycling.

The rate of increase in rating of perceived exertion predicts the duration of exercise to fatigue at a fixed power output in different environmental conditions

“…In this case, the RPE will rise linearly (Nethery 2002) to reach maximum levels at exercise completion, whether at volitional fatigue (Eston et al 2005(Eston et al , 2006(Eston et al , 2007(Eston et al , 2008Garcin et al 1998Garcin et al , 1999Garcin and Billat 2001;Garcin et al 2003;Horstman et al 1979;Morgan and Borg 1976;Noakes 2004), or at the finish of self-paced time-trial performances (Albertus et al 2005;Garcin et al 2003;Joseph et al 2008;Tucker et al 2004). As a result changes in perception of exertion measured early during exercise may be a sensitive predictor of exhaustion time (Eston et al 2005(Eston et al , 2006(Eston et al , 2007(Eston et al , 2008Garcin and Billat 2001;Horstman et al 1979;Morgan and Borg 1976).…”

Intensidad del ejercicio en ciclismo indoor / Exercise Intensity During Indoor Cycling

“…López-Miñaro y Muyor-Rodriguez (3) obtuvieron similares correlaciones entre la RPE y el %FCR (r=0.41; p<0.05) en una sesión de ciclismo indoor, al igual que otros estudios realizados sobre cicloergómetro, aunque no durante la práctica de ciclismo indoor (26,33). Las correlaciones observadas en nuestro estudio entre FC -RPE y entre %FCmáx teórica -RPE fueron similares.…”

Comportamento Da Freqüência Cardíaca E Da Percepção Subjetiva Durante O Exercício Realizado Em Intensidades Relativas Ao Limiar Anaeróbio

“…A FC foi determinada um freqüencímetro cardíaco (Polar, modelo S810), ao passo que a PSE foi mensurada por meio da escala de 15 pontos de Borg (1982). Essa escala já teve a sua reprodutibilidade anteriormente demonstrada em testes progressivos e de cargas constantes (GARCIN et al, 1998 …”

“…Conforme sugerido em outro estudo (DENADAI et al, 2004), a potência externa gerada no momento em que se obteve a concentração de 3,5 mmol l -1 de lactato foi utilizada para representar a W LAN . A PAM foi determinada a partir do último estágio em que os sujeitos conseguiram completá-la sem a redução do ritmo de 60 rpm (GARCIN et al, 1998 Os valores são médias ± desvios-padrão das intensidades referentes a 25% (■; n = 7), 50% (□; n = 7), 75% (•; n = 7), 100% (○; n = 6) e 125% (▼; n = 3) do limiar anaeróbio. A linha tracejada horizontal representa o valor médio da freqüência cardíaca correspondente ao limiar anaeróbio.…”

“…Desse modo, pode-se pressupor que, para todos os indivíduos do presente estudo, na intensidade a 75% da W LAN já não havia um completo estado estável fisiológico, pois a elevação da temperatura corporal e a modificação do balanço simpatovagal estão associadas tanto ao aumento da FC (BARON et al, 2003) como da PSE (GARCIN et al, 1998). Além disso, Noakes et al (2004) propuseram que o aumento da PSE também é modulado pelo grau de depleção do glicogênio muscular em atividades com intensidades constantes inferiores à W LAN .…”