HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR BODY?
Combining the old as wine phrase "I know my body best" and the idea of rating or estimating the influence of exercise, physical activity, or sports on ones body, lead to the establishment of the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale. The RPE Scale is also know as the Borg Scale, or the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion.
While exercising, being physically active, or playing sports, the person can be asked to rate their exertion level as they perceive it. Two RPE scales exist: 1) The original RPE scale and
2) The Modified RPE scale. The original RPE scale and the modified RPE scale do not use the same scientific unit to interpret the person's perception of exertion.
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The original RPE scale ranges from 6 - 20, where any change (increase or decrease) in the ranking of the person's perceived exertion is meant to be the equivalent of an increase or decrease of a 10 beats per minute change in the person's heart rate. The advantages if the original RPE scale is the fact that the rating is supposed to correlate directly to an easily measurable physiological value such as heart rate. If a person indicates the RPE as a 6, according to the original RPE scale they should be at rest or very close to rest, and their heart rate is expected to be 60 beats per minute (give or take a bit; or a beat...).
The disadvantage of the original RPE scale is the basic assumption that human heart rate spans from 60 - 200 beats per minute. Yet, research has shown that humans' heart rate at rest can be lower than 60 beats per minute, and higher than 200 beats per minute at maximal effort, maximal exercise, or maximal intensity.
The modified RPE scale ranges from 0 - 10, where any change (increase or decrease) in the rating of the person's perceived exertion is meant to be the equivalent of an increase or decrease of a 10% change in the intensity of the activity. The advantages if the modified RPE scale is the fact that the rating is not dependent on a specific physiological measurement rather than the intensity (which is a relative scale since it uses percentage as its units), and the it allows "half units" or changes in 0.5 ratings rather than whole numbers. The modified RPE is an improvement upon the original RPE scale, and has no disadvantages perceived as part of it scale (0-10) or its interpretation from rating to intensity.
That said, both scales share several disadvantages due to the fact that they heavily depend on personal attributes of the person rating their level of exertion, and sensitivity to phrases that could have a different psychological interpretation from one person to the next. Since the person is ask to "perceive" their exertion, their rating is subjected to any psychological influences the person might incorporate while rating the exertion.
For example. if you were to ask them "how do you feel" or "how tired are you" or "how much do you feel challenged" psychological aspects might be brought into their rating, rather than rating their perceived exertion based of physical aspects only. Another great disadvantage of the RPE scales could be the person themself knowing how to use the scale, knowing how each rating should be interpreted, and using that knowledge as part of a strategy they may have. For example, if a person has a big ego and wants to look and seem fitter or "tougher" than they actually are, the will deliberately rate the exertion as lower.
Another way to use your knowledge of the RPE scale to your advantage is the knowledge that a person is considered "maxed" if they indicate an RPE of 18-20 on the original RPE scale or a 9-10 on the modified RPE scale. This means that you could use this knowledge to end a maximal exercise lab test or any other maximal test earlier, simply by indicating a higher RPE rating.
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In summary, the RPE scales are great to use in the absence of the ability to measure physiological measurements of physical activity and exercise; They are applicable to multiple modes of physical activity and exercise; The more trained the person, the more accurate the person's RPE becomes (if not negatively exploited); And they are a great tool to get a person "in touch" with their body as they are physically active or exercising.
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