What difference does it make how hard you work out?
Knowing how hard you are working out or any given movement is a really important way to track the progress that most people don’t think about. I learned all about this way back in my swimming days.
We would set a pace time and try to match that with our heart rate and perceived effort. I always liked those sets because they really had me connect with how hard I thought I was working. With how hard my HEART said I was working – and what the clock said. I had three ways to know if I was getting closer to my goal. That helped me see how they all worked together.
When I was recovering from a lifetime of chronic pain, these ideas would literally swim in my head at night. I could remember them when I was in the pool, but I never really considered they were useful in restoring my daily life as well. In PTA school I was formally introduced to the phrase, ‘ Perceived Rate of Exertion” or PRE.
I’d like to share how to use PRE with you today, so you have another way to be encouraged on your journey to living well and knowing how hard is too hard for today.
Can’t I just track my heart rate to know how hard I am working out?
Of course! Tracking your heart rate using a heart rate monitor or taking your pulse can always give you a rough guide. However, using your heart rate alone may not always be the best guide. It doesn’t capture the effort required to do the task or workout and often, that is more important in the early stages of a new task. Our heart rate also can’t account for how we are feeling on any given day. That’s why I like adding PRE into the mix. Using your rate of perceived exertion can help you to train or live at the right intensity to get the results that you want and to track and see daily activities getting easier.
What Is Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)?
RPE also known as the Borg scale, named after Dr. Gunnar Borg who designed the original scale, is a very simple tool that uses a number system to give you an idea of how hard you are working. It has been modified a lot over the years. ( Haven’t all the best tools been changed over time?) The original scale was 6-20. The bottom number 6 represented resting and the top number 20 was maximal intensity. ( ok maybe starting at 6 wasn’t the best idea.) Some of the research carried out on RPE found that if you added a zero to the end of the number chosen then it correlated pretty well with the individual’s heart rate.
Modified Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale
Since then most coaches and trainers have modified the scale to a 1-10 or a 0-10. The bottom of the scale is 0 or 1 and the top of the scale is 10. Frankly, I think this is easier to remember… so let’s go with this scale unless you are a purist and wanna stick with 6-20.
Why should I use RPE to determine how hard to work out?
RPE allows you to train/ live to a specific intensity to meet your pacing goals. If getting out of bed, showering, and getting dressed on a given morning fall into the 6, 7, and 8 range, that’s a good indication you will need to adjust your day. We know movement can be hard. We know stress can affect pain. By adjusting your workout, or your day, we can reduce flare-ups.
Using RPE also helps you ensure you’re pushing yourself enough to get results on days when you feel at your best. It helps you find that sweet spot. Not too much, not too little. Isn’t balance what we are all looking for?
How hard should I work out?
Well, first let’s talk about the first goal we are trying to reach. Research suggests that 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, and 2 days of resistance training will significantly improve your health and reduce the risk of suffering from numerous life-threatening medical conditions.
Kinda ironic isn’t it?
Thank goodness our movement snacks count as part of our 150 minutes! If you are ready for a “formal” exercise, set some goals and get started. If you are where I started and needed to figure out how to live in your own day first – THAT’S OK! Break your day up and make sure you are getting 150 minutes a week of a combination of movements. Stairs, little walks, movement snacks – I think if you add up all that you do, you will be impressed with yourself. I bet you move more than you think.
So how hard? Everyone has their sweet spot. I know coming out of COVID and my hibernation, things that used to feel like a 2 now feel like a 6. So, I adjust. I plan. Get creative. I look at simple tasks like clearing up my yard as an opportunity to improve my health and if I get up into the higher numbers when I don’t intend to, I adjust my pace. Don’t be afraid to adjust your workouts or activity based on your RPE. If you always feel like you are working 9/10 then you aren’t going to make as much progress as you could because you are just killing yourself every day. . You won’t be able to recover and stay consistent over time – which is the key to success! Even when you are gardening, or getting dressed.
What affects my RPE?
One of my favorite things about this is, RPE is a subjective assessment. It’s based on how you feel in the moment. Because it’s a self-determined rating, it allows you to take into account external factors that affect your day or your workout performance. Including whether you’ve had enough sleep, what you’ve eaten that day, and whether you’re under any form of stress.
The great thing about using RPE is that it can change day-to-day based on how YOU are feeling. The same activity or workout could feel different on another day depending on a number of factors – stress levels, nutrition, hydration, sleep, etc. We all know that sometimes cleaning the kitchen can feel smooth and easy or other days it feels like a max effort. For me, it really depends on who cooked last. HA, just kidding… not really. My daughter is an amazing cook, but she is also a bit of a tornado in the kitchen.
I digress, If you are dehydrated or you have a stressful event coming up, you might find that you reach the same RPE with a lower objective exercise intensity than if you had a good night’s sleep and plenty of water. The short answer. Everything. Everything that affects your pain, your stress, and your life affect your PRE. That’s ok. This is merely a reflective exercise to help you understand how hard you are working at a given exercise or living within your life.
Knowing your numbers
9-10 are not necessary on a day-to-day basis as they require you to work to maximal exertion, which can require 1-2 days of recovery. ( Hear that my type A’s!) Harkening back to the stone ages of my swimming career, working at this level was a RACE or special sets prepping for a race. It was rare. Are you picking up what I am putting down here?
Working this hard REQUIRES a PLANNED REST AND RECOVERY time.
7-8 is a vigorous workout, these numbers represent a challenge, possibly fat burning. Most likely it is hard to carry on an easy conversation at this level of PRE.
5-6 I personally think this is the sweet spot for a sustainable workout. Cruising along knowing you are working but can carry on a conversation with a friend. It feels like you are giving an effort, but you know you can carry on for a bit. A nice moderate intensity. If I think about a 5-6 in the pool, I know I can sustain this for a really long time.
3-4 Many may argue with me, but I tend to think of this zone as things in my daily non-pain life like a whole house blitz, mopping, vacuuming, up and down the stairs. Digging holes in the garden, carrying in groceries… things that slightly get my heart rate up, and I notice I am giving a bit more, but don’t really make me stop and assess my effort – it’s more like I was just aware my heart was beating a little harder than during my average day. It’s a feel-good spot for me. Unless I am sick… then a shower feels like this and that isn’t good.
1-2 How life should be. A warm-up for your workout. Daily activities like dressing, making the bed, and getting the mail. This is the ease you want in your day and your life. We can’t stay here or we never improve, but easy is really ok sometimes!
Train at a variety of intensities to maximize your results
No matter what workout or daily task you choose, using a variety of intensities can help you to prevent or break through a workout or life plateau. It is true, we must push and build wisely if we want to regain ground.
By using your RPE, you can train according to the right level of intensity at every stage. As you use this rating, over time you’ll get better at using it to train hard enough and to go easier when you need to.
How will you use RPE to get moving?
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