The use of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) to determine intensity during endurance running

Author

Keith Allen West

Date of Award

12-1995

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Human Performance and Sport Studies

Major Professor

Dixie L. Thompson

Committee Members

Edward Howley, David Bassett Jr.

Abstract

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that individuals exercise 20-60 minutes, three to five days per week at an intensity of 55 to 90% of maximal heart rate or a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 12 to 16. While these guidelines are adequate for those individuals wanting to improve fitness, they do not address the issue of performance enhancement. RPE was developed as a way to quantify subjective feelings of effort during exercise. RPE rises linearly with heart rate (HR), is positively related to oxygen consumption, and also shows a strong association with blood lactate concentrations (BLC). Because of the strong association with BLC, it seems reasonable to use RPE as a way to set exercise intensities that will result in an individual training at specific levels of lactate accumulation. However, the efficacy of using this method of exercise prescription has not been documented. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the physiological responses (i.e., lactate and HR) obtained at the RPE associated with a BLC of 2.5 mM during an incremental treadmill test is comparable to the physiological response obtained when subjects are told to run for 30 minutes on an outdoor track at the RPE corresponding to a BLC of 2.5 mM . Nine experienced runners (6 males, 3 females; VO_2peak = 56.2 ± 6.7 ml•kg^-1•min^-1; yrs running = 6.3 ± 3.0 yrs; mean age = 21.2 ± 1.9 yrs) completed a horizontal, incremental treadmill test. The initial velocity was 134 m•min^-1 and was increased by 13.4 m•min^-1 every 3 min. RPE, HR, VO₂, and lactate (Lac) were measured during the last 30 sec of every stage. The test was terminated when the subject reached voluntary exhaustion. RPE at 2.5 mM of lactate (Lac @2.5) during the treadmill protocol was used to specify the intensity during a subsequent 30 min outdoor track run. During the track run, subjects were instructed to maintain this RPE (RPE charts were posted at 200 m intervals) and were blinded to time and HR. Each track test was conducted within 4 days of the treadmill test and when the environmental temperature was between 10 and 21 °C. HR and Lac were measured every 10 min and velocity was assessed every 5 min during the track run. Repeated measures ANOVA and Scheffe's post hoc comparison were used to establish significant differences (p<0.05) between the Lac, HR, and velocity values at 2.5 mM of Lac on the treadmill run and the values obtained during the track run. The results revealed that the Lac during the track run was significantly higher at min 10 (6.87 ± 2.85 mM), 20 (6.32 ± 2.86 mM), and 30 (5.83 ± 3.02 mM) than 2.5 mM from the treadmill run. The HR corresponding to 2.5 mM of Lac (173.7 ± 6.1 bpm) during the treadmill run was significantly lower (p<0.05) than at min 10 (182.6 ± 9.3 bpm) and 20 (182.9 ± 8.0 bpm) of the track run but no different than the HR at 30 min (181.3 ± 10.6 bpm). No difference was observed between the velocity at 2.5 mM on the treadmill (224.8 ± 34.7 m•min^-1) and the average velocity during the 30 min track run (230.3 ± 13.0 m•min^-1). However, significance was found between the velocity of the initial 5 minutes of the track run (252.5 ± 45.1 m•min^-1) and the velocity at min 10 (222.5 ± 38.9 m•min^-1), 20 (218.5 ± 32.4 m•min^-1), and 30 (220.4 ± 35.3 m•min^-1). This initial elevation in velocity may explain the higher Lac observed throughout the 30 min track run. These findings revealed that, in these experienced runners, the use of RPE to set running intensity on an outdoor track resulted in HR and Lac responses that were significantly higher than those observed at the same RPE during the treadmill run. Even though RPE can be used as a general guide for exercise prescription, this study demonstrates the difficulty of generating a specific physiological response through the use of RPE.

Recommended Citation

West, Keith Allen, "The use of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) to determine intensity during endurance running. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1995.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/11327