Rating of Perceived Exertion

Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a self-reported measure of how hard or strenuous physical activity feels to the person performing it. Perceived exertion reflects the overall sensation of effort experienced during exercise and integrates sensations associated with factors such as muscular work, breathing, and cardiovascular responses. RPE provides a subjective measure of exercise intensity rather than directly measuring a physiological variable .^1,2

The best-known method is the Borg RPE scale, which ranges from 6 to 20 and uses verbal descriptions ranging from no exertion to maximal exertion. The numerical range was designed so that ratings during aerobic exercise would broadly correspond to heart rate divided by ten in many healthy adults, although this relationship is approximate and varies among individuals and circumstances. Another commonly used Borg scale is the category-ratio CR10 scale, which uses numerical and verbal anchors commonly spanning 0 to 10 .^1,2

RPE generally rises as exercise intensity increases and is associated with physiological responses such as increasing oxygen consumption, ventilation, and heart rate. Because it requires no equipment, RPE can be used to monitor or prescribe relative exercise intensity. However, the relationship between a particular RPE and an objective workload varies with exercise mode, training status, environmental conditions, fatigue, and other individual factors .^2,3

RPE is distinct from measures such as heart rate, power output, or oxygen uptake. Those measurements quantify specific aspects of workload or physiological response, whereas RPE describes the individual's integrated perception of how demanding the exercise feels. It is also distinct from pain or discomfort, which can occur alongside exertion but represent different sensations .^1,2