Navigating Intensity with Perceived Effort
In the dynamic world of running, metrics like pace and heart rate often take the spotlight, but there’s a subtle yet influential player on the field – Rate of Perceived Exertion, or RPE. Let’s dive into what RPE is, why it matters, and how you can apply our RPE scale to boost your run.
TL;DR
- RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion, is a subjective scale measuring the intensity of physical activity on a scale of 1 to 10
- It empowers you to tweak ‘prescriptive workout intensities,’ providing flexibility to adapt to individual capabilities and environmental factors
- Mastering perceived effort becomes a game-changer in races, enhancing your ability to pace intuitively and strategically
- Our RPE scale serves as a structured guide, offering a practical framework to understand your physiological thresholds and zones
The Basics
RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion, is a subjective measure reflecting how hard you feel you are working during physical activity. The scale is typically numerical, ranging from 6 to 20, as originally developed by Swedish psychologist Dr. Gunnar Borg, or 1 to 10, with higher numbers indicating higher perceived exertion. In both cases, individuals assign a numerical value to their perception of effort during exercise, considering factors such as breathing, muscle fatigue, and overall discomfort.
The Importance of RPE
Understanding RPE isn’t just about assessing effort; it’s a key player in optimizing your training regimen, allowing you to tweak ‘prescriptive workout intensities’ based on heart rate and pace. While these metrics have their value, it is to acknowledge that they are influenced by factors like fatigue, how well you are fueled, environmental conditions, and many others. The adaptability of perceived effort enables runners to tailor their training intensity based on their individual capabilities on any given day, helping to optimize workouts and avoid overtraining.
Beyond day-to-day training, mastering RPE becomes a game changer in races. This dynamic allows for intuitive energy and pace management, preventing early blow-ups, optimizing energy distribution, and empowering strategic decisions. By embracing RPE, you elevate your ability to pace intuitively, making a significant difference in your overall race performance.
Applying RPE in Your Runs
In the pursuit of mastering RPE, MOONSHOT offers a structured RPE guide to understanding the nuances of perceived effort across various intensities. Here’s how to effectively interpret the RPE scale:
| RPE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | VERY EASY Running is very comfortable–you feel like you are holding back–and you can converse and breath with ease. This level of exertion is almost primarily applied during recovery sections between harder intervals. |
| 2-4 | EASY Your ‘I can do this all day’ pace. Effort is light and you can maintain the pace without much strain, holding a conversation with fellow runners. |
| 5-6 | MODERATE A somewhat challenging yet sustainable pace with noticeably deeper and more rhythmic breathing, signaling a shift beyond the aerobic threshold. You can still hold a conversation with some effort. |
| 7 | HARD A (comfortably) hard effort, breathing is pronounced and rapid, marking the anaerobic threshold. Talking has become more difficult and in short sentences. |
| 8-9 | VERY HARD A high-intensity effort with heavy and labored breathing. Talking is reduced to single words. |
| 10 | NEAR MAX Near maximum effort where running is at or above VO2max; breathing is rapid, deep, and intense. You cannot talk. |
This scale guides both low and high-intensity workouts. For low-intensity training, it helps you maintain a sustainable pace, ensuring you stay within your aerobic threshold—where your body efficiently utilizes oxygen and maximizes fat burning. As you push towards higher intensities, RPE assists in identifying the anaerobic threshold, where the reliance on anaerobic pathways increases, contributing to muscle fatigue.
Take note that in our RPE framework, a rating of 10 signifies running at or slightly above VO2max, pushing the aerobic system to its highest ‘sustainable’ capacity. It does not imply running all-out or at maximum velocity, indicative of anaerobic capacity and neuromuscular power. This distinction is relevant for endurance athletes, emphasizing the significance of pushing limits within the aerobic zone. To illustrate, about 90–95% of the energy you use will be produced aerobically for a 5K race. For the marathon, it is as about 99%.
With RPE to PR
Embracing RPE is not just about understanding effort. By incorporating it into your running journey, you unlock the potential for improved performance, better endurance gains, and a more intuitive connection with your body.