Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1353166
A Learning Protocol Improves the Validity of the Borg 6–20 RPE Scale During Indoor Cycling
Publication History
accepted after revision 10 July 2013
Publication Date:
28 October 2013 (online)
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/sportsmed/201405/lookinside/thumbnails/10.1055-s-0033-1353166-1.jpg)
Abstract
The present study assessed the effectiveness of an RPE learning protocol for improving the validity of the Borg 6–20 RPE scale for self-regulating exercise intensity during Indoor Cycling (IC). 16 healthy adults performed 5 IC sessions. Heart rate (HR) was continuously monitored. In sessions 1 and 5, participants perceptually regulated exercise intensity to produce pre-determined RPE levels equivalent to estimated HR levels. Sessions 2, 3 and 4 focused on the RPE learning protocol. The RPE-measured HR correlation was 0.59 in session 1 and 0.67 in session 5 (both P<0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficient between measured HR and estimated HR was 0.85 in session 1 and 0.90 in session 5. There was bias in session 1 (3.69 bpm [SD=12.44]; P<0.001) but not in session 5 (0.99 bpm [SD=9.7]; P=0.178; mean HR difference session 5 vs. 1: −2.70 bpm [95% CI: −4.49 to −0.91]; P=0.003; Cohen’s d=0.24). There was association between the HR difference and the magnitude of the measurement in session 1 (β=0.208; P<0.01) but not in session 5 (β=−0.072; P=0.34). These preliminary results suggested that an RPE learning protocol might slightly improve the validity of the Borg 6–20 RPE scale for exercise intensity self-regulation during IC sessions in healthy adults.
Key words
spinning - exercise prescription - rating of perceived exertion - heart rate - production RPE paradigm - agreement between measurement methods* A. Soriano-Maldonado and L. Romero contributed equally.
-
References
- 1 Altman DG, Bland JM. Measurement in Medicine: The analysis of method comparison studies. J Roy Stat Soc Ser D 1983; 32: 307-317
- 2 Atkinson G, Nevill AM. Statistical methods for assessing measurement error (reliability) in variables relevant to sports medicine. Sports Med 1998; 26: 217-238
- 3 Bland JM, Altman DG. Comparing methods of measurement: Why plotting difference against standard method is misleading. Lancet 1995; 346: 1085-1087
- 4 Bland JM, Altman DG. Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet 1986; 1: 307-310
- 5 Borg G. Borg’s Perceived Exertion and Pain Scales. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 1998
- 6 Buckley JP, Eston RG, Sim J. Ratings of perceived exertion in braille: Validity and reliabity in production mode. Br J Sports Med 2000; 34: 297-302
- 7 Chen MJ, Fan X, Moe ST. Criterion-related validity of the Borg ratings of perceived exertion scale in healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. J Sports Sci 2002; 20: 873-899
- 8 Coquart JBJ, Legrand R, Robin S, Duhamel A, Matran R, Garcin M. Influence of successive bouts of fatiguing exercise on perceptual and physiological markers during an incremental exercise test. Psychophysiology 2009; 46: 209-216
- 9 Dunbar CC, Kalinski MI. Using RPE to regulate exercise intensity during a 20-week training program for postmenopausal women: A pilot study. Percept Mot Skills 2004; 99: 688-690
- 10 Eston R, Lambrick D, Sheppard K, Parfitt G. Prediction of maximal oxygen uptake in sedentary males from a perceptually regulated, sub-maximal graded exercise test. J Sports Sci 2008; 26: 131-139
- 11 Eston RG, Davies BL, Williams JG. Use of perceived effort ratings to control exercise intensity in young healthy adults. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1987; 56: 222-224
- 12 Eston RG, Faulkner JA, Mason EA, Parfitt G. The validity of predicting maximal oxygen uptake from perceptually regulated graded exercise tests of different durations. Eur J Appl Physiol 2006; 97: 535-541
- 13 Eston RG, Lamb KL, Parfitt G, King N. The validity of predicting maximal oxygen uptake from a perceptually-regulated graded exercise test. Eur J Appl Physiol 2005; 94: 221-227
- 14 Eston RG, Williams JG. Reliability of ratings of perceived effort regulation of exercise intensity. Br J Sports Med 1988; 22: 153-155
- 15 Faulkner J, Eston R. Overall and peripheral ratings of perceived exertion during a graded exercise test to volitional exhaustion in individuals of high and low fitness. Eur J Appl Physiol 2007; 101: 613-620
- 16 Garber CE, Blissmer B, Deschenes MR, Franklin BA, Lamonte MJ, Lee I-, Nieman DC, Swain DP. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011; 43: 1334-1359
- 17 Garcin M, Fleury A, Mille-Hamard L, Billat V. Sex-related differences in ratings of perceived exertion and estimated time limit. Int J Sports Med 2005; 26: 675-681
- 18 Green JM, McLester JR, Crews TR, Wickwire PJ, Pritchett RC, Lomax RG. RPE Association with Lactate and Heart Rate during High-Intensity Interval Cycling. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2006; 38: 167-172
- 19 Harriss DJ, Atkinson G. Update ethical standards in sport and exercise science research. Int J Sports Med 2011; 32: 819-821
- 20 Johnny G. Spinning® Instructor Manual. Phase 1: The Spinning® Journey 1.01. Givisiez, Switzerland: Schwinn Fitness International; 1996
- 21 Kang J, Chaloupka EC, Mastrangelo MA, Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, O’Connor E. Metabolic and perceptual responses during spinning® cycle exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2005; 37: 853-859
- 22 Lambrick DM, Faulkner JA, Rowlands AV, Eston RG. Prediction of maximal oxygen uptake from submaximal ratings of perceived exertion and heart rate during a continuous exercise test: The efficacy of RPE 13. Eur J Appl Physiol 2009; 107: 1-9
- 23 López-Miñarro PA, Muyor Rodríguez JM. Heart rate and overall ratings of perceived exertion during Spinning® cycle indoor session in novice adults. Sci Sports 2010; 25: 238-244
- 24 Nakagawa S, Schielzeth H. A general and simple method for obtaining R2 from generalized linear mixed-effects models. Meth Ecol Evol 2013; 4: 133-142
- 25 Noble B, Robertson R. Perceived exertion. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 1996
- 26 Parfitt G, Evans H, Eston R. Perceptually Regulated Training at RPE13 Is Pleasant and Improves Physical Health. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012; 44: 1613-1618
- 27 Purvis JW, Cureton KJ. Ratings of perceived exertion at the anaerobic threshold. Ergonomics 1981; 24: 295-300
- 28 Robertson RJ, Moyna NM, Sward KL, Millich NB, Goss FL, Thompson PD. Gender comparison of RPE at absolute and relative physiological criteria. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000; 32: 2120-2129
- 29 Scherr J, Wolfarth B, Christle JW, Pressler A, Wagenpfeil S, Halle M. Associations between Borg's rating of perceived exertion and physiological measures of exercise intensity. Eur J Appl Physiol 2013; 113: 147-155
- 30 Swain DP, Franklin BA. Comparison of cardioprotective benefits of vigorous versus moderate intensity aerobic exercise. Am J Cardiol 2006; 97: 141-147
- 31 Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001; 37: 153-156
- 32 Zou GY. Exact confidence interval for Cohen’s effect size is readily available. Stat Med 2007; 26: 3054-3056