Instructions for Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale
While doing physical activity, we want you to rate your perception of
exertion.
This
feeling should reflect how heavy and strenuous the exercise feels to you,
combining all sensations and feelings of physical stress, effort, and
fatigue.
Do
not concern yourself with any one factor such as leg pain or shortness of
breath, but try to focus on your total feeling of exertion.
Look
at the rating scale below while you are engaging in an activity; it ranges
from 6 to 20, where 6 means "no exertion at all" and 20 means "maximal
exertion."
Choose the number from below that best describes your level of exertion.
This
will give you a good idea of the intensity level of your activity, and you
can use this information to speed up or slow down your movements to reach
your desired range.
Try
to appraise your feeling of exertion as honestly as possible, without
thinking about what the actual physical load is. Your own feeling of effort
and exertion is important, not how it compares to other people's.
Look
at the scales and the expressions and then give a number.
9
corresponds to "very light" exercise. For a healthy person, it is like
walking slowly at his or her own pace for some minutes
13
on the scale is "somewhat hard" exercise, but it still feels OK to continue.
17
"very hard" is very strenuous. A healthy person can still go on, but he or
she really has to push him- or herself. It feels very heavy, and the person
is very tired.
19
on the scale is an extremely strenuous exercise level. For most people this
is the most strenuous exercise they have ever experienced.
Borg RPE scale
© Gunnar Borg, 1970, 1985, 1994, 1998 |