E25 / E55 Elliptical
26
Rate of Perceived Exertion
Heart rate is important but listening to your body also has a lot of advantages. There are
more variables involved in how hard you should workout than just heart rate. Your stress
level, physical health, emotional health, temperature, humidity, the time of day, the last time
you ate and what you ate, all contribute to the intensity at which you should workout. If you
listen to your body, it will tell you all of these things.
The rate of perceived exertion (RPE), also know as the Borg scale, was developed by
Swedish physiologist G.A.V. Borg. This scale rates exercise intensity from 6 to 20
depending upon how you feel or the perception of your effort.