In this article, I will discuss how you can use RPE for cardio to get the most out of your cardio efforts.
What is RPE?
RPE refers to Rate of Perceived Exertion, or your subjective intensity level during a workout. You can quantify your perceived exertion for cardio.
RPE 1 equals lying down in bed while RPE 10 refers to the hardest, fastest and most painful sprint of your life. The RPE levels in between can describe your perceived exertion for most kinds of cardio workouts.
RPE 2-3
RPE 2-3 qualifies as recovery work. A slow casual stroll or an easy recovery bike ride after a training session could feel like a difficulty of 2-3 out of 10.
RPE 3-4
Actually, RPE 3-4 feels like a pretty easy walk or bike ride.
RPE 5-6
Next, RPE 5-6 feels like a long slow distance run or easy jog around the block. This type of workout feels moderately easy. You could sustain this pace for about one hour.
RPE 7
At RPE 7, you start huffing and puffing a little bit. You might start to feel out of breath and some burning in your muscles. You could probably sustain this pace for about 20 minutes.
RPE 8-9
A RPE 8-9 feels very hard, but below peak effort. Your muscles burn and you feel out of breath.
RPE 10
RPE 10 represents maximum exertion. You can’t sustain this pace for very long. Your heart rate gets close to your maximum heart rate?
Benefits of RPE Training
RPE training helps you work around individual differences in heart rate, training heart rate and maximum heart rate. Using RPE allows you to work at the right intensity.
For instance, women usually have lower maximum heart rates than men, so standard heart rate prescriptions for training would actually make most women work too hard during their cardio training.
Finally, older individuals and those using beta blockers usually have lower maximum and exercise heart rates, so heart rate formulas for exercise will often make them work too hard.
The opposite effect occurs for young people. Using heart rate zones could cause them to miss out on some training adaptations.
Using RPE or rate of perceived exertion helps everybody get the best adaptations to training.
Problems with Heart Rate Prescriptions
Heart rate training zones are designed for people with average heart rate responses to exercise.
For example, the Karvonen Exercise Heart Rate Formula advises unfit individuals with higher resting heart rates to work at higher heart rates than fit people. Does it really make sense to make unfit people work at high heart rates and intensities?
Instead of basing your training off of these flawed formulas, just use RPE to make sure your workouts feel like the right intensity.
Tracking Improvements
As you get fitter, you will still be able to sustain higher workloads with the same or lower rates of perceived exertion. Your resting and exercise heart rates will still decrease, both with activity and at rest.
For instance, let’s say you start your training running 3 miles at RPE 5 and it takes you 30 minutes. Your resting heart rate beats 67 times per minute ).
Within 2 months, you can run 3 miles at RPE 5 in 27 minutes. Your resting heart rate now averages 64 beats per minute. You have still improved your cardiovascular fitness, without having to track your exercise heart rate during your exercise sessions.
This approach allows you to focus on your response to exercise without tracking your heart rate.
RPE Guides your Training
RPE prescriptions can tell you how hard to work during your cardio session.
This method can work just as well or better than tracking your heart rate during your cardio workouts.
Final Thoughts
Do you use RPE for cardio training? Let me know in the comments below.
