If you're a personal trainer or a fitness enthusiast, you may have heard of RPE; RPE stands for "Rating of Perceived Exertion," and it's a subjective measurement of how hard an individual feels like they're working during physical activity.
In this post, we'll dive deeper into everything you need to know and how it can make your workouts and training schedule more organised and help you to understand your progress. While this is a useful guide for up coming PTs, those who aren’t and still want to use the RPE scale can find out all you need here!
What is RPE?
RPE is a way of measuring the intensity of physical activity based on how hard it feels for the individual performing it.
It's usually measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very light and 10 being very hard. The RPE scale can also be modified to include verbal and visual cues to help individuals better understand and communicate their perceived exertion levels.
How Personal Trainers Use RPE
Personal trainers use RPE to help clients gauge the intensity of their workouts and ensure they're working within the appropriate range for their fitness goals.
For example, if a client wants to improve their cardiovascular endurance, the trainer may use RPE to help them maintain a specific intensity during their workouts. Alternatively, if a client is recovering from an injury, RPE can help the trainer monitor their progress and adjust their workout intensity accordingly.
RPE is also used to design workout programs that are tailored to the individual's fitness level and goals. By using RPE, personal trainers can ensure that each workout is challenging enough to elicit a training response without overtaxing the client's body.
Why RPE is Useful
RPE is a useful tool for personal trainers because it allows them to design effective workout programs that are tailored to each individual client.
It also helps trainers monitor their clients' progress and adjust their workout intensity as needed. Additionally, RPE can help prevent injury by ensuring that clients are working within their safe and effective intensity range.
RPE is also useful for clients since it helps them better understand how their body responds to physical activity. By paying attention to their perceived exertion levels, clients can learn to adjust their workout intensity based on how they feel when they’re not with their trainer and are instead alone in the gym, allowing them to get the most out of their workouts without risking injury.
Making RPE Simple for Your Clients
While RPE may seem complicated at first, it can be made simple by providing clear instructions and using visual aids. Here are some tips for making RPE easy to understand:
Use the 1-10 Scale - The 1-10 RPE scale is easy to understand and provides a simple way for clients to communicate their perceived exertion levels.
Provide Verbal Cues - Verbal cues can help clients understand what each level of the RPE scale means. For example, a trainer may explain that a level 3 on the RPE scale feels like a "moderate" effort, while a level 7 feels like a "very hard" effort.
Use Visual Aids - Visual aids, such as a chart or diagram of the RPE scale, can help clients and yourself better understand and remember the different levels of perceived exertion.
Practice - Encourage clients to practise using RPE during their workouts alone. Over time, they will become more familiar with the scale and better able to communicate their perceived exertion levels.
How to Implement RPE in Your Workouts
Now that you understand what RPE is and why it's useful, you may be wondering how to implement it in your workouts, either for you, or as a personal trainer implementing it for your clientele. Here are some steps to help you get started:
Determine Yours or Your Client's Fitness Level: Before you can use RPE to design a workout program, you need to determine your client's fitness level. This can be done through a fitness assessment or by simply asking your client about their previous workout experience.
Set Specific Goals: Once you know your client's fitness level, you can help them set specific goals. For example, if they want to improve their cardiovascular endurance, you can use RPE to design a workout program that gradually increases their intensity over time.
Monitor Progress - To ensure that you, or your client is making progress towards their goals, monitor RPE during each workout. If the RPE is consistently too low, the workout may not be challenging enough. On the other hand, if the RPE is consistently too high, the workout may be too intense and could lead to injury.
Adjust Intensity as Needed: Based on the client's RPE and progress towards their goals, you may need to adjust the intensity of their workouts. This can be done by increasing or decreasing the intensity of individual exercises, or by adjusting the overall workout program.
The Benefits of Using RPE in Your Workouts
There are many benefits to using RPE in your workouts, both for personal trainers and clients. Here are some of the most significant benefits:
Customisation: RPE allows you to customise workouts to each individual client's fitness level and goals, which can lead to more effective and efficient workouts.
Preventing Injury: By ensuring that clients are working within their safe and effective intensity range, RPE can help prevent injury.
Monitoring Progress: RPE allows you to monitor clients' progress and adjust their workouts as needed, which can help them stay motivated and make consistent progress towards their goals.
Communication: RPE provides a common language for clients and trainers to communicate about workout intensity, which can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.
How to Incorporate RPE into Cardiovascular Workouts
RPE can be used in a variety of workouts, including cardiovascular workouts. Here are some tips for incorporating RPE into such:
Start Slow - If your client is new to cardiovascular exercise, start slow and gradually increase the intensity over time. Use RPE to monitor their perceived exertion and make sure they're working within their safe and effective intensity range.
Mix it Up - To keep clients engaged and prevent boredom, mix up the types of cardiovascular exercise you include in their workouts. For example, you could alternate between running, cycling, and rowing, and use RPE to adjust the intensity for each exercise.
Consider Intervals - Intervals can be a great way to incorporate high-intensity exercise into cardiovascular workouts. Use RPE to determine the appropriate intensity for each interval, and gradually increase the intensity over time.
Use RPE to Measure Progress - As with any other type of workout, use RPE to measure your client's progress over time. If the RPE is consistently too low, it may be time to increase the intensity. On the other hand, if the RPE is consistently too high, the workout may be too intense and could lead to injury.
Adjust as Needed: Based on your client's RPE and progress, adjust their cardiovascular workouts as needed. This can include changing the type of exercise, adjusting the intensity or duration of intervals, or modifying the overall workout program.
Before You Go…
RPE is a simple and effective tool for personal trainers to use when designing workout programs for their clients, or for yourself to track progress.
If you want to learn more about how the RPE scale is used at Infinity Performance, find out how to join the ever growing coaching team here.
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