Monitoring Exercise Intensity During Resistance Training Using the Session RPE Scale

TLDR

The study examined whether the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale reliably quantifies exercise intensity across high, moderate, and low‑intensity resistance training. Nine men and ten women performed two sessions of each intensity, completing five exercises (back squat, bench press, overhead press, biceps curl, triceps pushdown) with high intensity at 90 % 1RM (4–5 reps), moderate at 70 % 1RM (10 reps), and low at 50 % 1RM (15 reps), and RPE was recorded after each set and 30 min postexercise. Session RPE was significantly higher for high‑intensity bouts than moderate or low, with an intraclass correlation of 0.88, indicating that the scale reliably reflects resistance‑training intensity.

Abstract

This study investigated the reliability of the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale to quantify exercise intensity during high-intensity (H), moderate-intensity (M), and low-intensity (L) resistance training. Nine men (24.7 +/- 3.8 years) and 10 women (22.1 +/- 2.6 years) performed each intensity twice. Each protocol consisted of 5 exercises: back squat, bench press, overhead press, biceps curl, and triceps pushdown. The H consisted of 1 set of 4-5 repetitions at 90% of the subject's 1 repetition maximum (1RM). The M consisted of 1 set of 10 repetitions at 70% 1RM, and the L consisted of 1 set of 15 repetitions at 50% 1RM. RPE was measured following the completion of each set and 30 minutes postexercise (session RPE). Session RPE was higher for the H than M and L exercise bouts (p < or = 0.05). Performing fewer repetitions at a higher intensity was perceived to be more difficult than performing more repetitions at a lower intensity. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the session RPE was 0.88. The session RPE is a reliable method to quantify various intensities of resistance training.