Being in tune with the tune your body plays during workouts

Are you good at determining your exercise intensity?

 

 

How in tune with your body are you?  When you train hard, can you tell how far you have actually pushed yourself?  I came across a scale of exertion a few years back.  I thought that you might be interested in taking a look at it.  It’s called the Borg scale (1988).  It is linked to our heart rate.  So here is how it works. 

 

 

 

·    You familiarise yourself with the scale (numbers and terms for exertion levels)

 

·    You perform your work out

 

·    As your activity level peaks you choose which level you believe is relevant to your level of exertion (think how you feel all round – breathing, aching, burn…)

 

·    Then compare it to your actual heart rate

 

·    Times your Borg scale reading by 10 and check to see whether it matches your actual heart rate

 

·    Use it to get in tune with your body (note that 6 = no effort and 20 = maximal effort)

 

 

 

The Borg Scale of Perceived Rate of Exertion (PRE)

6 No exertion at all

7 Extremely light

8

9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace)

10

11 Light

12

13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue)

14

15 Hard (heavy)

16

17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued)

18

19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace)

20 Maximal exertion

 

 

 

 

 

My heart rate tends to be the same as my perceived rate of exertion, which I guess means that I am fairly in tune with what is happening to my body.  Sometimes my stubbornness intervenes though.  I had my VO2 max taken a couple of years ago.  I was sure I could continue to push myself even though my stats showed that I was at the point of collapse – so I couldn’t demonstrate awareness on this occasion!

 

 

VO2 max testing using a bike

I think the Borg scale can be useful for developing good intuition and helping you to adjust your input to get the results you want.  Have a play with it and see if how you think you feel is reflected by what is actually happening to your body.  As you get fitter, you'll need to work harder to raise your heart rate.  The Borg Scale PRC is often used in the NHS for those with cardiovascular conditions and patients on certain medications.

 

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