ORIGINAL AND REVISED SCALES FOR RATINGS OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE)**

ACSM statement to be used with the RPE scale:

"During the exercise test we want your to pay close attention to how hard you feel the exercise work rate is. This feeling should reflect your total amount of exertion and fatigue, combining all sensations and feelings of physical stress, effort, and fatigue. Don't concern yourself with any one factor such as leg pain, shortness of breath or exercise intensity, but try to concentrate on your total, inner feeling of exertion. Try not to underestimate or overestimate your felling of exertion; be as accurate as you can."

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 5th ed., 1995, p. 77

NOTES:

• With experience accuracy with the RPE scale will improve especially with lower level ratings of exertion.
• RPE is an effective way to measure intensity for people that are on medications that may suppress HR.
• Particular individuals may have a more difficult time being accurate due to various psychological, social factors. (competitive, or not wanting to show weakness with fatigue being perceived as such, etc.)
• RPE scales should be used during testing to help monitor an individual's total level of physical exertion.
• RPE scales should be printed large enough that exercising individuals can read them easily.