Rating of perceived exertion: Fitness at your level

Workouts can be defined by a rating of perceived exertion (put simply, a way to determine how hard you are working).
Working on a scale of 1-10 the rating provides a useful intensity measure for your own level of fitness. For instance, an Olympian’s exertion of 5 will be very different to that of a couch potato - so the scale allows you to push your own boundaries. 


You may also hear people refer to a Borg scale, which ranges from 6-20 and is just as easy to follow.

Refer to the below rating of perceived exertion chart below to help gauge your own workouts.

Last updated Friday 20 May 2016

First published on Tuesday 22 March 2016