An argument for going by feel aka “RPE”
I recently got an email from someone after they saw one of my Instagram posts.
It made me happy to hear someone actually sees my posts! Half the time I feel like an old man yelling at clouds or maybe just like I'm screaming into the void... both of which I enjoy doing.
In the email, they were asking about Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and how it could be applied to their marathon training.
I'll be honest and tell you that I don't know too much about HRV. It's a bit of a blind spot for me. I've always kept a paper lifting journal and have used a "rating of perceived exertion" model for determining intensity for several years. I also usually get scared when a marathoner asks me questions about their running training and I tend to refer them to someone much more experienced and capable in that domain.
With all that out of the way, I'll share my thoughts on why I like the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) as a tool for measuring and modulating intensity in training.
What is RPE?
Rating of perceived exertion or RPE is a system to label the effort level we apply to something. Typically it ranges from 1-10. 1 is minimal effort and 10 is Herculean effort. An RPE 10 is the absolute max effort we could ever produce. It’s unwise to treat every training or rehab session as RPE 10 just like you don’t drive to get milk by slamming the gas pedal down to the floor.
In the clinic I often use RPE to help patients plan their training (biking, lifting, swimming etc.) and also to help inform rehab decisions we need to make.
RPE can be used to adapt your training to your condition
I think if we have a thoughtful plan for progress and have a goal we are working to, we can use RPE to inform our day-to-day training habits and ensure that we aren’t overextending ourselves or sandbagging workouts.
If I have a night where our son wakes us up 2-3 times and both our dogs decide they want to play in the yard at 2am, I likely won’t be in peak physical shape for training the next day. If I were to be super rigid and attempt to achieve a specific pre-determined pace on my bike or a certain weight on my squat, I might fail miserably in a spectacular display of foolishness.
Here’s the post that inspired the email I received.
Cue the RPE system. By using this system we can modify our training within the workout to be more suitable for our level of readiness. For example, if I am deadlifting and it’s supposed to be a heavy day, I might aim for a hard set at RPE 8. I would usually take a look at my previous performances (keeping a log book is helpful) and if I’m feeling good I can go up in weight or reps, whereas if I’m feeling lousy I can go down in weight and reps. It is still a productive workout as long as I can confidently achieve that RPE 8 I was aiming for.
***Effectively using the RPE system in training does require some practice and it may be worth getting guidance so you don’t consistently go too easy or too hard.
RPE is awesome for rehab of painful conditions
I think with any new stimulus there is a period of adaptation. During this time it can be hard to determine which direction things are going. The indicators of improvement are sometimes lagging behind our actual actions. Meaning, we might get slower before we get faster, or we might get weaker before we get stronger, or we might even get more pain before the pain goes away.
Employing RPE for rehab has been a revelation for me and many of my patients find it very helpful. With acutely painful conditions, there are dozens of factors that may be influencing our symptoms from day-to-day. It is complicated, it is frustrating, and we don’t always know the exact right thing to do.
Cue the RPE system. We can use this system to let many of our favourite activities and hobbies become rehab.
For example, if a cyclist wants to overcome knee pain and return to racing, we can have them perform their rehab in the clinic and spend some time on their bike at a low RPE which doesn’t exacerbate symptoms. Over time we can bring this RPE up incrementally while monitoring for symptoms and eventually progress all the way to full intensity.
RPE is a great tool but it’s not the only tool
While I like RPE as a training tool, it’s not going to be super effective for everyone. Sometimes my patients prefer to have more concrete metrics and would rather use these numbers to influence their training. I think that is totally reasonable and I will usually try to work within their preferred system to help them achieve the outcomes were aiming for. I think HRV probably falls in that category.
Ultimately, when we are training with a goal in mind, we should always be analyzing the trends in how were performing and how we’re feeling. It’s important that we reflect occasionally and are confident that we are trending in a positive direction. The systems we use to achieve this might be different, but as long as we’re feeling good and making progress, I’m happy.
Completely unrelated, I drank a lot of coffee this morning. I apologize if this is just the ramblings of a mad man.
