Beginners How to Use the Perceived Exertion Scale During Your Workout Estimating Heart Rate and Exercise Intensity Zones By Elizabeth Quinn Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. Learn about our editorial process Elizabeth Quinn Reviewed by Reviewed by Tara Laferrara, CPT on December 07, 2019 Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach. She also created her own online training program, the TL Method. Learn about our Review Board Tara Laferrara, CPT on December 07, 2019 Print Hoxton/Ryan Lees/Getty Images Exercise intensity is important to gauge because it can tell you whether you are working too hard or not working hard enough. One common way to do this is by using a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The talk test, your target heart rate range, and the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) are all methods for determining how hard you are exercising. Learn how to use your RPE to determine whether you are exercising in the moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity zones. What Is Perceived Exertion? Perceived exertion is how hard you feel your body is working. When you are exercising your heart beats faster, your breathing becomes faster and deeper, you work up a sweat, and your muscles begin to tire and complain. These feelings are not objective (as they would be if you actually measured your heart rate, for example). But they can give you an estimate of your heart rate and your exercise intensity zone—without any equipment at all. Perceived Exertion Scale To rate your perception of exertion when you exercise, don't focus on just one sensation. Get a general sense of how hard you are exercising. Use your feelings of exertion rather than measures such as speed while running or cycling or comparing yourself to someone else. Then assign your exertion a number from 6 to 20 on the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale. The scale starts at 6, which means you feel no exertion, similar to simply standing still. Level 9 is what you feel like when you are walking at an easy pace. At level 12 to 14 you are in the moderate-intensity zone and it feels somewhat hard, as when walking briskly or jogging at an easy pace. At level 15 and above you feel heavy exertion and you are in the vigorous-intensity zone, as when running. RPE Exertion Felt 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 cannot continue for long at this pace) 20 Maximal exertion How Borg RPE Reflects Heart Rate You may wonder why the Borg RPE scale starts at 6 and goes to 20. This is because it is designed to give you a fairly good estimate of your actual heart rate during activity. To do this, multiply your RPE by 10 to get an estimated heart rate. For example, if your RPE is 12, then 12 x 10 = 120 beats per minute. This scale was designed for the average healthy adult. Your age and physical condition affect your maximum heart rate, and therefore your heart rate zones for different levels of intensity. You should check which heart rate matches which zone for you personally. The Borg RPE is useful for people who take medications that affect their heart rate or pulse, since measuring their heart rate is not a good indication of their exercise intensity. Calculating Maximum Heart Rate for Women How to Use the Scale After warming up at a light level of exertion, begin your workout. After a few minutes, assess your RPE from the scale. If you are still at an RPE under 12, pick up your pace or add resistance to increase your intensity. A walker, runner, or cyclist would do this by going faster, seeking out inclines, or adding high-intensity intervals. If you are feeling an intensity of 19, you might want to slow your pace or decrease the resistance until you are back in the vigorous-intensity or moderate-intensity zone. How to Use Target Heart Rate Zones for Exercise Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Perceived Exertion (Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale). Last reviewed December 21, 2019. Washington, DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US Department of Health and Human Services 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/exertion.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measuring Physical Activity Intensity Last reviewed January 29, 2020. Washington, DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US Department of Health and Human Services 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/index.html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate. Last reviewed December 3, 2019. Washington, DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US Department of Health and Human Services 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/heartrate.htm