Perceived Exertion during Physical Exercise among Individuals High and Low in Fitness

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of fitness level and gradually increased amounts of exercise on individuals' ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). 20 men served as paid subjects. They were divided into groups of high (>56 ml/kg/min.) and low fitness (<46 ml/kg/min.) according to their maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). Participants were required to pedal on a cycle ergometer at a progressively increased workload (every 10 min.) corresponding to 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% of individual VO2 max values. Heart rates, RPE, and core temperatures were recorded every 5th minute after the initiation of exercising at a specific workload. Analysis indicated that, when controlling for VO2 max values, elevations of heart rate and core temperature were not affected by fitness. However, highly fit individuals perceived themselves under less exertion than did the group low in fitness. Correlations showed that, taking into consideration fitness, there is a stronger relationship between RPE and heart rate and RPE and core temperature for the highly fit individuals than for the less fit.