Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

How often have you read fitness articles or are told in your fitness class to work at an RPE of 7, for example, or to work at a moderate pace and never really understood how hard that is meant to be?  Here is a practical measure of what those levels actually mean...

RPE 1-2: Very easy - you can converse with no effort.

RPE 3: Easy - you can converse with almost no effort.

RPE 4: Moderately Easy - you can converse comfortably with little effort.

RPE 5: Moderate - conversation requires some effort.

RPE 6: Moderately hard - conversation requires quite a bit of effort.

RPE 7:  Difficult - conversation requies a lot of effort.

RPE 8: Very Difficult - conversation requires maximum effort.

RPE 9-10: Peak Effort - no talking zone!