Skip to main content
Log in

The increase of perceived exertion, aches and pain in the legs, heart rate and blood lactate during exercise on a bicycle ergometer

  • Published:
European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

This study was designed to show the general increase in perceived exertion, perception of aches or pain in the legs, heart rate (HR), and blood lactate, and the covariance between these variables during bicycle ergometer work, and to describe individual differences both within and between power levels by testing a large group (28 male students).

Estimates of perceived exertion and feelings of aches or pain in the legs were recorded using Borg's category-ratio scale (CR-10). The subjects were tested with a stepwise increase of power levels with 40 W increments up to a voluntary maximum.

Though HR increases fairly linearly with power, the other variables follow positively accelerating functions with exponents of about 1.6–2 for the perceptual variables, and an exponent of about 3 for blood lactate.

The results from the 8 most fit subjects could be described in the same way as for the whole group except for blood lactate, where there was a need to include a threshold value (b), that, together with a rest value (a), shows the starting point of the function (R=a+c(WW 0)n).

The data support the idea that a combination of heart rate and blood lactate is a better predictor of perceived exertion and feelings of aches and pain in the legs, than is each of the single physiological variables taken alone.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • åstrand I (1960) Aerobic work capacity in men and women with special reference to age. Acta Physiol Scand 49 [suppl 169]

  • Borg GAV (1962) Physical performance and perceived exertion. Studia Psychologica et Paedagogica Series altera. Investigationes XI, Lund, Gleerup

    Google Scholar 

  • Borg GAV (1970) Perceived exertion as an indicator of somatic stress. Scand J Rehab Med 2:92–98

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borg GAV (1972) A ratio scaling method of interindividual comparisons. Reports from the Institute of Applied Psychology, University of Stockholm, No. 27.

  • Borg GAV (1982) A category scale with ratio properties for intermodal and interindividual comparisons. In H-G Geissler and P Petzold (Eds) Psychophysical Judgement and the Process of Perception. VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Borg G, Dahlström H (1962) A pilot study of perceived exertion and physical working capacity. Acta Societatis Medicorum Upsaliensis Upsala LÄkareförenings Förhandlingar, LXVII, No 1–2, pp 21–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Cafarelli E (1977) Peripheral and central inputs to the effort sense during cycling exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 37:181–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davis JA, Frank M, Whipp B, Wasserman K (1979) Anaerobic threshold alterations caused by endurance training in middle-aged men. J Appl Physiol 46:1039–1046

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekblom B, Goldbarg AN (1971) The influence of training and other factors on the subjective rating of perceived exertion. Acta Physiol Scand 33:399–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson GA (1966) Statistical analysis in psychology and education. Mc Graw-Hill, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermansen L (1971) Lactate production during exercise. In: Muscle metabolism during exercise (Eds) B Pernow and B Saltin, New York Plenum Press, pp 401–408

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermansen L, Stensvold I (1972) Production and removal of lactate during exercise in man. Acta Physiol Scand 86:191–201

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holmgren A, Ström G (1959) Blood lactate concentration in relation to absolute and relative work load in normal men, and in mitral stenosis atrial septal defect and vascoregulatory asthenia. Acta Med Scand 163:185–193

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsson J, Jacobs I, Sjödin B, Tesch P, Kaiser P, Sahl O, Karlberg B (1983) Semi-automatic blood lactate assay: experiences from an exercise laboratory. Int J Sports Med 4:52–55

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kinsman RA, Weiser PC, Stamper PA (1973) Multidimensional analysis of subjective symptomatology during prolonged strenuous exercise. Ergonomics 16:211–226

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mihevic PM (1981) Sensory cues for perceived exertion: a review. Med Sci Sports Exercise 13:150–163

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Noble BJ, Borg GAV, Jacobs I, Ceci R, Kaiser P (1983) A category-ratio perceived exertion scale: relationship to blood and muscle lactates and heart rate. Med Sci Sports Exercise 15:523–528

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Noble BJ, Metz KF, Pandolf KB, Bell CW, Cafarelli E, Sime WE (1973) Perceived exertion during walking and running — II. Med Sci Sports 5:116–120

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pandolf KB (1975) Psychological and physiological factors influencing perceived exertion. Wennergren Center Int Symposium Series 28:371–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandolf KB (1978) Influence of local and central factors in dominating rated perceived exertion during physical work. Percept Mot Skills 46:683–698

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pandolf KB (1983) Advances in the study and application of perceived exertion. Exercise Sport Sci Rev 11:119–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Rydevik U, Nord L, Ingman F (1982) Automatic lactate determination by flow injection analysis. Int J Sports Med 3:47–49

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner JS (1981) Body Energy. Mountain View. Anderson World, Inc., California

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman K, Whipp BJ, Koyal SN, Beaver WL (1973) Anaerobic threshold and respiratory gas exchange during exercise. J Appl Physiol 35:236–243

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Borg, G., Ljunggren, G. & Ceci, R. The increase of perceived exertion, aches and pain in the legs, heart rate and blood lactate during exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 54, 343–349 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02337176

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02337176

Key words

Navigation