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Role of Ratings of Perceived Exertion during Self-Paced Exercise: What are We Actually Measuring?

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Abstract

Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and effort are considered extremely important in the regulation of intensity during self-paced physical activity. While effort and exertion are slightly different constructs, these terms are often used interchangeably within the literature. The development of perceptions of both effort and exertion is a complicated process involving numerous neural processes occurring in various regions within the brain. It is widely accepted that perceptions of effort are highly dependent on efferent copies of central drive which are sent from motor to sensory regions of the brain. Additionally, it has been suggested that perceptions of effort and exertion are integrated based on the balance between corollary discharge and actual afferent feedback; however, the involvement of peripheral afferent sensory feedback in the development of such perceptions has been debated. As such, this review examines the possible difference between effort and exertion, and the implications of such differences in understanding the role of such perceptions in the regulation of pace during exercise.

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Compliance with Ethics Standards

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this review. Chris R. Abbiss, Jeremiah J. Peiffer, Romain Meeusen and Sabrina Skorski have no conflicts of interest relating to the contents of this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Chris R. Abbiss

  2. School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia

    Jeremiah J. Peiffer

  3. Department of Human Physiology, Vrje Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Romain Meeusen

  4. School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Romain Meeusen

  5. Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Sabrina Skorski

  6. UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Sabrina Skorski

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  1. Chris R. Abbiss
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Correspondence to Chris R. Abbiss.

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Abbiss, C.R., Peiffer, J.J., Meeusen, R. et al. Role of Ratings of Perceived Exertion during Self-Paced Exercise: What are We Actually Measuring?. Sports Med 45, 1235–1243 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0344-5

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