| 0 |
Nothing. |
| 1 |
Very Weak, Sitting |
| 2 |
Weak,
Warm-up.
Slightly elevated but comfortable breathing. |
| 3 |
Moderate.
Brisk pace. Deeper breathing. |
| 4 |
Somewhat
strong. General fatigue that can be maintained. |
| 5 |
Strong. Able
to talk, but not easily.
Vigorous exercise. Definite fatigue but still maintained. |
| 6 |
Very
Deep breathing, can talk but prefer not to. |
| 7 |
Very Strong.
Difficulty talking. |
| 8 |
Competition.
Probably not able to continue this pace for long. |
| 9 |
All out Competition |
| 10 |
Maximum Effort |
Exertion, or how hard you are working, is a subjective thing,
not an absolute thing. There is a maximum amount of intensity
a person can exert, but it varies from individual to individual.
We can all feel the symptoms of exertion as we exercise and there
are methods that have been designed to let us know how hard we
are working for our safety and for maximizing the effectiveness
of our exercise and exercise programs.
We can’t go all out all the
time. That is just asking for disaster. It would
put us at risk for injury, and the harder we work, the less time
we are able to hold that effort, probably sacrificing the length
of the session.
There are several factors that can change your level of exertion,
including the environment. The temperature, the altitude, even
fatigue from your last workout, as well as a lack of sleep or
lack of calories can affect your ability to some degree. Performance
may suffer slightly due to circumstances even while exertion remains
the same.
Remember, perceived exertion is
how you feel. The scale is based on your exertion,
or how hard the exercise is for you at the level you are working
out. A 10 is maximum effort and like I mentioned earlier we don’t
want to be at that level, especially not for exercise.
Beginners should work out between 3 and 5 to get used to the intensity
of working out. Intermediate exercisers should do most of their
workouts between 4 and 6 with some workouts hitting a 7.
Another test of exertion is your
ability to talk. If you can converse without a
problem, you probably aren’t exercising hard enough. On
the other hand, If you can’t spit out three words between
breaths, you’re probably working too hard to maintain that
intensity. Remember to keep it safe and exercise within your limits.
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