What is RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) and how do you use it while cycling?

When reading about training you sometimes come across the term RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale. This is a scale ranging from 1 to 10 and is used to estimate your training intensity based on your feeling. So it is a subjective measurement to indicate how easy or difficult you find the activity you are doing. In the scale, 0 represents rest and little effort and 10 represents maximum effort.

It's also important to be aware of cadence, the speed at which your legs rotate and which is expressed in revolutions per minute (rpm). Many novice cyclists make the mistake of not using their gears properly and riding at too low a cadence. The easiest way to measure cadence is to purchase a (cheap) speed/cadence meter and mount it on your bicycle. This also allows you to see how far you have cycled. Another option is to occasionally count the number of pedal revolutions one foot makes in 15 seconds and then multiply by four to calculate your minute frequency.

As a beginner it can sometimes be difficult to estimate how best to start training and use the RPE. In the blog How do you start cycling training? we explain more about starting cycling and the right training.

Use of perceived exertion during training and competitions

Perceived effort rating is useful for any type of effort and is often the best measure to use during competition. Are you curious about how many calories you consume while cycling? Then read the blog about calorie burning while cycling.

Use of RPE with power, heart rate and pace

Power meters give cyclists an accurate and direct measurement of workload. Runners, triathletes and cyclists can use heart rate monitors, continuous glucose monitors and wearable trackers for sleep, recovery, hydration, blood glucose levels and more. As a result, some athletes are tempted to look only at computer data. But research shows that the perceived RPE is an extremely good indicator of performance.

Cycling power meters make RPE more important than ever. While it is true that 200 watts today is the same load as 200 watts tomorrow, RPE provides valuable context for asset files. When you're fresh, 200 watts can feel like a moderate spin. When you're tired, it can feel like you're working harder than normal. Athletes use terms like "slow," "heavy legs," "pedaling peanut butter" to describe those same 200-watt efforts.

Similarly, RPE gives context to heart rate and pace information. A pace of 8 minutes per kilometer may be manageable one day, but feel just as hard as race pace the next. 

The RPE is a good warning system to reveal fatigue; your body is telling you that it can still get the job done, but that although the work being done is the same, the effort to complete it is greater. 

Measuring training progress with Perceived Exertion

The RPE can indicate progress even without a change in your power or pace. For example, early in the season, a 20-minute climb at an average power of 250 watts may feel tough enough for a 7 or even an 8. Later in the season, as your fitness has improved, the same climb at 250 watts may feel less tough and more like a 6. An RPE of 7 to 8 for the climb may end up being 275 watts at the height of the season. 

Racing by feel: RPE in competition

We list RPE values with each workout in our library, and athletes should record subjective information in their training logs. Not only is perceived exertion important for providing context to power and heart rate files, but it also helps athletes learn to accurately judge intensity levels in the absence of all other technologies.

During competitions, RPE is often the most accurate and realistic way to measure intensity. For example, we know that power delivery begins to decrease at altitudes between 5,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. Core temperature, fatigue, caffeine and stress influence the heart rate response to exercise.

One of the most important goals we set when working with athletes is to teach them to train and race by feel. Often athletes perform their best when they tune into their bodies instead of looking at the numbers. Please continue to record the data so that you can review it later and so that we have it for your long-term training history. But at the moment you want to be able to record strength, power and heart rate values ​​without even looking at a display.

The mark of an accomplished athlete is learning to use technology effectively while reducing your dependence on it.

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