Face scale rating of perceived exertion during cardiopulmonary exercise test

Validity and Reliability of Facial Rating of Perceived Exertion Scales for Training Load Monitoring

ABSTRACT

van der Zwaard, S, Hooft Graafland, F, van Middelkoop, C, and Lintmeijer, LL. Validity and reliability of facial rating of perceived exertion scales for training load monitoring. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2022-Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is often used by coaches and athletes to indicate exercise intensity, which facilitates training load monitoring and prescription. Although RPE is typically measured using the Borg's category-ratio 10-point scale (CR10), digital sports platforms have recently started to incorporate facial RPE scales, which potentially have a better user experience. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a 5-point facial RPE scale (FCR5) and a 10-point facial RPE scale (FCR10), using the CR10 as a golden standard and to assess their use for training load monitoring. Forty-nine subjects were grouped into 17 untrained (UT), 19 recreationally trained (RT), and 13 trained (T) individuals Subjects completed 9 randomly ordered home-based workout sessions (3 intensities × 3 RPE scales) on the Fitchannel.com platform. Heart rate was monitored throughout the workouts. Subjects performed 3 additional workouts to assess reliability. Validity and reliability of both facial RPE scales were low in UT subjects (intraclass correlation [ICC] ≤ 0.44, p ≤ 0.06 and ICC ≤ 0.43, p ≥ 0.09). In RT and T subjects, validity was moderate for FCR5 (ICC ≥ 0.72, p < 0.001) and good for FCR10 (ICC ≥ 0.80, p < 0.001). Reliability for these groups was rather poor for FCR5 (ICC = 0.51, p = 0.006) and moderate for FCR10 (ICC = 0.74, p < 0.001), but it was excellent for CR10 (ICC = 0.92, p < 0.001). In RT and T subjects, session RPE scores were also strongly related to Edward's training impulse scores ( r ≥ 0.70, p < 0.001). User experience was best supported by the FCR10 scale. In conclusion, researchers, coaches, strength and conditioning professionals, and digital sports platforms are encouraged to incorporate the valid and reliable FCR10 and not FCR5 to assess perceived exertion and internal training load of recreationally trained and trained individuals.

Effects of a 12-week, seated, virtual, home-based tele-exercise programme compared with a prerecorded video-based exercise programme in people with chronic neurological impairments: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Exercise is vital to staying well and preventing secondary complications in people with chronic neurological impairments (CNI). Appropriate exercise is often inaccessible to this population. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of a seated, virtual exercise programme on heart rate, recovery, fatigue, pain, motivation, enjoyment and quality of life in people with CNI.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Individuals with CNI will be screened for eligibility, and 60 participants will be randomised 1:1 into either a live or prerecorded group. There is no geographical limitation to where participants reside, since participation is virtual. The study will be coordinated by one site in White Plains, New York, USA. The live group will exercise with an instructor via Zoom while the prerecorded group will exercise at their chosen time using prerecorded videos, 3×/week for 12 weeks.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

change in heart rate during exercise/recovery.

SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

fatigue, motivation, level of pain and exertion, physical well-being, enjoyment of physical activity, motivation and quality of life. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, midpoint, end of study and 1-month poststudy. Adverse events, medication changes and physical activity will be tracked throughout. Within-group and between-group comparisons will be performed by using analysis of covariance and regression.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

BRANY IRB approval: 22 September 2020, protocol #20-08-388-512. All participants will provide written informed consent. Results will be disseminated through presentations, publications and ClinicalTrials.gov.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04564495.

Temporal changes in cortical oxygenation in the motor-related areas and bilateral prefrontal cortex based on exercise intensity and respiratory metabolism during incremental exercise in male subjects: A near-Infrared spectroscopy study

A recent study has reported that prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity during incremental exercise may be related to exercise termination on exhaustion. However, few studies have focused on motor-related areas during incremental exercise. This study investigated changes in the oxygenation of the PFC and motor-related areas using near-infrared spectroscopy during incremental exercise. Moreover, we analyzed the effect of exercise termination on changes in cortical oxygenation based on exercise intensity and respiratory metabolism. Sixteen healthy young male patients participated in this study. After a 4-min rest and 4-min warm-up period, incremental exercise was started at an incremental load corresponding to 20 W/min. Oxyhemoglobin (O₂Hb), deoxyhemoglobin (HHb), and total hemoglobin (THb) in the bilateral PFC, supplementary motor area, and primary motor cortex were measured. We evaluated changes in oxygenation in each cortex before and after the anaerobic threshold (AT) and respiratory compensation point to identify changes due to respiratory metabolism. O₂Hb and THb increased from moderate intensity or after AT to maximal exercise, and HHb increased slowly compared to O₂Hb and THb; these changes in hemoglobin levels were consistent in all cortical areas we measured. However, the increase in each hemoglobin level in the bilateral PFC during incremental exercise was faster than that in motor-related areas. Moreover, changes in cortical oxygenation in the right PFC were faster than those in the left PFC. These results suggest changes based on differences in neural activity due to the cortical area.

Perceived Exertion Correlates with Multiple Physiological Parameters During Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the Borg scale score with leg-muscle oxygenated haemoglobin (O₂Hb) and deoxygenated haemoglobin (HHb) levels on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and the work rate, heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO₂) and minute ventilation (VE) during supine cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in healthy adult men. We also investigated the relationships between the leg-muscle O₂Hb and HHb levels and the work rate during supine CPET. Fifteen healthy male volunteers (mean age, 20.7 ± 0.6 years; mean height, 172.1 ± 5.7 cm; mean body weight, 61.7 ± 6.6 kg) participated in this study. The cardiopulmonary and NIRS parameters were assessed during each minute of supine CPET and at the end of the test. The Borg scale score significantly correlated with the work rate, HR, VO₂, and VE during supine CPET (Rs = 0.86-0.94, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the Borg scale score significantly correlated with the leg-muscle O₂Hb and HHb levels during supine CPET (Rs = -0.6, and 0.8, respectively; p < 0.05). The leg-muscle O₂Hb and HHb levels had significant correlations with the work rate (R = -0.62 and 0.8, respectively; p < 0.05). The Borg scale score may be used to determine the rating of perceived exertion, whole-body fatigue and local-muscle fatigue during supine exercise. Moreover, leg-muscle oxygenation is associated with the work rate in supine exercise, similar to that observed in upright exercise.

Sex Differences in the Oxygenation of the Left and Right Prefrontal Cortex during Moderate-Intensity Exercise

INTRODUCTION

Differences in cognitive performance with exercise between men and women have previously been reported. In this study, we evaluated between-sex differences in oxygenation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) with moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (AE), which could contribute to noted differences in cognitive function.

METHOD

The subjects were ten men (age, 21.5 ± 0.5 years; height, 171.7 ± 4.8 cm; weight, 65.6 ± 5.6 kg) and ten women (age, 21.4 ± 0.5 years; height, 157.6 ± 4.9 cm; weight, 51.3 ± 6.5 kg). They completed our AE protocol, consisting of a 30-min leg-ergometer cycling at an intensity of 50% peak oxygen uptake, with an initial 4-min rest period for baseline measurement. Measures of the dynamics of cerebral oxygenation included: oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) in the left and right PFC (LR-PFC) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb). The 30-min exercise period was subdivided into six 5-min phases, with the average and peak values determined in each phase.

RESULTS

A significant interaction was found between LR-PFC HHb and sex (p < 0.001), with significantly higher values in men than in women in phases 3-6 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

We report a significant sex effect of HHb in the LR-PFC.

Session Rating of Perceived Exertion Is a Superior Method to Monitor Internal Training Loads of Functional Fitness Training Sessions Performed at Different Intensities When Compared to Training Impulse

Despite its increase in popularity, little is known about how to best quantify internal training loads from functional fitness training (FFT) sessions. The purpose of this study was to assess which method [training impulse (TRIMP) or session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE)] is more accurate to monitor training loads in FFT. Eight trained males (age 28.1 ± 6.0 years) performed an ALL-OUT FFT session and an intensity-controlled session (RPE of six out of 10). Internal load was determined via Edward's TRIMP (eTRIMP), Bannister's TRIMP (bTRIMP), and sRPE. Heart rate was measured continuously during the session, while blood lactate and rate of perceived exertion were measured at baseline, and immediately and 30 min after the sessions. ALL-OUT blood lactate and RPE were significantly higher immediately and 30 min after the session compared to the RPE6 condition. ALL-OUT training load was significantly different between conditions using bTRIMP (61.1 ± 10.6 vs. 55.7 ± 12.4 AU) and sRPE (91.7 ± 30.4 vs. 42.6 ± 14.9 AU), with sRPE being more sensitive to such differences [p = 0.045, effect size (ES) = 0.76 and p = 0.002, ES = 1.82, respectively]. No differences in the training loads of the different sessions were found using eTRIMP (93.1 ± 9.5 vs. 84.9 ± 13.7 AU, p = 0.085). Only sRPE showed a significant correlation with lactate 30 min post session (p = 0.015; p = 0.596, large). sRPE was more accurate than both TRIMP methods to represent the overall training load of the FFT sessions. While the use of sRPE is advised, further research is necessary to establish its ability to reflect changes in fitness, fatigue, and performance during a period of training.

Is Perceived Exertion a Useful Indicator of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Responses to a Metabolic Conditioning Session of Functional Fitness?

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the self-regulation of training intensity based on rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a reliable method to control the intensity during metabolic conditioning sessions of functional fitness. In addition, the relationship between RPE and the changes in heart rate, number of repetitions, and lactate responses was also analyzed. Eight male participants (age 28.1 ± 5.4 years; body mass 77.2 ± 4.4 kg; VO₂ max: 52.6 ± 4.6 mL·(kg·min)⁻¹ completed two sessions (five to seven days apart), in a randomized order, under different conditions, as follows: (1) all-out (ALL), or (2) self-regulation of intensity based on an RPE of six (hard) on the Borg CR-10 scale (RPE6). The rating of perceived exertion, lactate (LAC), and heart rate (HR) response were measured before, during, and immediately after the sessions. The RPE and LAC during the all-out sessions were higher (p < 0.0005) than the RPE6 session for all of the analyzed time points during the session. There was no difference in the HR area under the curve for the all-out and RPE6 sessions. The average number of repetitions performed was lower (p ≤ 0.009) for the RPE6 session (190.5 ± 12.5 repetitions) when compared to the all-out session (214.4 ± 18.6 repetitions). There was a significant correlation between the RPE and LAC (p = 0.005; r = 0.66; large) and number of repetitions during the session (p = 0.026; r = 0.55; large). No correlation was observed between the RPE and HR (p = 0.147; r = 0.380). These results indicate that the self-regulation of intensity of effort based on the RPE may be a useful tool to control the exercise intensity during a metabolic conditioning session of functional fitness.