The Same Gain for Less Pain When Using Rating of Perceived Exertion Instead of Maximal Aerobic Speed to Prescribe High-Intensity Interval Training.
- 1Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
- 2Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA.
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate if rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is superior to maximal aerobic speed (MAS) for maximizing time spent ≥ 90% of maximal oxygen uptake (t ≥ 90% VO2max) during high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Thirteen male physical education students volunteered to perform maximal incremental exercise test and two HIIT sessions. The HIIT sessions included three 3-min intervals prescribed at either RPE 5 (HIITRPE) or 85% MAS (HIITMAS) interspersed with 2-min passive rest. Borg's category-ratio-10 (CR-10) scale was used for RPE-based HIIT prescription. Heart rate (HR), respiratory gas exchange and running speed were continuously monitored during testing and training sessions. Blood lactate concentration was assessed within the first minute after concluding the HIIT bout. Peak HR (183.7 ± 11 vs. 187.9 ± 9 bpm, p = 0.028), peak respiratory frequency (ƒR) (56.7 ± 5.5 vs. 59.8 ± 6.4 bpm, p = 0.046), blood lactate concentration (9.6 ± 2.8 vs. 11.7 ± 2.3 mmol/L, p = 0.049) and session RPE (5.1 ± 0.6 vs. 6 ± 0.9 au, p = 0.021) were all significantly lower during HIITRPE when compared to HIITMAS. Peak and average speed, VO₂, carbon dioxide output, minute ventilation, tidal volume, and respiratory exchange ratio, average HR and average ƒR, and t ≥ 90% VO2max/HRmax were not significantly different between sessions. RPE-based prescription enables accumulation of similar t ≥ 90% VO2max/HRmax with lower peak cardiorespiratory, metabolic and perceptual strain in comparison to MAS-based HIIT prescription. This prescription strategy can be used to alleviate physiological stress while still acquiring the same t ≥ 90% VO2max/HRmax.
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BibTeX
@article{bok2026same,
title = {{The Same Gain for Less Pain When Using Rating of Perceived Exertion Instead of Maximal Aerobic Speed to Prescribe High-Intensity Interval Training.}},
author = {Daniel Bok and Jere Gulin and Dora Miklić and Carl Foster},
journal = {European journal of sport science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ejsc.70280},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42950202},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Same Gain for Less Pain When Using Rating of Perceived Exertion Instead of Maximal Aerobic Speed to Prescribe High-Intensity Interval Training.
AU - Daniel Bok
AU - Jere Gulin
AU - Dora Miklić
AU - Carl Foster
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - European journal of sport science
DO - 10.1002/ejsc.70280
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42950202
AB - The purpose of the study was to investigate if rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is superior to maximal aerobic speed (MAS) for maximizing time spent ≥ 90% of maximal oxygen uptake (t ≥ 90% VO2max) during high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Thirteen male physical education students volunteered to perform maximal incremental exercise test and two HIIT sessions. The HIIT sessions included three 3-min intervals prescribed at either RPE 5 (HIITRPE) or 85% MAS (HIITMAS) interspersed with 2-min passive rest. Borg's category-ratio-10 (CR-10) scale was used for RPE-based HIIT prescription. Heart rate (HR), respiratory gas exchange and running speed were continuously monitored during testing and training sessions. Blood lactate concentration was assessed within the first minute after concluding the HIIT bout. Peak HR (183.7 ± 11 vs. 187.9 ± 9 bpm, p = 0.028), peak respiratory frequency (ƒR) (56.7 ± 5.5 vs. 59.8 ± 6.4 bpm, p = 0.046), blood lactate concentration (9.6 ± 2.8 vs. 11.7 ± 2.3 mmol/L, p = 0.049) and session RPE (5.1 ± 0.6 vs. 6 ± 0.9 au, p = 0.021) were all significantly lower during HIITRPE when compared to HIITMAS. Peak and average speed, VO₂, carbon dioxide output, minute ventilation, tidal volume, and respiratory exchange ratio, average HR and average ƒR, and t ≥ 90% VO2max/HRmax were not significantly different between sessions. RPE-based prescription enables accumulation of similar t ≥ 90% VO2max/HRmax with lower peak cardiorespiratory, metabolic and perceptual strain in comparison to MAS-based HIIT prescription. This prescription strategy can be used to alleviate physiological stress while still acquiring the same t ≥ 90% VO2max/HRmax.
SN - 1746-1391
SN - 1536-7290
ER -