Borg Scale

The Borg Scale (Borg 1982) [1] is a simple method of rating perceived exertion (RPE) and can be used by coaches to gauge an athlete's level of intensity in training and competition.

Types of scales

There are a number of RPE scales but the most common are the 15 point scale (6-20), and the 11 point scale (0-10).

15 Point Scale

6 - 20% effort
7 - 30% effort - Very, very light (Rest)
8 - 40% effort
9 - 50% effort - Very light - gentle walking
10 - 55% effort
11 - 60% effort - Fairly light
12 - 65% effort
13 - 70% effort - Somewhat hard - steady pace
14 - 75% effort
15 - 80% effort - Hard
16 - 85% effort
17 - 90% effort - Very hard
18 - 95% effort
19 - 100% effort - Very, very hard
20 - Exhaustion

10 Point Scale

0 - Nothing at all
1 - Very light
2 - Fairly light
3 - Moderate
4 - Some what hard
5 - Hard
6
7 - Very hard
8
9
10 - Very, very hard

Correlation

Research Borg et al. (1983) [2] found that there is a correlation between an athlete's rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and their heart rate, lactate levels, %VO2max and breathing rate.

Referenced Material

BORG, G. (1982) Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 14 (5), p. 377-81
BORG, G. et al. (1983) A category-ratio perceived exertion scale: relationship to blood and muscle lactates and heart rate. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., 15 (6), p. 523-528
BORG, G. (1970) Perceived Exertion as an indicator of somatic stress. Scandinavian journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2 (2), p. 92-98

Page Reference

The reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2003) Borg Scale [WWW] Available from: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/borgscale.htm [Accessed

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page: