Monitoring Resistance Training Notes

Monitoring Resistance Training

Defining Intensity and Volume

  • Training Volume: Number of sets, repetitions, and mass lifted.
  • Intensity: How hard the exercise is, influenced by:
    • Rest periods
    • Repetitions per set
    • Exercise speed
    • Training status
    • Residual fatigue
  • Intensity Measurement:
    • Percentage of one repetition maximum (1RM).
    • Relative intensity (RM), e.g., 80% of 1RM.
  • Workload: Sum of repetitions performed and loads used.
  • Workload Intensity: Percentage of high-load exercise workload (90-100%) divided by total workload.

RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion)

  • Borg Scale: 15-category scale for evaluating exercise intensity.
  • Effective for quantifying resistance training.
  • Performing fewer reps with heavier weight is perceived as more difficult.
  • RPE related to percentage of 1RM.
  • RPE-AM: RPE in active muscle.
  • RPE-O: Overall RPE.
  • RPE directly related to total weight lifted (0.79–0.91).
  • Standardized instructions are crucial for valid RPE measurement.

Session RPE

  • Global rating of exercise session difficulty, taken 30 minutes post-workout.
  • Valid measure of aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
  • Provides a quantitative basis for periodization.
  • Accounts for sets, reps, rest, and exercise type.
  • Session RPE is reliable at quantifying resistance training at different intensities (r=0.88−0.95)(r = 0.88-0.95).
  • Comparable to session RPE during aerobic exercise.
  • Influenced by exercise intensity, not volume

Practical Application of Session RPE Method

  • Daily Exercise Score: Athlete rates global intensity multiplied by workout duration.
  • Training Load: Session RPE multiplied by session duration.
  • Training Monotony: Mean training load divided by the standard deviation of the training load over a 1-week period.
  • Training Strain: Product of training load and training monotony.
  • Training load is global RPE consisting of only the time actually spent lifting multiplied by the total number of sets performed.

Other Approaches to Monitoring

  • Questionnaires and training diaries provide valuable data.
  • High-intensity exercise is difficult to quantify objectively using heart rate.
  • Other methods include blood lactate, heart rate, electromyography, and hormonal measures.

Conclusion

  • RPE provides a valid and reliable method for monitoring resistance-training intensity.
  • Session RPE can delineate different training intensities.
  • No universally accepted method exists; percentage of 1RM is common.
  • Session RPE is a valid method for evaluating resistance exercise and describing training periodization.