The relationship between heart rate and rate of perceived exertion among phase II cardiac rehabilitation patients with various modes of exercise

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) among phase II cardiac rehabilitation patients with various modes of exercise. 100 subjects were randomly selected from a phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. HR was measured with telemetry recorded EKG tracings. RPE was determined through subject self report using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale. Assessments were made during exercise at 4 different exercise modes for each subject on 4 separate exercise sessions: 2, 3, 23, and 24. Exercise modes included a motor driven treadmill, cycle ergometer, arm ergometer, and rowing machine. HE and RPE were obtained during the final 2 minutes of each exercise mode. Pearson product-moment correlations were used to determine the relationship between HR and RPE. A total of 1,600 paired scores were analyzed. The results showed a significant (p < .05) relationship between HR and RPE with the treadmill (r - .23) and rowing machine (r - .21) in exercise session two. No significant relationship between HR and RPE was observed for the 4 exercise modes in exercise sessions 3, 23, and 24. These findings reveal the RPE scale is not a reliable measure of exercise intensity in phase II cardiac rehabilitation exercisers