Rating of perceived exertion on resistance training in elderly subjects

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommends resistance training involving 60–70% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM) for 8–12 repetitions on 2 or 3 nonconsecutive days per week for the elderly. The Borg 6–20 scale, Borg category ratio (CR-10) scale, and OMNI scale are used to determine the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) for resistance training.

Areas covered: RPE scales for resistance training performed by elderly individuals are described. The RPE has been related to resistance training intensity, and the RPE scale was used to determine the resistance training intensity of elderly or ill individuals.

Expert commentary: RPE scales can determine the resistance training intensity of elderly individuals and may be used at home or in nursing homes, if they do not have specific resistance training machines. RPE is simple and useful, and may improve skeletal muscle strength or other health-related issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Borg scale
• OMNI scale
• resistance training
• rehabilitation
• elderly

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This study was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Niigata University of Health and Welfare as well as the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center support grant [CA 016672].