One way to do
that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale. The standard is the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion,
which ranges from 0-20. Because I'm a math-idiot, I made up my own
scale (see below) that's a little easier to remember. In general, for
most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you're doing
interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your
intensity blasts to be at around 8-9. As you'll see below, working at a
level 10 isn't recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower
workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.
- Level 1: I'm
watching TV and eating bon bons
- Level 2: I'm
comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
- Level 3: I'm still
comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
- Level 4: I'm
sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation
effortlessly
- Level 5: I'm just
above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
- Level 6: I can still talk, but am
slightly breathless
- Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to.
I'm sweating like a pig
- Level 8: I can grunt in response to your
questions and can only
keep this pace for a short time period
- Level 9: I am probably going to die
- Level 10: I am dead
From
about.com/exercise