Training and perceived exertion

Earlier this week a friend of mine mentioned using perceived exertion in training. He hadn't thought much about it and we talked about it for a minute. I know that I sometimes fall into the cardio queen category so I thought that this was worth revisiting for my own benefit. More is not always better and on my easy days, I need to work on actually taking it easy.

The consensus is that athletes make more progress over the long term if they do not work at the same intensity during each workout. One or two workouts per week should be more difficult and the remaining sessions should be light or moderate.

Maya the Virtual Coach described exertion levels as follows:

• Easy (E) - Used mainly for warm-upon as a main part of a long session. This pace is very comfortable.
• Steady (S) - Steady pace is one gear up. This is a pace where you can still have a conversation but you are slightly out of breath.
• Moderate (M) - A bit harder than steady. This is a pace where a conversation becomes difficult and breathy
• Moderately hard (MH) - This pace requires concentration to maintain the intensity - though when you are very fit you can keep this up for a longer period of time.
• Hard (H) - Above the lactic threshold and very much out of the comfort zone. It is quite uncomfortable to maintain this pace.

Training zones are very individual so the formulas that are tossed about for Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) aren't likely to work for most people. In fact, Anaerobic Threshold (AT) differs not just from person to person but also from sport to sport. This makes perceived exertion levels particularly useful. Even once you know your MHR and AT, a heart rate monitor is best used in conjunction with perceived effort or exertion.

overload + recovery = adaptation

Progressive Overload
Challenging the body by applying stresses in the form of training loads. The more you do, the more you are capable of doing. With an adequate training load, both overall fitness and performance can be improved. Frequency, duration and intensity are all factors that effect the training load. Training loads should be gradually increased.

Recovery
Rest allows the biomotor systems to recover and become stronger. Not quite like the Six Million Dollar Man, "Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."

Adaption
The body's response to the training load.