How to use RPE when reviewing Your Freediving workout?

Understanding RPE in Freediving Training

The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a subjective scale that allows you to rate how hard a workout felt. In freediving, where objective metrics like heart rate can be misleading due to the mammalian dive reflex, RPE becomes an invaluable tool for understanding your body's response to training and avoiding overtraining.

What is RPE and Why It Matters

RPE is a scale from 0 to 10 that measures how difficult an exercise or workout felt to you personally. Unlike heart rate monitors or other objective measures, RPE takes into account your overall feeling of exertion, including factors like:

• Breathing difficulty: How hard it was to breathe during and after the workout
• Muscle fatigue: How tired your muscles felt
• Mental effort: How challenging the workout was mentally
• Recovery time: How long it took to feel normal again
• Overall stress: The cumulative effect of the training session

In freediving, RPE is particularly important because the mammalian dive reflex can significantly alter your heart rate and other physiological responses, making traditional fitness metrics less reliable for gauging training intensity.

The RPE Scale in plus100.club

plus100.club uses a 0-10 RPE scale that's specifically designed for freediving training. This is the exact same scale you'll see when reviewing your workouts in the app. Here's how to interpret each level:

For the complete and official RPE scale used in plus100.club, including additional details and guidelines, visit our Knowledge Base RPE Scale section.

How to Use RPE When Reviewing Your Workout

After completing a workout in plus100.club, you'll be prompted to rate your RPE. Here's how to effectively use this feature:

1. Rate Immediately After Completion

Rate your RPE immediately after finishing your workout, while the feeling of exertion is still fresh in your mind. Don't overthink it - go with your gut feeling about how hard the workout felt overall.

2. Consider the Overall Session

Think about the entire workout session, not just the most difficult part. Consider factors like:

• How challenging were the individual drills?
• How did the workout feel as a whole?
• How long did it take to recover between sets?
• How do you feel now compared to when you started?

3. Track Patterns Over Time

Use the RPE data in plus100.club to identify patterns in your training. Look for trends like:

• Consistent high RPE: May indicate overtraining or need for recovery
• Decreasing RPE for same workouts: Shows improvement and adaptation
• Unexpected high RPE: Could indicate illness, poor sleep, or stress
• Low RPE on hard workouts: Might mean you're not pushing hard enough

Using RPE to Optimize Your Training

RPE data helps you make informed decisions about your training program:

Recovery Days

If your RPE has been consistently high (7-8+) for several workouts, consider taking a recovery day or doing a very light session (RPE 1-3). This helps prevent overtraining and allows your body to adapt to the training stress.

Progressive Overload

As you get stronger, the same workout should feel easier (lower RPE). When a previously challenging workout starts feeling easy (RPE 4-5), it's time to increase the difficulty to continue making progress.

Workout Planning

Use your RPE history to plan future workouts. If you know that certain types of training consistently result in high RPE, you can plan your week to include adequate recovery time between intense sessions.

Common RPE Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some common pitfalls when using RPE:

• Rating based on expectations: Don't rate based on how hard you think the workout should have felt
• Comparing to others: RPE is personal - what feels like a 7 to you might feel like a 5 to someone else
• Ignoring environmental factors: Consider how heat, cold, humidity, or water temperature affected your perception of effort
• Not being honest: Be truthful about how the workout felt, even if it's lower than you expected

Integrating RPE with Other Metrics

While RPE is valuable, it's most effective when used alongside other training metrics:

• Distance and time: Compare RPE with your actual performance metrics
• Recovery time: Note how long it takes to feel normal after different RPE levels
• Sleep quality: Track how RPE affects your sleep and recovery
• Mood and energy: Monitor how different RPE levels affect your overall well-being

Conclusion

RPE is a powerful tool for freedivers that provides insights into training intensity that objective metrics can't capture. By consistently rating your RPE in plus100.club and using this data to inform your training decisions, you can optimize your performance, prevent overtraining, and achieve your freediving goals more effectively.

Remember, RPE is a skill that improves with practice. The more you use it, the better you'll become at accurately assessing your training intensity and using this information to guide your training program.

Happy training,
Bartosz Jakubowiak
Founder, plus100.club