Name Grade Level 12

Subject Physical Education and Health 3

You will be able to analyzes physiological indicators such as heart rate, rate of
Objective perceived exertion and pacing associated with MVPAs to monitor and/or adjust
participation or effort
Date September 14 - September 18, 2020 (Week 4)
Duration 4hrs (3hrs activity and 1hr assessment)
Time Started Time Ended Score

When you engage in physical activities for health and fitness improvements, you need to monitor the
effort you are giving. This is because the effort given in doing physical activities contributes to the achievement of
your fitness goals. By monitoring your effort, you will be able to know if you are reaching at least a moderate
intensity level and at most a vigorous one.

Remember, it is important that your body is challenged to do more than what it is used to for changes to
occur. If the physical activity you do is too easy for your body, changes (if any) would be minimal. Hence, your
body should be challenged. You need to sustain moderate to vigorous intensity of physical activity for your body
to be challenged.

You will be able to monitor your effort through physiological indicators. Physiological indicators are those
signs that are physiologic in nature or have to do with bodily processes. These include heart rate, rate of perceived
exertion (RPE), and pacing. Each of these physiological indicators is important. However, depending on your
fitness goal and personal preference, each indicator has its own advantages.

Heart Rate. Also known as pulse rate, this is the number of times a person’s heart beats per minute. It
indicates the effort your heart is doing based on the demands you place on your body. The more demanding your
physical activity is, the faster the heart rate.

Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries of your body. The surge of blood causes a
pulse, which is what you feel by holding your fingers against an artery. The major arteries that are easy to locate
and frequently used for pulse counts are the radial artery (just below the base of the thumb) and the carotid artery
(just below the sides of jaw). Some people find it easier to locate the carotid artery but locating the radial artery is
easier for others.

To determine your pulse rate, locate your pulse using your index and middle fingers. Press gently to feel
the pulse. Count the number of beats in 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to get your number of beats per minute. The
15-second count is also used by multiplying by 4 to get the number of beats per minute.

The heart rate provides a good indicator of the relative challenge experienced during physical activity.
Using the heart rate as a physiological indicator, maximal heart rate (max HR) is typically used. Recommendations
for physical activity indicate that physical activities used as exercises should be between 60 to 85 percent of your
max HR to maintain or improve cardiovascular fitness. This means that for each exerciser, getting the max HR and
the heart rates equivalent to 60 to 85 percent of the max HR are important in achieving your fitness goals. Think
of it as 60% heart rate is your moderate intensity and 85% heart is the limit of your vigorous intensity.

Take note of the concepts of threshold of training and target zone. The threshold of training is the
minimum amount of physical activity (frequency, intensity, and time) necessary to produce benefits. The target
zone, on the other hand, begins at the threshold of training and stops at the point where the physical activity
becomes counterproductive.

You can think of threshold of training as American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) minimum
recommendation of training intensity (60%) and the target zone ranging from 65 to 85 percent training
intensities. Hence, you need to reach these training intensities to produce health, wellness, or fitness benefits. You
can compute your target heart rate for these training intensities by following several steps.

According to Hoeger and Hoeger (2011), research indicates a more favorable prediction using the
computation below than the equation 220 - age. Here are the steps to get your target heart rate.

1. Estimate your maximal heart rate (max HR/MHR) according to the following formula:

MHR = 220 – age

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2. Check your resting heart rate (RHR) sometime in the evening after sitting quietly for 15 to 20 minutes. You may
take your pulse for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.

3. Determine heart rate reserve (HRR) using this formula:

HRR = MHR – RHR

4. Calculate the training intensity at 30, 40, 60, and 85 percent. Multiply HRR by the respective 0.30, 0.40, 0.60,
and 0.85, and then add the HRR to all four training intensities.

Example:
60% Training Intensity = HRR x 0.60 + RHR

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

This is an assessment of the intensity of exercise based on how you feel. It is basically a subjective
assessment of effort which ranges from 6 (very, very light) to 20 (very, very hard) with 1 point increments in
between. The target zone for aerobic activity is from 12 to 16.

If you are engaged in physical activity, you rate your effort level based on how light or how hard you
perceive it. A rating of 6 means that your effort level is “very, very light” while a rating of 18 means that your effort
is more or less “very, very hard.” Think of each rating in the RPE as a reflection of your heart rate during the
physical activity, that is, when multiplied by 10. This means that an RPE of 6 is about a heart rate of 60 while an
RPE of 18 is about 180 beats per minute. Since an RPE of 6 means your heart rate is only at 60 beats per minute,
your physical exertion is very minimal, while an RPE of 18 means that your heart is doing 180 beats per minute,
pushing yourself to the limit.

A practical way to know your level of effort is to try singing or talking while engaged in physical activity. If
you are still able to sing during physical exertion, then the RPE is probably just between 6 to 8. However, if you
cannot hold a conversation, then the level of effort is high and the RPE is probably between 14 to 17.

If you are jogging and are still able to sing, you could jog a bit faster to increase RPE. However, if you
cannot talk anymore, you could lower the effort level by jogging slower or inserting brisk walks between jogs.
Remember, the recommended target level of effort is from 12 to 16 (120 to 160 beats per minute) for your health to
improve. So rate your physical exertion to be able to maximize the effects of your participation in physical activity.

Using the RPE also avoids the need to stop and count the heart rate during exercise. With practice, most
people can recognize when they are in the target zone using RPE. It now becomes easier to make necessary
adjustments in the effort exerted since you have perceived the physical exertion accordingly.

Pace and Pacing. These refer to the rate or speed of doing physical activities. This means that a person can take it
slow when engaged in physical activities or do them quickly depending on the FITT Principle.
Pacing allows you to change the way you perform or complete an exercise or physical activity so that you can
successfully see changes. It regulates your participation in physical activities through gradual and careful
introduction of changes in the physical activity, whether an increase in intensity, frequency, or participation.

Depending on the fitness level of an individual, pacing may be through frequency, intensity, and time of doing
physical activities. The normal frequency could be 3 to 4 times a week which can be increased or decreased
depending on the changes done in intensity and time. If intensity is increased, frequency and time could be
decreased, or vice versa.

You must be able to pace your participation in physical activities well so that you will benefit more and not get
injured. Remember to listen to your body, so pace yourself if needed.

If you have just started having a more active lifestyle, you may want to start with dancing as a physical activity of
relatively moderate intensity. Performing this type of activity at about 40 percent of your max HR or an RPE of 12
(somewhat hard) for several weeks would be recommended for gradual adaptation. Time spent on physical
activity may be shorter than the recommended 30 minutes. However, as fitness improves, accumulated minutes
should at least account for 30 minutes a day, and the FITT principle can be increased as well. The table below
shows recommended progression.

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 It is important that you monitor your improvements since these will eventually dictate your progression. If
your body has adapted to the demands you place on it, then it would be best to progress to another level until you
reach your optimum level of overload. This is the principle of progression. Following this principle, the load you
place on your body should occur in gradual succession rather than in major bursts for safe and effective results.
The new challenge now posed on your body is how to advance to another level.

However, as you become more fit, the rate of improvement levels off. As the principle of diminishing
returns indicates, once you get more and more fit, the benefit you get for each additional amount of activity may
not be the same as before. When your physical activity level is high, you can expect to have lesser improvements
despite additional amounts of physical activity. When this happens, the challenge is on how to maintain that level
of physical activity.

Activity 1: Rate it this time

Directions: Now knowing about RPE, rate the different activities according to their perceived exertion if they were
to accomplish those activities. Explain your answers.

Compare your rankings with the RPE you gave for each physical activity. Analyze if the activities you ranked high
(1st to 3rd) were also rated high in perceived exertion.

Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

Activities
Rating Description
6 Very, very light
7 No exertion at all
8 Very light
9
10 Fairly light
11
12 Somewhat hard
13
14 Hard (heavy)
15
16 Very hard
17
18 Extremely hard
19
20

Zumba for 5 minutes volleyball spiking and blocking

running uphill for 5 minutes drills for 10 minutes
Yoga for 10 minutes 3-on-3 basketball for 30 minutes
swimming 8 laps continuously 3k fun run in 1 hour
climbing 1 flight of stairs walking in the mall
leisurely biking

Processed Question:
Based on the activities you ranked, did you have the same level of intensity? Why or why not?
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What happens to the body when it exceeds its level of intensity?
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANSWER KEY

Activity 1: Rate it this time

Student’s answer may vary.

Reference:
 Physical Education and Health Teacher’s Guide

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