Abstract

BACKGROUND: The training impulse (TRIMP) provides a means of quantifying training dose during physical training; it is traditionally based on the heart rate response to exercise and involves establishing the heart rate – blood lactate relationship. A new approach is based on the individual’s global rating of perceived exertion (RPE) for the training session. The current study was undertaken to examine agreement between individual TRIMP and session RPE.
METHODS: Nine healthy male volunteers completed three trials involving a 6 km treadmill run at speeds of 12 km×h-1, 9 km×h-1 and 7.2 km×h-1 in random order. Individual training impulse and session rating of perceived exertion were calculated for each trial.
RESULTS: While both methods resulted in values increasing as the intensity of the trials increased there were no significant differences between the three trials for either method. There was a significant correlation between the two methods (N.=27) (r = 0.62, P<0.01) and the 95% limits of agreement lay between 27.34 and -107.42. Session rating of perceived exertion resulted in higher values for 24 of the 27 trials with the three giving higher individual training impulse all being during the lower training dose trials.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that while the two methods are related there is a progressive increase in the disagreement as the training dose increases. Which of the two methods gives the better relationship with physiological adaptation has yet to be determined.