title: Factors affecting perception of effort (session rating of perceived exertion) during rugby league training.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) for monitoring training intensity in rugby league.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two professional rugby league players participated in this study. Training-load (TL) data were collected during an entire season and assessed via microtechnology (heart-rate [HR] monitors, global positioning systems [GPS], and accelerometers) and sRPE. Within-individual correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between sRPE and various other measures of training intensity and load. Stepwise multiple regressions were used to determine a predictive equation to estimate sRPE during rugby league training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant within-individual correlations between sRPE and various other internal and external measures of intensity and load. The stepwise multiple-regression analysis also revealed that 62.4% of the adjusted variance in sRPE-TL could be explained by TL measures of distance, impacts, body load, and training impulse (y = 37.21 + 0.93 distance - 0.39 impacts + 0.18 body load + 0.03 training impulse). Furthermore, 35.2% of the adjusted variance in sRPE could be explained by exercise-intensity measures of percentage of peak HR (%HRpeak), impacts/min, m/min, and body load/min (y = -0.01 + 0.37%HRpeak + 0.10 impacts/min + 0.17 m/min + 0.09 body load/min).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A combination of internal and external TL factors predicts sRPE in rugby league training better than any individual measures alone. These findings provide new evidence to support the use of sRPE as a global measure of exercise intensity in rugby league training.
authors.affiliation: Sport and Exercise Discipline Group, UTS, Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: T W J
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Lovell
authors.forename: Anita C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sirotic
authors.forename: Franco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Impellizzeri
authors.forename: Aaron J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Coutts
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005538:Football / Q000502:physiology*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D010465:Perception; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult