Overall and differentiated ratings of perceived exertion at the respiratory compensation threshold: effects of gender and mode

Research on gender differences in ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) has been equivocal with few studies comparing exercise modes and differentiated RPE. The current study examined gender differences in overall and differentiated RPE at the respiratory compensation threshold (RCT) during cycling and treadmill exercise. Each minute during a maximal treadmill and maximal cycling test, men (n=18) and women (n=16) estimated RPE corresponding to overall (RPE-O), legs (RPE-L), and breathing/chest (RPE-C) exertion. A 2 (gender) × 2 (mode) × 3 (RPE-O, RPE-L, RPE-C) repeated measures MANOVA revealed no significant mode × gender or RPE × gender interactions. The exercise mode × RPE interaction approached significance (P=0.055) when cycling [mean (SD) 14.8 (2.9)] and treadmill exercise [12.8 (2.9)] were compared. No main effects for gender [men: 13.7 (2.6), women: 13.4 (2.6)] were detected. Main effects for mode showed RPE to be significantly greater during cycling [14.4 (2.8)] versus treadmill exercise [12.7 (2.9)]. Main effects for differentiated RPE showed RPE-L [13.8 (2.6)] to be significantly greater than RPE-O [13.5 (2.6)] and RPE-C [13.3 (2.6)]. Results suggest that overall and differentiated RPE at the RCT are not significantly different between genders during cycling or treadmill exercise. While RPE-L was statistically greater than RPE-O and RPE-C, the magnitude of the differences makes this result of little practical significance. The marginal interaction suggests greater RPE-L values might be expected at the RCT during cycling versus treadmill exercise. However, results suggest that minimal RPE differences exist between men and women during cycling and treadmill exercise.