Ratings of perceived exertion and oxygen consumption during maximal, graded, treadmill exercise following different anchoring procedures

In this study, relative oxygen consumption (VO2) was compared at selected criterion ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during maximal, graded, treadmill exercise following memory or combined exercise and memory anchoring to the Borg 15-category scale. The purpose was to determine whether participants would produce a similar relative VO2 at a corresponding criterion RPE following different types of anchoring. Thirty-six college-aged participants (18 males, 18 females) volunteered for this investigation and were assigned to one of two groups: a memory anchoring group or a combined exercise and memory group. The memory anchoring group received only verbal instructions before the experimental trial. The combined exercise and memory group received identical verbal instructions to the memory anchoring group, which were administered initially while the participants performed a graded treadmill test to exhaustion. The low perceptual anchor (i.e. 7) was established during light walking and the high perceptual anchor (i.e. 19) at volitional exhaustion. Similar to that for the memory anchoring group, the memory anchoring instructions were presented immediately before the experimental trial for the combined exercise and memory group. Linear regression was used to calculate percent VO2peak for each criterion RPE (7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19). Independent samples t-tests were used to compare percent VO2peak between the two groups at each criterion RPE. Percent VO2peak did not differ (P > 0.05) between the two groups at any criterion RPE. Both types of anchoring instructions can be considered valid tools in applying the Borg scale to this population Memory anchoring may be preferred because it involves one less laboratory session for both the investigator and the participant.