Purpose: To examine the construct validity of the session rating perceived exertion (s-RPE) assessed with the Borg CR100 scale to measure training loads in elite soccer and to examine if the CR100 is interchangeable and can provide more-accurate ratings than the CR10 scale.
Methods: Two studies were conducted. The validity of the CR100 was determined in 19 elite soccer players (age 28 ± 6 y, height 180 ± 7 cm, body mass 77 ± 6 kg) during training sessions through correlations with the Edwards heart-rate method (study 1). The interchangeability with CR10 was assessed in 78 soccer players (age 19.3 ± 4.1 y, height 178 ± 5.9 cm, body mass 71.4 ± 6.1 kg) through the Bland-Altman method and correlations between change scores in different sessions. To examine whether the CR100 is more finely graded than the CR10, the proportions of responses corresponding to the verbal expressions were calculated (study 2).
Results: Individual correlations between the Edwards method and s-RPE were large to very large (.52-.85). The mean difference between the 2 scales was -0.3 ± 0.33 AU (90% CI -0.41 to -0.29) with 95% limits of agreements (0.31 to -0.96 AU). Correlations between scales and between-changes scores were nearly perfect (.95 and .91-.98). Ratings corresponding to the verbal anchors were 49% in CR10 and 26% in CR100.
Conclusions: The CR100 is valid for assessing the training load in elite soccer players. It can be used interchangeably with the CR10 and may provide more-precise measures of exercise intensity.