Fitness training has many levels. Some are better for fat loss, some for endurance to keep the heart and lungs healthy, and some to add strength or muscle size. The scale below is based on the Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion. It works well in estimating your intensity level for a safe and effective workout.


The ratings are based on the effort it takes to have a conversation. For general health and excess fat loss, you should be able to hold a conversation comfortably while exercising.

RPE	Level	Conversation takes:	Level (1-5)	Beginner1	Beginner2	Intermediate	Advanced	Athlete
1-2	Very easy	no effort whatsoever	All	warm up	warm up	warm up	warm up	warm up
3	Easy	just a bit of effort	All	fat loss	warm up	warm up	warm up	warm up
4	Moderately easy	a little effort	2-5	endurance	fat loss	warm up	warm up	warm up
5	Moderate	some     effort	3-5	x	fat loss	fat loss	fat loss	fat loss
6	Moderate to difficult	concentrated effort	3-5	x	endurance	fat loss	fat loss	fat loss
7	Difficult	a lot of effort	4-5	x	x	endurance	endurance	endurance
8	Very difficult	almost all your effort	4-5	x	x	x	peak level	endurance
9	Extreme	MAXIMUM effort	5	x	x	x	x	peak level
10	Extreme	NO Talking zone	5	x	x	x	x	peak level