Self-regulation of exercise intensity by estimated time limit scale

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Human Performance

Background:

• Regulating exercise intensity is crucial for training effectiveness and performance.
• Subjective measures of exercise intensity are often used but require validation.
• The estimated time limit (ETL) scale offers a subjective prediction of exercise duration at a given intensity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity of the estimated time limit (ETL) scale for regulating exercise intensity.
• To assess the ETL scale's utility in a typical estimation-production procedure.
• To determine the reliability of ETL predictions across various exercise intensities.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six male athletes participated in the study.
• Continuous incremental and discontinuous tests were conducted.
• Workloads were set at 65%, 75%, 85%, and 95% of maximal power output (MAP) for estimation and production tests.

Main Results:

• Good intraclass correlation coefficients (0.81–0.96) were found for power output between estimation and production tests at 75%, 85%, and 95% MAP.
• No significant differences in power output or cardiorespiratory data were observed between estimation and production tests at 85% and 95% MAP.
• The ETL scale demonstrated strong validity for high exercise intensities.

Conclusions:

• The estimated time limit (ETL) scale is a valid tool for prescribing exercise intensity in athletes.
• The ETL scale is particularly effective for high exercise intensities (85% and 95% MAP) on a cycloergometer.
• This subjective measure aids in accurately regulating exercise intensity during training.