Subjective Effort

Subjective Effort

By Dr. Sean Radford 21st July 2022 (Updated 26th May 2026)

Subjective effort is another term for perceived effort, representing a runner's personal assessment of how hard a workout feels. This is also commonly referred to as the Rating of Perceived Effort (RPE).

Please see our canonical FAQ on Perceived Effort for our detailed guide and 10-point RPE scale.