Monitoring Training Load

Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and downloadable ‘Apps’ on your mobile phone have become popular in recent years and have therefore become much more affordable. These devices provide you with data such as distance, speed, pace, time and they often keep track of your training sessions automatically. These new technologies allow you to monitor your training load.

Alternatively, try to keep a manual log of your training sessions and remember to write down the mode, duration and intensity of each one, and where appropriate record performance times so that you can monitor your progress as well as your training load.

A common way of measuring exercise intensity is to use a heart rate monitor and work within different heart rate training zones. However, some individuals may not want to invest in buying this device.

If you have a SCI at or above T6 then heart rate is likely to be affected (typically found to be lower during maximal exercise). Hence, individuals with tetraplegia will usually display low heart rates during exercise. It is not uncommon to find maximal heart rates as low as 120 beats per minute (bpm), which makes the use of heart rate to monitor training intensity less suitable. If you have high-level paraplegia, you may also be unable to reach your age-predicted heart rate (220 bpm minus your age in years).

It is therefore suggested that you use a simpler, yet effective way to monitor training intensity by using the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale whereby you rate the intensity of a session according to how you feel. Even though this may seem like an over-simplification, a number of research studies have found this scale to be very effective in terms of monitoring training. However, to use this method you must be realistic and honest about how hard you are working. Using the 6-20 RPE scale, light exercise would fall in the range from 9-11, moderate exercise from 12-14, and hard exercise as anything over 15.