Abstract
The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of different
training loads on ratings of perceived exertion and discomfort and feelings of pleasure/displeasure
in resistance-trained men. Twelve resistance-trained men (26.7±3.5 years, 85.1±17.5 kg,
and 174. 9±9.9 cm) performed 3 sets of the bench press, squat on a hack machine, and
lat pulldown, until volitional concentric failure in two separate conditions: a moderate
load (MOD) consisting of a relative load of 8–12 repetitions maximum (RM), and a light
load (LIT) consisting of a relative load of 25–30RM. The session rating of perceived
exertion (sRPE), session rating of perceived discomfort (sRPD), and session pleasure/displeasure
feelings (sPDF) were assessed after 15 min after the ending of each session. A randomized,
counterbalanced, crossover study was performed with 48 h recovery afforded between
sessions. Differences between conditions were observed for sRPE and sRPD, in which
scores for LIT were greater than MOD (sRPE: MOD=5.5±1.0 vs. LIT=6.4±0.7; sRPD: MOD=6.7±1.7
vs. LIT=8.7±1.0). For sPDF, MOD reported feelings of pleasure (1.2), whereas the LIT
presented a feeling of displeasure (–2.3). Results suggest that resistance training
performed with a light load until failure induces higher degrees of effort, discomfort
and displeasure compared to a moderate load.
Key words
mood - effort - strength training