Getting fit shouldn't require knowing any fancy terms, acronyms, or even a secret handshake. All that should be necessary is the desire to build a healthier body and mind. But, flip through just about any magazine or visit any fitness website and you're bound to come across information that doesn't make any sense to a fitness newbie. And yes, this website (and the author of this post) are just as guilty of offering somewhat more advanced content from time to time.

To help clarify, and to help create a better balance with my posts for people at more advanced fitness levels, I began what I call Gym Lingo columns. Usually I try to make sense of some common gym vocabulary -- from the types of sets to an assortment of common terms and phrases that make up the fitness lexicon -- but this time around I thought I'd focus on a very common acronym that, to someone who's never heard it before and/or don't know what it means, may need some explanation. So, I thought that the better fit would be to include it here in Fit Factor.

RPE. What do these three letters stand for? Rate of Perceived Exertion. The name, when no longer in acronym form, does a good job of clearing up what this fitness term is all about. A special RPE scale is typically referred to when someone wants to gauge their intensity level. With one being the lowest (meaning that the least amount of effort is being exerted) and ten being the highest (the maximum amount of effort is being exerted). Knowing where you fall on this RPE scale will help you figure out if you are working out hard enough or if you need to kick things into higher gear.The following is a basic breakdown of the RPE scale, including a brief description of each level.

RPE 1-2: Very easy; conversing with someone can be done without any difficulty

RPE 3: Easy; chatting with a workout buddy is done with very limited difficulty

RPE 4: Moderately easy; you can still carry on a conversation with someone, but it requires a bit of effort

RPE 5: Moderate; you find conversation with a workout buddy takes some effort and concentration

RPE 6: Moderately difficult; carrying on a conversation is not easy and requires effort

RPE 7: Difficult; having a conversation is almost out of the question, though not impossible

RPE 8: Very difficult; conversation requires maximum effort, to the point where it's very unlikely to take place

RPE 9-10: Peak Effort; you are working as hard as you can. You have just enough wind to finish the exercise, and therefore can't expend any on conversation

The conversation example is a good one, in that it helps you gauge just how hard you're working by relating it to something with which you are very familiar. This is especially helpful for people that are new to fitness, as they do not have any past fitness experience to relate their effort level to.