What are the exercise guidelines?
Author: Sharon Jang | Reviewer: Sonja de Groot | Published: 20 April 2022 | Updated: XX October 2024
In 2020, exercise guidelines for the SCI population were released. Currently, the starting level guidelines for fitness benefits are:
- at least 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity endurance (aerobic) exercise, 2 times per week
- 3 sets of strength exercises for each major muscle group at a moderate to vigorous intensity, 2 times a week.
The advance level provides guidelines for additional fitness and health benefits, such as reducing your risk for diabetes. It is recommended to get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week, in addition to the 3 sets of strength exercises twice a week.
Another way to gauge your effort is through a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The RPE is a subjective rating scale where the individual rates how hard they feel they are working, where 0 is not working at all, and 10 is working at your absolute maximum. If someone is just starting off with exercising, starting between a 5-7 on the RPE scale is a good idea.
Watch SCIRE’s YouTube Video explaining how to use RPE when exercising!
Another way to evaluate how hard you are working is through using the talk test. The talk test uses your ability to carry out a conversation while performing exercise to gauge exercise intensity. According to the talk test, a moderate intensity workout is achieved when one is able to talk to someone while working out, but not being able to sing. During a vigorous intensity workout, you would only be able to say a couple of words to someone, and speaking is difficult.