Estimation of Resistance Training RPE using Inertial Sensors and Electromyography
This work addresses personalized feedback and injury prevention for resistance training participants, but it is incremental as it builds on existing sensor-based methods with limited new insights.
This study tackled the problem of estimating rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during resistance training by using machine learning models on data from inertial and EMG sensors, achieving 41.4% exact accuracy and 85.9% ±1 RPE accuracy with a random forest classifier.
Accurate estimation of rating of perceived exertion (RPE) can enhance resistance training through personalized feedback and injury prevention. This study investigates the application of machine learning models to estimate RPE during single-arm dumbbell bicep curls, using data from wearable inertial and electromyography (EMG) sensors. A custom dataset of 69 sets and over 1000 repetitions was collected, with statistical features extracted for model training. Among the models evaluated, a random forest classifier achieved the highest performance, with 41.4% exact accuracy and 85.9% $\pm1$ RPE accuracy. While the inclusion of EMG data slightly improved model accuracy over inertial sensors alone, its utility may have been limited by factors such as data quality and placement sensitivity. Feature analysis highlighted eccentric repetition time as the strongest RPE predictor. The results demonstrate the feasibility of wearable-sensor-based RPE estimation and identify key challenges for improving model generalizability.