The effect of adding lower intensity work on perceived aversiveness of exercise

Two studies tested the hypothesis that exertional trend influences perceive d aversiveness of an exercise bout. In Study I, participants (64 women and 26 men) read descriptions of 8 fictitious people's ratings of perceived exe rtion during exercise sessions on a stationary bicycle, including a 15-min session with a pattern of increasing exertion and a 20-min session with a p attern of exertion identical to the 15-min session with the addition of a 5 -min period of reduced exertion at the end. Despite a greater overall workl oad, the 20-min session was perceived as significantly less aversive than t he 15-min session. In Study 2, participants (11 women and 9 men) completed 15- and 20-min sessions on a cycle ergometer with the same basic exertional patterns as in Study 1. Ratings of the aversiveness of the 2 sessions did not differ significantly, despite the difference in duration. Results demon strate that adding a period of reduced exertion attenuates the perceived av ersiveness of a bout of exercise.