Training Load tracks the strain placed on the body during exercise, helping you maintain a balance between fitness improvements, recovery, and injury prevention. Each workout’s Training Load score contributes to overall trends, comparing recent efforts (short-term load) with long-term load to give you a comprehensive view of your fitness journey.
Monitoring your Training Load is crucial to ensure optimal progress while minimizing the risk of overtraining or injury.
Training Load Methods
FITIV Pulse offers several methods to measure Training Load, each providing a unique approach to tracking and understanding your fitness progress (Session Perceived Exertion, Bannister TRIMP, TSS, and All Day Calorie Burn).
Below, you'll find a brief explanation of each method, along with its benefits, pros, and cons to help you choose the approach that best fits your needs.
- Session PE (Perceived Exertion):
Session PE measures training load based on perceived exertion, where users rate the workout's difficulty on a scale of 1 to 10, then multiply it by the duration to produce a score called "Effort Minutes." It is simple to apply across all workout types and personalized to individual effort. Suitable for both strength and cardio without the need for external data, but it can be subjective and may vary depending on mood or external factors, making it less consistent over time or across users.
- TRIMP (Training Impulse – Bannister Method):
TRIMP calculates training load based on heart rate relative to maximum heart rate, with greater weight given to higher intensities. It provides an objective, heart rate-based measure that is ideal for cardio activities. More objective than Session PE, it scales well across sessions and users, but it is less effective for strength training or short intervals and requires accurate heart rate data.
- TSS (Training Stress Score):
TSS is primarily used by endurance athletes. It calculates training load using power (Running & Cycling) or heart rate if power is not available. When using power data from Apple Watch or sensors, TSS is typically more precise than Session Perceived Exertion or TRIMP for measuring the stress of endurance-based activities.
- All Day Calorie Burn:
All Day Calorie Burn estimates training load based on total daily calorie expenditure, including calories burned through workouts, steps, standing, and other activities. It provides a broad view of daily energy output, making it useful for tracking overall activity levels. However, because it focuses on calorie burn rather than workout intensity, it may not accurately reflect the true training load of more intense workouts.
Related content: For more detailed information on Training Load, refer to the Guide: Mastering Training Load (TL).