New Online Training Scores, Pace & Speed Zones, and More Now on TrainingPeaks
29 July 2010Now on TrainingPeaks, the workout analysis tools many of you have enjoyed for years in our desktop WKO+ software are available online: find out just how hard your workout really was with new online Training Stress Scores (TSS) and track your fitness over time with the Performance Management Chart (PMC).
Based on the gold-standard analysis system that has been available on our advanced WKO+ desktop software for half a decade, online workout scores can be calculated based on power, heart rate, and more, allowing athletes to earn a score for a variety of different workouts and compare many different types of training.
Scores can even be calculated based on data that you already have recorded in your account: click here to learn how to use our back-fill calculator tool to instantly update your charts with all your past data, and make sure you have set your threshold values correctly to ensure accurate scores. Learn how to add the Stats tab to your workout Quick View to view TSS here.
These workout scores can be tracked over time in a new online graph called the Performance Management Chart (PMC), now also available on TrainingPeaks, to give you a good idea of how your training is progressing over time. The same system used to track the fitness programs of many of the Tour de France cyclists and other elite athletes for more than 5 years is now available to you.
You don’t need an expensive power meter like the pro cyclists use either. In fact, TrainingPeaks can now calculate a TSS value for any workout that contains heart rate or pace data. In fact, no device is needed at all: once you understand the simple scoring system you’ll be able to reward yourself with a daily score through perceived exertion.
By tracking your daily TSS, no matter what your preferred workout type may be, you will be doing the same thing many professional cyclists have done for years. Understanding these simple concepts can help you estimate your daily workout score even if you don’t have a training device file to upload.
- Cyclists and runners can earn 100 TSS for an all-out 60-minute workout. Now of course most workouts are not completed at an all-out intensity level so you will probably accumulate less than 100 TSS per hour on most days.
- Think of intensity on a scale of 1-10, “10″ being the hardest. If you exercised at a level 5 for an hour then you would accumulate 50 TSS, no matter if you were training for the Tour de France or to simply lose weight.
- You can earn more than 100 TSS within a single workout, but never more than 100 TSS per hour.
- No matter what your sport may be, you know what a maximum one-hour effort feels like. This equals 100 TSS. Now you can relate every workout to that gold standard. So for example if you walked the dog for an hour at an easy to moderate pace you might reward yourself with a score of 30 TSS.
Performance Management Chart: Training Score Over Time Shows Fitness Trends
The really powerful benefit of tracking your daily TSS is you can now leverage the TrainingPeaks Performance Management Chart to easily track your fitness progression over time. TrainingPeaks’ advanced formulas will accurately calculate your fitness (known as Chronic Training Load or CTL), fatigue (known as Acute Training Load or ATL) and finally your freshness or form (known as Training Stress Balance or TSB).
There is no need to remember CTL, ATL and TSB, just remember the blue line represents your fitness, the pink line shows your fatigue, and the yellow line shows how fresh you are. Now that you understand these basic principles you can spot the trends over time an set realistic goals for yourself. We all know that health and fitness aren’t created through occasional exercise. Consistency and progression over time are the real secrets to long-lasting fitness and health.
Learn more about Training Stress Scores and the Performance Management Chart.
Along with our new online workout scores system, we have also added other great features to TrainingPeaks, such as pace and speed zones to make planning and recording your workouts easier than ever. To set up your new zones, just click on My Settings and select the Zones tab.
Learn more about what’s new here.
One Response to “New Online Training Scores, Pace & Speed Zones, and More Now on TrainingPeaks”
July 29th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sage Rountree, TrainingPeaks, Jason Hilimire, Ken Wallace, Alan Couzens and others. Alan Couzens said: RT @TrainingPeaks: How hard was your workout? WKO+ metrics Training Stress Score (TSS) & Performance Management Chart (PMC) now online: http://bit.ly/c7CZPx [...]