Monitor performance with Fitness, Fatigue and Form charts

• By Bruno F -
• October 13, 2020

Monitor performance with Fitness, Fatigue and Form charts. Training is not linear, it fluctuates through cycles. We have peaks in form when we prepare for a competition and sometimes we get worse due to situations like an injury, for example.

It is difficult to have a global vision that makes us improve or to know how to identify periods where training has not gone as expected.

How does it work?

To measure the level of Fitness (CTL), Fatigue (ATL) and Form (TSB), with each workout executed and synchronised from Strava or Garmin, an Effort score is attributed.

This score measures the intensity of the training and is a calculation based on the heart rate data compared to the personal physical data of the athlete.

The Performance graph analyzes this data to show accumulated training over time.

In this way it is possible to capture the evolution of physical condition as well as the loss of it when one takes a break.

Fitness, Fatigue and Form

Raising the fitness value isn’t always the most important thing. Keeping an eye on overtraining is important and more now easier to spot with the performance graph.

It is easy to realise that fatigue rises to unwanted levels simply by checking the Fatigue levels on the graph and checking which are the workouts that made us rise to those levels through the Effort score.

Fitness

Fitness is an exponentially weighted average of the last 42 days of training and reflects the training that has been done during the last months.

However, the workouts you did 15 days ago will affect your fitness more than the workouts you did 2 months ago. As Fitness increases, Fatigue will also increase only at a higher rate.

Fatigue

Fatigue is an exponential average of Training Effort for the last 7 days. When there are workouts with a very high Effort score, fatigue increases considerably in response.

Form

Finally, by subtracting yesterday’s Fatigue from yesterday’s Fitness, we get the Fitness line. Just because you’re fit doesn’t mean you’re ready to run at your best. A negative form would indicate that you are carrying a lot of fatigue and you are not in shape.

However, by decreasing the intensity of your workouts we can eliminate fatigue at a higher rate than you lose physical shape and get back in shape on the day that matters most.

Log into your account now and try it out. If you don’t have an account yet, create one now. You have 15 days totally free and without obligation.