Free tool · Training load

Training load calculator (session RPE)

Short answer

Session training load is how hard a session felt on a 0–10 scale multiplied by its length in minutes. A 60-minute session rated 7 is 420 arbitrary units. Add up the week for your weekly load. Foster also defined monotony (average daily load ÷ its standard deviation) and strain (weekly load × monotony), and linked illness in athletes to spikes in strain.

Last reviewed 27 October 20262 published sourcesNot medical advice

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Training load calculator

About 30 minutes after each session, rate the whole session from 0 (rest) to 10 (maximal).

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Leave rest days blank.

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Enter at least one session: its minutes and how hard it felt.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

How it's calculated

Session load = session RPE (0–10) × duration in minutes, in arbitrary units (AU). Foster et al. found this simple score was a valid way to quantify training across very different kinds of exercise (Foster et al., 2001).

For the week, monotony = average daily load ÷ the standard deviation of the 7 daily loads, counting rest days as zero, and strain = weekly load × monotony. In 25 experienced athletes, a high share of illnesses came when individuals exceeded their own training thresholds, mostly related to strain (Foster, 1998).

Three example weeks
WeekWeekly loadMonotonyStrain
Varied: hard, easy and rest days1,530 AU1.001,533
Same moderate session daily2,050 AU15.5031,768
Three hard days, rest between1,440 AU0.801,155
Illustrative weeks worked out with Foster's formulas. Similar total load can carry very different monotony and strain.

Next steps

Feed four weeks of totals into the ACWR calculator to see how fast your load is rising, and watch your morning recovery with the HRV baseline calculator.

Training load without the spreadsheet

Reps shows your weekly training load building in real time from your Apple Watch workouts and flags an overtraining spike about a week early.

Download Reps on the App StoreTraining load in Reps

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Common questions

What is session RPE?

Your rating of the whole session's effort on Borg's 0–10 category-ratio scale, given about 30 minutes after you finish. Foster et al. showed that RPE × minutes tracked a heart-rate-based measure of training consistently across steady cycling, intervals and basketball.

What is a good weekly training load?

There is no universal number: it depends on your sport, fitness and goals. What matters is how this week compares with your usual weeks. The ACWR calculator compares this week with your four-week average.

What does high monotony mean?

Monotony is high when every day carries a similar load, with no easy or rest days to break it up. Foster found a high share of illnesses in his athletes came in weeks when they exceeded their own individual thresholds, mostly for strain, which combines total load with monotony.

Sources

Figures on this page were checked against these publications on 27 October 2026.

  1. Foster C, Florhaug JA, Franklin J, Gottschall L, Hrovatin LA, Parker S, Doleshal P, Dodge C. A new approach to monitoring exercise training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2001;15(1):109–115. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11708692/
  2. Foster C. Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1998;30(7):1164–1168. doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199807000-00023

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