The training load focus data screen not only shows a graphical breakdown of your training load across three main intensity categories, but also provides qualitative feedback.
- Shortage: there is a training shortage in an intensity category.
- Balanced: your training is well distributed across the three different intensity levels.
- Focus: your training variety is sensibly structured, but it focuses mainly on one training zone.
In addition to the three load focus feedback categories above, you can also receive feedback when your overall training load is too low (goals are not being met) or too high (overreaching).
Balance is needed to build a strong foundation
When your training load is both optimal and balanced, you are active enough to maintain and gradually improve your fitness, and your activities are varied enough to provide a strong foundation for future improvement. This means you have spent enough time on high and low intensity aerobic efforts as well as dynamic efforts that help improve your explosive performance.
Race focus
Every athlete knows that preparation is the key to success. To succeed, you need to understand the specific demands of the challenge ahead and know how to prepare for them. Once a balanced training foundation is in place, you can shift your focus and steer your training structure towards a performance profile that matches your ambitions or your training phase.
Confirming that your training has a consistent purpose while focusing your load gives you confidence that you are on the right track. When you understand the data correctly and know how to apply it consistently, you can use it to build an action plan to meet your goals and pursue a variety of ambitions. You can see when your training is insufficient in one or more areas. With a strong foundation in place, you can achieve even your biggest goals, as long as your training structure matches real-world demands and the challenges you have set.
Training load: primary benefit of training effect
On newer compatible devices, you can see how your run or ride affects your training load focus right after you save your activity. A new colour-coded label added to the training effect screen explains the most important effect of recent activities and what they have impacted the most.
Note that the label backgrounds are colour-coded (purple, orange and light blue), corresponding to anaerobic, high intensity aerobic and low intensity aerobic training load focus. If a saved activity has no significant effect on an intensity category or it cannot be determined, the label background is grey and no descriptive text is shown.
The training load of the activity is also shown at the bottom of the screen.
