bot-coach/reference/load-management.md

Training Load Management

Professional coaches quantify training stress to manage fatigue, prevent overtraining, and peak for races.

Training Stress Score (TSS)

TSS measures the physiological cost of a workout. For cycling with power:

TSS = (Duration in seconds × NP × IF) / (FTP × 3600) × 100

Where:
- NP = Normalized Power (accounts for variability)
- IF = Intensity Factor (NP / FTP)

TSS Guidelines by Workout Type

Workout	Typical TSS	Recovery Needed
Easy 1hr ride	40-50	Same day OK
2hr endurance ride	80-100	24 hours
Hard interval session	70-90	24-48 hours
4hr long ride	150-200	48-72 hours
Century (100mi)	250-350	3-5 days
Ironman bike	300-400	1-2 weeks

Running TSS (rTSS)

Estimated from pace and HR. Use Strava's suffer_score as a proxy:

• suffer_score ≈ rTSS for most athletes
• Compare suffer_score per hour across sessions to gauge relative intensity

Swim TSS (sTSS)

Use duration × intensity factor:

• Easy swim: 25-30 TSS/hour
• Moderate swim: 40-50 TSS/hour
• Hard intervals: 60-70 TSS/hour

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Chronic Training Load (CTL) - "Fitness"

CTL is the rolling 42-day weighted average of daily TSS. It represents accumulated fitness.

CTL Ramp Rate Guidelines

Athlete Level	Max CTL Increase/Week	Notes
Beginner	3-5 TSS/day	Conservative to prevent injury
Intermediate	5-7 TSS/day	Standard progression
Advanced	7-10 TSS/day	Aggressive; requires monitoring
Pro	8-12 TSS/day	With careful recovery management

A CTL ramp of 7/week means adding ~50 TSS/week to your average weekly load.

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Acute Training Load (ATL) - "Fatigue"

ATL is the rolling 7-day weighted average of daily TSS. It represents recent fatigue.

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Training Stress Balance (TSB) - "Form"

TSB = CTL - ATL

TSB Range	State	Implication
+15 to +25	Fresh/peaked	Race ready, may lose fitness if maintained
+5 to +15	Rested	Good for quality sessions, minor events
-10 to +5	Neutral	Normal training state
-10 to -30	Fatigued	Building load, need recovery soon
< -30	Overreaching	High injury/burnout risk, reduce load

Race Day TSB Targets

Event	Target TSB	Taper Length
Sprint Tri	0 to +10	5-7 days
Olympic Tri	+5 to +15	10-14 days
70.3	+10 to +20	14-18 days
Ironman	+15 to +25	21-28 days
Marathon	+10 to +20	14-21 days

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Weekly TSS Targets by Phase

Phase	% of Peak TSS	Focus
Base (early)	60-70%	Building volume
Base (late)	75-85%	Volume + introducing intensity
Build	90-100%	Peak volume, race-specific work
Peak	85-95%	Maintaining fitness, sharpening
Taper	40-60%	Reducing volume, maintaining intensity
Recovery week	50-60%	Every 3-4 weeks

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Recovery Monitoring

Heart Rate-Based Indicators

Resting Heart Rate (RHR):

• Measure every morning before getting up
• RHR elevated 5-10+ bpm = accumulated fatigue
• Sustained elevation over 3+ days = consider recovery day/week
• Sudden drop below baseline = potential illness onset

Heart Rate Variability (HRV):

• Higher HRV = better recovered
• Lower HRV = stressed/fatigued
• HRV 10%+ below baseline = reduce intensity
• Track 7-day rolling average, not daily swings

Subjective Indicators (1-5 scale)

Metric	Questions
Sleep quality	How restful? Wake during night?
Energy	How do you feel getting up?
Muscle soreness	General or localized?
Mood	Motivated or dreading training?
Appetite	Normal, elevated, or suppressed?

Warning patterns:

• 2+ low scores for 3+ days = back off
• Sleep + mood both low = high burnout risk

Recovery Week Structure

Every 3-4 weeks:

Day	Prescription
1	Complete rest or 30min Zone 1
2	45-60min Zone 2, single sport
3	30-45min Zone 2, different sport
4	Complete rest
5	45-60min Zone 2 with 3-4 short accelerations
6	Light session, re-assess readiness
7	If feeling good, ease back into normal training

Volume reduction: 40-50% of normal week Intensity reduction: No Zone 4+ work