Acute Load
Acute load is a weighted sum of your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) for the last several days. The gauge indicates whether your current load is low, optimal, high, or very high. The optimal range is based on your individual fitness level and training history. The range adjusts as your training time and intensity increase or decrease.
In order to maximize performance and fitness gains, training should be distributed across three categories: low aerobic, high aerobic, and anaerobic. Training load focus shows you how much of your training is currently in each category and provides training targets. Training load focus requires at least 7 days of training to determine if your training load is low, optimal, or high. After 4 weeks of training history, your training load estimate will have more detailed target information to help you balance your training activities.
Below targets: Your training load is lower than optimal in all intensity categories. Try increasing the duration or frequency of your workouts.
Low aerobic shortage: Try adding more low aerobic activities to provide recovery and balance for your higher intensity activities.
High aerobic shortage: Try adding more high aerobic activities to help improve your lactate threshold and VO2 max. over time.
Anaerobic shortage: Try adding a few more intense, anaerobic activities to improve your speed and anaerobic capacity over time.
Balanced: Your training load is balanced and provides all-around fitness benefits as you continue training.
Low aerobic focus: Your training load is mostly low aerobic activity. This provides a solid foundation and prepares you for adding more intense workouts.
High aerobic focus: Your training load is mostly high aerobic activity. These activities help to improve lactate threshold, VO2 max., and endurance.
Anaerobic focus: Your training load is mostly intense activity. This leads to rapid fitness gains, but should be balanced with low aerobic activities.
Above targets: Your training load is higher than optimal, and you should consider scaling back the duration and frequency of your workouts.
Load Ratio
Load ratio is the ratio of your acute (short-term) training load to your chronic (long-term) training load. It’s helpful for tracking your training load changes.
|
Status |
Value |
Description |
|
No Status |
None |
Load ratio will be visible after 2 weeks of training. |
|
Low |
Lower than 0.8 |
Your short-term training load is lower than your long-term training load. |
|
Optimal |
0.8 to 1.4 |
The short-term and long-term training loads are balanced. The optimal range is based on your individual fitness level and training history. |
|
High |
1.5 to 1.9 |
Your short-term training load is higher than your long-term training load. |
|
Very High |
2.0 or higher |
Your short-term training load is significantly higher than your long-term training load. |
About Training Effect
Training Effect measures the impact of an activity on your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Training Effect accumulates during the activity. As the activity progresses, the Training Effect value increases. Training Effect is determined by your user profile information and training history, and heart rate, duration, and intensity of your activity. There are seven different Training Effect labels to describe the primary benefit of your activity. Each label is color coded and corresponds to your training load focus (). Each feedback phrase, for example, “Highly Impacting VO2 Max.” has a corresponding description in your Garmin Connect activity details.
Aerobic Training Effect uses your heart rate to measure how the accumulated intensity of an exercise affects your aerobic fitness and indicates if the workout had a maintaining or improving effect on your fitness level. Your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) accumulated during exercise is mapped to a range of values that account for your fitness level and training habits. Steady workouts at moderate effort or workouts involving longer intervals (>180 sec) have a positive impact on your aerobic metabolism and result in an improved aerobic Training Effect.
Anaerobic Training Effect uses heart rate and speed (or power) to determine how a workout affects your ability to perform at very high intensity. You receive a value based on the anaerobic contribution to EPOC and the type of activity. Repeated high-intensity intervals of 10 to 120 seconds have a highly beneficial impact on your anaerobic capability and result in an improved anaerobic Training Effect.
You can add Aerobic Training Effect and Anaerobic Training Effect as data fields to one of your training screens to monitor your numbers throughout the activity.
|
Training Effect |
Aerobic Benefit |
Anaerobic Benefit |
|
From 0.0 to 0.9 |
No benefit. |
No benefit. |
|
From 1.0 to 1.9 |
Minor benefit. |
Minor benefit. |
|
From 2.0 to 2.9 |
Maintains your aerobic fitness. |
Maintains your anaerobic fitness. |
|
From 3.0 to 3.9 |
Impacts your aerobic fitness. |
Impacts your anaerobic fitness. |
|
From 4.0 to 4.9 |
Highly impacts your aerobic fitness. |
Highly impacts your anaerobic fitness. |
|
5.0 |
Overreaching and potentially harmful without enough recovery time. |
Overreaching and potentially harmful without enough recovery time. |
Training Effect technology is provided and supported by Firstbeat Analytics. For more information, go to firstbeat.com.