How does training load work in Coachably?

TL;DR: On a client’s Progress tab you’ll find Current load — Fitness (CTL), Fatigue (ATL) and Form (TSB). Fitness builds slowly with consistent training, Fatigue reacts to recent hard sessions, and Form (Fitness − Fatigue) tells you whether the athlete is fresh or fatigued.

Where do you find training load?

Open a client, then their Progress tab. When the client has logged sessions, you’ll see:

a Current load card with Fitness, Fatigue and Form,
a chart tracking these over the selected weeks, and
a Sessions list with each session’s load.

Use the weeks control (4, 8, or 12) to change the time window. If the client trains more than one sport, a sport filter lets you look at each sport or the combined picture.

What do Fitness, Fatigue and Form mean?

Fitness (CTL) — Chronic Training Load, a 42-day weighted average of daily training load. It climbs slowly as consistent training builds long-term fitness, and fades just as slowly during a break.
Fatigue (ATL) — Acute Training Load, a 7-day weighted average. It reacts quickly to recent hard sessions and recovers within days once training eases off.
Form (TSB) — Training Stress Balance, yesterday’s Fitness minus Fatigue. Positive means fresh and ready; negative means fatigue is currently outpacing fitness.

Tap How current load is calculated on the card to open the full explainer in the app.

How is training load calculated?

Each session’s training load (TL) is summed per day. Fitness and Fatigue are exponentially weighted moving averages of that daily load (42- and 7-day time constants), so recent days count more than older ones. Form is simply Fitness − Fatigue.

The load itself is computed by Coachably from whatever each session provides — power, heart rate, pace, perceived effort (RPE), or tonnage — so a session with richer data gives a more confident number. A badge on a session shows the data source and confidence.

How do you read Form?

Form (TSB) sits on a simple scale:

+25 or more — very fresh; fitness may be slipping.
+5 to +25 — fresh and ready.
−10 to +5 — balanced.
−30 to −10 — carrying fatigue, load building.
below −30 — high fatigue, ease off.

This is a guide to support your coaching judgement, not medical advice.

Can you inspect or correct a session’s load?

Yes. In the Sessions list, tap a session to see how its load was built. If a number looks off — for example a session logged without the data it needs — you can override the load for that session.

Where do the load settings live?

Coach-level Load preferences are in Settings (web). There you can choose the ACWR method and intensity-zone model, set a ramp-rate alert, and tune advanced options like the fitness/fatigue time constants and per-sport weights.

FAQ

Do I have to enter training load myself? No. It’s calculated automatically from each logged session. You only step in if you want to override a specific session.

Why is a session marked unscored or low confidence? It didn’t have enough data (power, HR, pace, or RPE) to compute a confident load. Add perceived effort or richer data, or override the session’s load.

Does training load work for running, cycling, and swimming too? Yes. Load is computed across sports, and the Progress tab can show each sport separately or combined.