Training Load Guide

Load Score

Every workout item that has a distance contributes a load score — a single number that captures how much physiological work the item requires.

A day's total load is the sum of all items scheduled that day. Items with no distance (drills, strength work, conditioning) are excluded because they can't be normalized to a common unit.

ACWR — Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio

ACWR is a widely-used sports science metric that compares an athlete's recent load (acute) to their longer-term baseline load (chronic). The ratio captures whether training is ramping up faster than the body can adapt.

• ACWR = 1.0 — recent load exactly matches the established baseline.
• ACWR < 1.0 — athlete is doing less than usual (deload or undertraining).
• ACWR > 1.0 — athlete is doing more than their baseline — the higher the ratio, the greater the spike.

Calculation Models

QuickMeet offers two ways to compute acute and chronic load. Both ask the same question (“how does recent load compare to baseline?”) but differ in how they weight history.

You can toggle between models on the Training Load page. The dashboard summary card always uses Rolling Average.

Risk Zones

Risk zones are thresholds drawn from peer-reviewed sports science research (Hulin et al., Gabbett et al.) linking ACWR values to injury likelihood.

Low Data Warning

ACWR requires a meaningful training history to produce reliable numbers. When any athlete or group has fewer than 14 days of recorded load, a warning banner appears at the top of the Training Load page. The banner also shows how many more training days are needed before the first warning clears.

This commonly occurs at the start of a season. If athletes were training on their own during the off-season, the system has no record of that volume. The result is an artificially low chronic load — which can make a normal early-season workload look like a dangerous spike. The ACWR values are still displayed, but treat them as directional rather than definitive during this window.

The banner disappears automatically once all groups and athletes have at least 14 days of load history — no action required beyond logging workouts consistently.

What you can do

• Log workouts from day one. The warning clears automatically once 14 days of training are on record. The more consistently you enter workouts, the sooner the ACWR becomes reliable.
• Use EWMA at the start of a season. Because EWMA weights recent days more heavily, it adapts to new data faster than Rolling Average and is less sensitive to the cold-start problem.
• Focus on absolute load during the warning period. The load score itself is accurate from day one — only the ratio (ACWR) is unreliable until sufficient history exists. Use total daily load to gauge whether volume is appropriate.

Tips for Coaches

• Log workouts consistently. ACWR is only as good as the data behind it. Even weeks with lighter training should be entered so the chronic baseline stays accurate.
• Don't spike load after a rest week. A week off drops the chronic baseline. The first hard week back will produce a high ACWR even if it looks normal compared to pre-rest levels.
• Watch groups, not just individuals. If an entire group is in the Caution or High Risk zone, the training plan itself may need adjustment — not just individual athlete management.
• Rolling Avg for stable seasons, EWMA for transitions. EWMA picks up on load changes faster, making it useful at the start of a season, during peaking, or during a taper.
• ACWR is one data point. Combine it with attendance records, athlete-reported wellness, and your own coaching judgment.