Training Monotony & Strain Calculator
Enter seven days of duration and session RPE to turn the week into daily load, weekly load, monotony, strain, and load variability. Rest days stay in the calculation so the week is treated as a complete planning window.
Training strain1,969.4
- Training monotony
- 1.32
- Weekly training load
- 1,490
- Average daily load
- 212.86
- Daily-load standard deviation
- 161.04
- Load coefficient of variation
- 75.66%
- Highest-load day
- Saturday (450 AU)
- Rest days
- 1
Daily training-load breakdown
| Day | Duration | Session RPE | Daily load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 45 | 4 | 180 |
| Tuesday | 60 | 6 | 360 |
| Wednesday | 30 | 3 | 90 |
| Thursday | 50 | 7 | 350 |
| Friday | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Saturday | 90 | 5 | 450 |
| Sunday | 30 | 2 | 60 |
Daily load is duration multiplied by session RPE and is reported in arbitrary units.
Rest days stay in the seven-day mean and standard deviation.
How to use this calculator
- Enter each day's total training duration in minutes, using zero for a rest day.
- Enter the session RPE for each day on the 0-10 scale.
- If you trained more than once in a day, enter the combined daily load by using an equivalent duration and RPE pair.
- Read the daily table, then compare weekly load, monotony, strain, and coefficient of variation.
How training monotony and strain are calculated
This calculator uses the session-RPE workload method described by Foster and colleagues. For each calendar day, daily load is duration in minutes multiplied by session RPE. The score is in arbitrary units, not calories, distance, or mechanical work.
The seven daily loads are kept as a full week:
L_i = duration_i x RPE_i
weekly load = sum(L_i)
mean daily load = weekly load / 7
standard deviation = sqrt(sum((L_i - mean)^2) / 7)
monotony = mean daily load / standard deviation
strain = weekly load x monotony
coefficient of variation = 100 x standard deviation / mean daily load
The standard deviation is the population standard deviation of the seven daily loads because the question is about this exact seven-day block, not a sample from a larger group of days. A rest day contributes a load of zero and remains in the mean and standard deviation.
What moves the result most
Weekly load rises when total duration rises, session RPE rises, or both. Monotony rises when the seven daily loads are similar to each other. A week with the same load every day has no daily-load variation, so monotony and strain are unbounded rather than divided by zero. A week with hard days, easy days, and rest days usually has a higher coefficient of variation and lower monotony.
Training strain combines size and sameness. A high weekly load can produce high strain even with varied days. A moderate weekly load can also produce high strain if every day is nearly the same. That makes the result useful for reviewing the pattern of a week, not just the total.
What the calculator leaves out
Session RPE is subjective. It is most useful when the same athlete records it consistently, ideally after the session rather than during the hardest interval. The calculator does not know whether the load came from running, lifting, rowing, court sport, or mixed training, and it does not convert the score to mileage, tonnage, or calories.
If an athlete completes two workouts on one day, the most faithful daily load is the sum of each session's duration-times-RPE product. Entering one averaged RPE for the whole day can give a different result. The tool also leaves out sleep, illness, soreness, competition stress, heat, altitude, life stress, and longer-term training history, so monotony or strain should not be used as a diagnosis by itself.
Worked example
Suppose the week is 45 minutes at RPE 4, 60 at RPE 6, 30 at RPE 3, 50 at RPE 7, a Friday rest day, 90 at RPE 5, and 30 at RPE 2. The daily loads are 180, 360, 90, 350, 0, 450, and 60 arbitrary units.
The weekly load is 1,490 AU. The mean daily load is 212.86 AU and the population standard deviation is 161.04 AU, so monotony is 1.32. Training strain is 1,969.40 AU, the coefficient of variation is 75.66%, Saturday is the highest-load day, and the week has one rest day.
Common questions
How are session RPE training load, monotony, and strain calculated?
Daily session-RPE load is duration in minutes multiplied by the session RPE score. Weekly load is the sum of the seven daily loads, monotony is the seven-day mean divided by the population standard deviation, and strain is weekly load multiplied by monotony.
Should rest days be included in training-monotony calculations?
Yes. Rest days are part of the seven-day workload pattern and should remain as zero-load days. Dropping them would raise the average of the remaining days and change the variability calculation.
How do I record two workouts completed on the same day?
Calculate each session as duration multiplied by its own session RPE, then add those loads for the day. Because this form accepts one duration and one RPE per day, use an equivalent pair that produces the same daily total. Averaging the two RPE values can give the wrong daily load.
When should I record my session RPE?
Use a consistent timing rule after training, when you can rate the whole session instead of one hard part. Many coaches collect it shortly after the workout so the athlete has a global impression but has not forgotten the session.
Why does repeating the same load every day produce very high monotony?
Monotony divides average daily load by the standard deviation of daily load. If every positive day has the same load, the standard deviation is zero. The calculator reports that case as unbounded because a finite division result would be misleading.
Can training strain or monotony predict injury or overtraining?
They can help describe workload patterns, but they do not reliably predict injury or overtraining for every athlete. Use them alongside symptoms, readiness, sleep, illness, competition schedule, coaching judgment, and medical advice when needed.