WKO Training Impact Scores Explained

Training Impact Score (TIS) in WKO5

Overview

There is a simple description of quantification of training that’s used by coaches and exercise physiologists alike: stress + strain = adaptation. Stress is an external, quantitative measurement of the exercise stimuli or load placed on the body, and strain is the internal response to that stress. When stress is applied, your body undergoes strain. Correctly applied, strain leads to adaptation, both general and specific.

For over fifteen years now, endurance athletes have used Training Stress Score (TSS) to plan, track, and improve fitness by applying a standard measurement in the form of training load. TSS is a measurement of stress and an excellent metric for quantifying the amount of training stress being applied to the system; however, it does not always give insight into the specific strain the body undergoes when stress is applied.

WKO5 introduces a new metric, Training Impact Score (TIS), to help quantify the specific strain the body undergoes in response to applied stress. TIS provides insight into the impact of training on your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.

What is TIS?

Training Impact Score (TIS) uses your power data and your unique power-duration model to estimate the anaerobic and aerobic system impact of the applied training load of a workout, which provides deeper insight into how the workout will strain each system. Your TIS is based on the specific impact of the workout on your unique physiology. All energy systems contribute to endurance exercise efforts, but to fine tune your training to your unique physiology, it’s important to build a deeper and more specific understanding of the impact/strain on each system during exercise. 

Anaerobic Training Impact Score

Training at levels near, at, and above Functional Threshold Power (FTP) results in a significant increase in anaerobic energy demand. Anaerobic Training Impact Score estimates the impact or strain your workout has on your anaerobic system (anaerobic glycolysis).
anaerobic training impact score in wko5 tis
Aerobic Training Impact Score

Training at any level, but in particular at lower efforts and steady-state efforts below Functional Threshold Power (FTP), results in higher impact on your aerobic energy system (fatty acid oxidation / complete oxidation of substrates). Aerobic Training Impact Score quantifies the strain of a particular workout on your aerobic energy system.
aerobic training impact score in wko5 tis
Key Benefits of Measuring Training Impact

No two humans are alike, and similar workouts won’t necessarily produce the same strain. WKO’s Training Impact Scores use the knowledge gained from the power-duration model about your unique physiology to help you understand the specific energy-system strain being applied to your body. This new metric enables you to individualize your training in new ways and build workouts that produce the best results for your specific needs and goals.
  • Specific scoring by energy system allows athletes to better understand the impact of the current workout and select superior workouts for training strategy.
  • Training Impact Score (TIS) partners with Training Stress Score (TSS) to provide insights into both overall training load and the specific impact of allied exercise stimuli.
  • Tracking Training Impact Score (TIS) over time will improve coaches’ and athletes’ ability to improve training individualization and specificity, leading to improved performance results. 

About TrainingPeaks WKO 

WKO is a power data analytics engine built to unlock the secrets of your endurance training and performance data. Click here for more information and to download your free trial of WKO today.
Share by: