Training load (duration × perceived exertion) is the simplest data point to set up for tracking how your athletes evolve over time, one of the building blocks of athlete tracking for sports coaches. It needs no equipment or specialized software to get started : just a rigorous method, applied consistently after every session. This article details the session-RPE method, its scientific validity, and how to apply it in practice, regardless of the sport your athletes play.

What is RPE?

RPE (rating of perceived exertion) is a scale that lets an athlete express, as a number, how hard an effort felt. The original scale, developed by Gunnar Borg, runs from 6 to 20; the simplified version most used in practice runs from 1 to 10, where 1 is near-zero effort and 10 is maximal effort.

RPE has a decisive advantage over physiological measures like heart rate : it accounts for everything that influences how hard a session feels (accumulated fatigue, sleep, stress) without needing to measure any of them separately.

Foster's session-RPE method

Proposed by Carl Foster in 2001, the session-RPE method multiplies a session's duration (in minutes) by the RPE the athlete assigns to it once the session is over rather than during it, to avoid the rating being influenced by anticipating what's still left to do. The result is a single number, in arbitrary units, representing that session's load.

The calculation

Load = duration (min) × RPE (1-10). A 60-minute session rated RPE 6 gives a load of 360. A 30-minute session rated RPE 9 gives a load of 270. Shorter but more intense, it still ends up "lighter" by this metric. That's exactly the point of the method : it compares very different sessions on a common scale.

Where this method comes from

Since its publication, the session-RPE method has been studied extensively for its validity and reliability across sports (Foster et al.). It remains a subjective measure, though : its reliability depends directly on the athlete being honest when rating their effort.

Tracking load over time

A single session's load has limited value on its own. It's by summing it over several days that it becomes genuinely useful for adjusting a program.

7- and 28-day rolling averages

Acute load is typically calculated as a 7-day rolling average, and chronic load as a 28-day rolling average. Comparing the two lets you spot a rapid load variation (see Acute/Chronic Load Ratio for the full detail on this indicator and its limits).

Why rest days count

A day with no session should never be left out of these averages : it counts as zero load, not as missing data. Excluding rest days from the calculation would artificially inflate the average and throw off any comparison over time.

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Applying the method across every sport

The calculation never changes, regardless of sport : only the session's context does. In strength training, a session might be a strength or hypertrophy session; in a team sport, a tactical session or a match; in a combat sport, a technical session or sparring; in a racket sport, a training session or a tournament. The athlete's RPE captures that perceived intensity without needing to adapt the formula.

That universality is exactly what makes the method useful for a coach working with athletes across several different sports : every athlete's load compares on the same scale, even when their sessions have nothing in common on paper. See also Calculating Your Own Training Load, the version for an athlete training without a coach.

Common mistakes

Three mistakes come up most often when starting with this method.

A flattering RPE. An athlete who systematically underrates their effort (out of habit, or to avoid disappointing) throws off all the tracking built on top of it. Regularly reminding athletes that honesty directly serves their own program's adjustment helps limit this bias.

Forgotten rest days. Counting only session days in the rolling averages strips comparisons over time of their meaning.

Fixating on a single session. A high load on one session isn't a warning sign by itself: it's the trend across several days that matters, not an isolated spike.

See also Managing Multiple Athletes and Planning a Typical Training Week for folding this tracking into your day-to-day practice. ProJump's load tracking automates these calculations.

Key takeaways

  • Training load is calculated as duration (min) × RPE (1-10), logged right after the session.
  • The method applies identically regardless of sport; only the session's context changes.
  • Rest days count as zero load, never as missing data.
  • It's the trend across several days that matters, not a single session.
  • The method's reliability depends directly on how honest the athlete's RPE is.

Frequently asked questions

Should RPE be logged during or after the session?

Always after, once the session is over. Logging it during the session risks being influenced by anticipating what's still left to do.

Can heart rate replace RPE?

The two are complementary rather than interchangeable. Heart rate doesn't capture mental fatigue, sleep or stress, which RPE naturally accounts for.

How long before chronic load reflects an athlete's real state?

About 4 weeks, since it's calculated on a 28-day rolling average. Before that, interpret it with caution.

Does RPE work with beginners?

Yes, though their internal scale can take a few sessions to stabilize. Clearly explaining the anchors (1 = almost nothing, 10 = maximal) speeds up that calibration.

Do you need software to track this load?

Not to start: a spreadsheet is enough for a few athletes. Past that, dedicated software automates the rolling averages and calculations across the whole team.