The wellness questionnaire (sleep, fatigue, stress, soreness, mood) that some coaches have you fill in regularly can feel secondary next to the training program. It's actually information your coach can't get any other way. This article, part of the guide to being coached by a sports coach, details what it's for.
What the questionnaire measures
The questionnaire generally covers several dimensions : sleep quality, perceived fatigue, stress, soreness, and sometimes general mood. Taken alone, none of these say much; it's their combined evolution over time that becomes informative.
Why it matters to your coach
Cross-referenced with your training load, this data helps your coach spot fatigue building up before it turns into a performance drop or a real crash. Sleep degrading several days in a row, for instance, can explain a higher-than-usual RPE without your training load having changed. See How to Rate Your Perceived Effort Well for the other half of what you communicate to your coach, and Warning Signs of Overtraining to understand why these signals matter so much, with or without a coach.
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Suggest ProJump to my coachHow to fill it in well
Answer in the moment, without overthinking it; the goal isn't a detailed analysis but an honest snapshot. Filling it in regularly, even briefly, has more value than an occasional very detailed entry : it's the consistency of tracking that lets a trend emerge. See What to Tell Your Coach After a Session for the same logic applied to your post-training feedback.
Key takeaways
- The questionnaire covers sleep, fatigue, stress, soreness and mood : each element alone says little, combined evolution matters.
- Cross-referenced with your training load, it helps your coach spot fatigue building up.
- Answer in the moment, without overthinking it.
- Consistency of filling it in matters more than the precision of any single answer.
Frequently asked questions
How long does this questionnaire take?
A few seconds usually. It's not meant to be a long or overthought exercise.
What if I don't know how to rate my stress or fatigue?
Answer with your first impression, without overanalyzing. Consistency matters more than the precision of any single answer.
Does my coach really read these answers?
Yes, cross-referenced with your training load, they help your coach adjust your tracking before a problem becomes visible otherwise.
Should I fill it in even on rest days?
It depends what your coach asks for, but sleep and stress evolve on rest days too; it stays useful information.
What if my answers are bad several days in a row?
That's exactly the signal this questionnaire is designed to surface : your coach can adjust your program accordingly.