Semiautomatic Training Load Determination in Endurance Athletes
Open accessAbstract
Background: Despite endurance athletes recording their training data electronically, researchers in sports cardiology rely on questionnaires to quantify training load. This is due to the complexity of quantifying large numbers of training files. We aimed to develop a semiautomatic postprocessing tool to quantify training load in clinical studies. Methods: Training data were collected from two prospective athlete’s heart studies (Master Athlete’s Heart study and Prospective Athlete Heart study). Using in-house developed software, maximal heart rate (MaxHR) and training load were calculated from heart rate monitored during cumulative training sessions. The MaxHR in the lab was compared with the MaxHR in the field. Lucia training impulse score, based on individually based exercise intensity zones, and Edwards training impulse, based on MaxHR in the field, were compared. A questionnaire was used to determine the number of training sessions and training hours per week. Results: Forty-three athletes recorded their training sessions using a chest-worn heart rate monitor and were selected for this analysis. MaxHR in the lab was significantly lower compared with MaxHR in the field (183 ± 12 bpm vs. 188 ± 13 bpm, p < .01), but correlated strongly (r = .81, p < .01) with acceptable limits of agreement (±15.4 bpm). An excellent correlation was found between Lucia training impulse score and Edwards training impulse (r = .92, p < .0001). The quantified number of training sessions and training hours did not correlate with the number of training sessions (r = .20) and training hours (r = −.12) reported by questionnaires. Conclusion: Semiautomatic measurement of training load is feasible in a wide age group. Standard exercise questionnaires are insufficiently accurate in comparison to objective training load quantification.
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Maximal heart rate was defined as the highest heart rate value recorded during any training session, following a validated approach.
“Maximal HR (HRmax) was defined as the highest HR value recorded during any training session, following a validated approach, as HRmax achieved during training sessions often exceeds values obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing.15”
From Wearable-Derived Training Load and Coronary Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Older Athletes and Physically Active Controls: A New Perspective From the Master@Heart Study (2026) · cites this paper as [15]
The Automatic Determination of MaxHR section says the paper estimated training MaxHR from the distribution of session maxima using a validated tangent method, rather than defining it as the highest value recorded in any one session. The Maximal Heart Rate results support the separate rationale that field estimates exceeded lab values. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPrevious evidence on the role of training load in coronary artery disease is exclusively based on self-reported training load, which is prone to recall bias and shows weak correlation with objectively measured data.
“Previous studies relied on self-reported data to quantify training load (TL), which poorly correlates with objective wearable-derived TL and may bias outcomes.”
From Wearable-Derived Training Load and Coronary Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Older Athletes and Physically Active Controls: A New Perspective From the Master@Heart Study (2026) · cites this paper as [15]
The Abstract says sports-cardiology studies have relied on questionnaires and that recall and reporting errors limit their reliability. The Questionnaires section reports no significant correlation between self-reported and heart-rate-recorded training sessions or hours. The paper does not establish the narrower claim that evidence specifically on coronary artery disease is exclusively based on self-reported training load. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe study included the Edwards training impulse, a heart rate-based composite measure of internal training load that combines training duration and intensity.
“We included the Edwards training impulse (eTRIMP), a heart rate (HR)–based composite measure of internal TL that combines training duration and intensity.15”
The study used a novel semiautomated software platform capable of processing and aggregating wearable data over 12 months, enabling comprehensive and unbiased assessment of exercise exposure.
“In the present study, we overcome this limitation by applying a novel, semiautomated software platform capable of processing and aggregating wearable data over a 12-month time period.15 This enables a comprehensive and unbiased assessment of exercise exposure, incorporating training duration and intensity.”
Twelve months of training data may not fully reflect lifelong exposure.
“Although 12 months of training data offer a robust estimate of recent exercise behavior,15 they may not fully reflect lifelong exposure.”
Previous work in this cohort has shown that self-reported training duration correlates poorly with objective training duration, whereas wearable-derived eTRIMP closely matches gold standard physiological indices such as the Lucia TRIMP.
“Previous work in this cohort has shown that self-reported training duration correlates poorly with objective training duration, whereas wearable-derived eTRIMP closely matches gold standard physiological indices such as the Lucia TRIMP (Training Impulse).15”
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Pauwels, R., Dausin, C., Ruiz-Carmona, S., De Bosscher, R., De Paepe, J., Bekhuis, Y., Delpire, B., Sinnaeve, P., Dymarkowski, S., Ghekiere, O., et al. (2026) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.125.077117 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Dausin, C., Ruiz-Carmona, S., De Bosscher, R., Janssens, K., Herbots, L., Heidbuchel, H., Hespel, P., Cornelissen, V., Willems, R., La Gerche, A., Claessen, G., & _, _.
- Affiliations
- KU Leuven (BE)
- Department of Cardiology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (AU)
- Jessa Hospital (BE)
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven (BE)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour
- Publisher
- Human Kinetics
- Published
- 2023-09-01
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 193-201
- ISSN
- 2575-6605 (ISSN-L)
- 2575-6613
- OpenAlex
- W4386768250
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 0.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Document Server@UHasselt (UHasselt) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Lirias (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Funders
- Boston Scientific Corporation
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- KU Leuven
- Universiteit Antwerpen
- Universiteit Hasselt
- Vlaamse regering
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council (1130353)
- Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Leuven, KU Leuven
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Keywords
- training load quantification, endurance athletes, athlete's heart, maximal heart rate, heart rate monitoring, training impulse, training hours
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