Why CTL Does Not Equal Fitness

TL;DR

CTL (Chronic Training Load) and TSS (Training Stress Score) are not direct measures of fitness, rather they indicate training load and stress. Fitness is determined by how an individual responds to training stress over time.

Transcript

let's go into I guess let's clarify things yeah so first up Steve if you haven't listened to last week's podcasts isn't that because we talked about TSS and there's a more elaborate description or explanation of it then I'm going to offer right here first off CTL is a term that is used by training Peaks and Andrew Coggan and it's it's an exponentia... Read More

Key Insights

• 📁 CTL and TSS are not direct measures of fitness but indicate training load and stress.
• 💦 Training composition and workout intensity can influence the outcomes of CTL and TSS.
• ❓ Individual response to training stress determines fitness, not just the amount of training load.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between CTL and TSS?

CTL is an average of TSS over a six-week period, while TSS represents the training stress of individual workouts. CTL focuses on long-term training load, while TSS measures stress on a per-workout basis.

Q: Is CTL a measure of fitness?

No, CTL is a measure of training load, not fitness. It indicates how much stress an individual has been exposed to, but fitness is determined by how the body responds to that stress.

Q: Are all TSS points created equal?

No, different workouts and training intensities can yield different TSS points. Not all stress on the body has the same impact on fitness, so it's important to consider the quality and composition of training.

Q: How does increasing FTP affect CTL?

Increasing FTP can impact CTL, as it changes the power output for a given workout. As FTP increases, the same workout may result in less TSS, potentially leading to a decrease in CTL.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• CTL, a term popularized by Training Peaks and Andrew Coggan, is an exponentially weighted average of TSS over a six-week period.

• CTL is a measure of training load, not fitness. Individual response to training load determines fitness.

• Different training compositions can yield different outcomes, even with the same CTL. Factors like the type of workouts performed can influence results.