HEALTH · CARDIO TRAINING LOAD
Cardio Training Load Calculator
Score your cardio session by heart rate effort, not just speed or calories. Uses the TRIMP method to award points based on how hard you actually worked relative to your heart rate reserve.
Points are a site-defined scale: 30 min at 80% HRR ≈ 100 pts (male reference). Not a published standard.
About This Calculator
Most fitness trackers award points by distance, speed, or raw calories — which means a shorter, harder session often scores less than a longer easy one, even though your body worked harder. This calculator uses the TRIMP (Training Impulse) method to score a session by how much your heart actually worked relative to your personal maximum, with sex-specific weighting based on sports science research.
How It Works
Enter your session duration, average heart rate, and resting heart rate. The calculator computes your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) fraction — how hard you worked relative to your personal range — then applies the Banister TRIMP formula to produce a training load score and a normalized points value. Your maximum heart rate is estimated from your age and biological sex (you can override it with a measured value). The sex-specific weighting reflects documented differences in cardiovascular response between male and female populations.
The Formula
TRIMP = T × HRr × Wg Points = TRIMP × 1.40 HRr = (avgHR − restHR) / (maxHR − restHR) Wm = 0.64 × e^(1.92 × HRr) [men] Wf = 0.86 × e^(1.67 × HRr) [women]
- T
- session duration in minutes
- HRr
- heart rate reserve fraction (Karvonen) — 1.0 = exercising at maximum
- Wg
- sex-specific exponential weighting (Banister, 1991)
- avgHR
- average heart rate during the session (bpm)
- restHR
- resting heart rate (bpm)
- maxHR
- maximum heart rate (estimated or measured)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does the calculator need my biological sex?
- The TRIMP formula uses different exponential weighting constants for men and women, derived from physiological research (Banister, 1991) on cardiovascular response and blood lactate. This is a formula requirement, not a gender identity question. The label "Biological sex" reflects that it maps to physiological constants.
- What is heart rate reserve (HRR)?
- HRR is the difference between your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate. A session at 80% HRR means your heart was working 80% of the way from rest to maximum — a good measure of relative effort. Two people can run at different speeds but achieve the same HRR, scoring the same points.
- What does a TRIMP score of 100 points mean?
- Points are a site-defined scale — 100 represents a 30-minute session at 80% heart rate reserve (male reference). Higher points mean more cardiovascular training load. Women following the same protocol may score slightly above 100 because the TRIMP model assigns them a higher cardiovascular load at equal relative intensity.
- Why might my resting heart rate matter so much?
- Your resting heart rate determines your HRR "floor", so errors here affect every result. Measure it first thing in the morning after waking but before getting up, ideally over several days and average them. A ±5 bpm error in resting HR shifts your TRIMP score by roughly 8–12%.
- Should I enter a measured maximum heart rate?
- If you have one from a supervised graded exercise test (GXT), yes — it will produce a more accurate HRr and therefore a more accurate TRIMP. Most people should use the auto-derived estimate. Do not self-test maximum heart rate by exercising to exhaustion without professional supervision.