Template A4
Load calculation sheet
A squad sheet that turns each session's RPE and duration into session load, weekly load and ACWR for every athlete.
How to use it
- Compute one session by hand first, so that you know what the numbers mean. Then let the sheet do it.
- After every session, enter each athlete's duration in minutes and RPE (0 to 10).
- If a value is missing, leave the cell empty. A zero says "no load"; an empty cell says "we do not know".
- Read the weekly summary once a week, with the athlete's wellness and your knowledge of the week beside it.
Session log
| Date | Athlete | Duration (min) | RPE (0-10) | Session load (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Athlete | Duration (min) | RPE (0-10) | Session load (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | A | 60 | 7 | 420 |
Weekly summary
| Athlete | This week (AU) | Chronic load (AU) | ACWR | Monotony | Strain | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athlete | This week (AU) | Chronic load (AU) | ACWR | Monotony | Strain | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3,300 | 2,400 | 1.375 | Upper edge of the often-cited range. Look at why the week was heavy. |
What the sheet computes
- Session load (sRPE) = RPE × duration in minutes, in arbitrary units (AU).
- This week (acute load) = the total session load of the last 7 days.
- Chronic load = the 28-day rolling average of weekly load.
- ACWR = acute load ÷ chronic load.
- Monotony = mean daily load ÷ standard deviation of daily load, over the week.
- Strain = weekly load × monotony.
Reading the numbers
ACWR is a useful prompt, not a verdict. The often-cited range is about 0.8 to 1.3. A spike is worth investigating, and a ratio that stays above 1.5 warrants caution. Do not treat a single number as a yes or no injury predictor: read it with the athlete's history, their wellness and what you know about the week.
Sustained high monotony, especially at high mean load, has been associated with a higher risk of illness and overreaching. Strain is useful to track over weeks, less useful as a single-week decision.
The example is the worked computation of Module 2 (60 minutes at RPE 7; acute load 3,300 AU against a chronic load of 2,400 AU). In the spreadsheet the single sessions are illustrative, built so that the totals equal those of the manual.
Delete what you entered here?
Template A4 as a spreadsheet. It works out session load, weekly load and the acute to chronic ratio for a squad.
Excel, English, 0.1 MB
