
Finding the correct balance between training and recovery is one of my main objectives as a coach. Famed running coach Renato Canova once said that a proper training load is not the maximum amount of work an athlete can tolerate, but the least they need to improve performance. Since every person has a unique athletic history, genetic code, and physiological makeup, figuring out how to train just hard enough can be tricky.
Using data to inform training
Today, more assessment tools are at our disposal than ever before. Most smartwatches provide heart-rate-based metrics such as heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, and other data that can illuminate your body’s internal processes and clue you into your state of recovery and training readiness. Training apps such as Strava or TrainingPeaks can monitor your training history and formulate scores for fatigue, form, and overall fitness. And lab-based tests, like a metabolic efficiency test, can identify an athlete’s energy production thresholds, allowing for scientific precision when regulating workout intensity.
While data has many uses – especially for a coach – the volume of information can distract from the underlying goal of training: to improve performance.
Using intuition to inform training
Your subjective fitness experience is equally important as the objective data. Your watch might tell you you’re getting fitter, but that doesn’t mean much unless you feel fitter. When it comes to adjusting intensity and gauging training readiness, old-school methods are very effective.
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a subjective measure of exercise intensity that employs a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being an easy activity and 10 requiring maximum effort. RPE can be used for both strength and cardiovascular workouts. Rating every workout in this manner and comparing how your ratings change over time helps you understand how your body reacts and adapts to different challenges.
Muscular soreness can indicate whether you are going too hard or too easy at the gym. Light or moderate soreness for one to three days after a workout is generally acceptable, but if soreness lasts any longer, you probably need to lighten your next workout, then build your strength from there.
Mental preparedness for training is another important weathervane. Ask yourself, are you feeling motivated to work out today? Or does hiking on a treadmill for an hour sound like torture? Not many people are intrinsically driven to train every day, but if training always sounds like a chore, you might need to reassess your training plan.
Using both
Rather than focusing only on advanced metrics or subjective measures, why not use both? Correlation or incongruity between the two is perhaps the most powerful indicator of training success.
The relationship between heart rate and RPE is a perfect example. A lower-than-expected heart rate during an aerobic workout could be a sign of either improved metabolic efficiency or muscular fatigue. If your lower heart rate coincides with a higher-than-expected RPE, you are likely fatigued. But if your lower heart rate stays in line with RPE and coincides with an improved pace, you can be reasonably certain that your training is paying off.
Ultimately, your metrics and perceived fitness should experience a unified and gradual rise. If you’re training consistently without experiencing long term progress, consider adjusting training volume or intensity, allowing more time for recovery, or taking an extended break and returning at a lower training load. When you strike the right balance, your data and intuition will tell you.
Leif Whittaker is a coach, author, public speaker, and founding member of Evoke Endurance. He specializes in training mountaineers of all levels and abilities. For more information about Leif and his coaching work, visit evokeendurance.com or contact him at leif@evokeendurance.com.
This article originally appeared in our winter 2025 issue of Mountaineer magazine. To view the original article in magazine form and read more stories from our publication, visit our magazine archive.