Set up athlete profile values, thresholds, load-source priority, and training zones so Trainingload.ai can interpret workouts, plans, and AI Coach context more accurately.

Profile, Thresholds, and Zones

Profile, thresholds, and zones are the calibration layer of Trainingload.ai. They help the product interpret your workouts, estimate load, build useful charts, and give AI Coach enough context to avoid generic advice.

You do not need every field on day one. Start with the values you trust, then refine them after tests, races, or consistent training data.

Basic profile

Basic profile values affect display, calendar logic, and some physiology-related calculations.

Check:

Time zone: used for calendar days, review windows, and date-based training views.
Unit system: controls how distance, pace, elevation, and related values are displayed.
Body weight: useful for relative power and weight-related metrics.
Height, birthday, and gender: used where age, body-size context, or demographic reference ranges are relevant.
Primary sport: helps choose sport-specific defaults and display choices.

If your time zone is wrong, a workout may appear on the wrong training day. Fix time zone before judging calendar or review summaries.

Key thresholds

Thresholds convert raw workout data into intensity and load.

Common fields include:

FTP: functional threshold power, mainly used for cycling power intensity and power-based load.
CP: critical power, useful for power-duration and critical-power-based analysis.
W' / W Prime: finite work capacity above critical power.
Pmax: peak power context for power profiling.
LTHR: lactate threshold heart rate, useful for heart-rate zones and threshold-oriented HR analysis.
Max heart rate: used by max-HR-based zones and some heart-rate comparisons.
Resting heart rate: used with max HR for heart-rate reserve.
CS: critical speed, used for pace or speed benchmarks.
TP: threshold pace or threshold speed context, depending on sport and display.

Use the latest reliable value, not the best value you have ever seen. Thresholds should represent what you can currently sustain in training decisions.

Load-source priority

Trainingload.ai can derive activity load from different signals. Your load-source priority tells the system which signal to prefer when more than one is available.

Available sources include:

Power.
Heart rate.
Pace.
Session RPE.

A practical default is to put the most reliable sensor first:

Cycling with a reliable power meter: power first.
Running without power: pace or heart rate first, depending on terrain and data quality.
Indoor or sensor-limited sessions: heart rate or session RPE may be more useful.

Changing load-source priority can change historical load interpretation. Do it when your data quality or training setup changes, not as a way to make a single workout look better.

Zone models

Training zones group intensity into ranges you can use in charts, workout targets, and review.

Trainingload.ai supports model-based and custom zones:

Heart rate zones can use max HR, heart-rate reserve, LTHR, or custom values.
Power zones can use FTP, CP, or custom values.
Pace zones can use CS or custom values.

Zone models are shortcuts, not universal truth. If your coach uses a specific model, match that model. If you have lab or field-test zones, custom zones may be the better choice.

Sport-specific zones

Zones can differ by sport. Running, cycling, and swimming should not always share the same interpretation.

Examples:

Cycling power zones depend on cycling power benchmarks.
Running pace zones depend on running speed or pace benchmarks.
Swimming pace zones are usually expressed per 100 m.
Heart-rate response can differ across running, cycling, and swimming.

Set zones for the sports you actually train. Missing zones do not block activity import, but charts, workout targets, and AI Coach explanations may be less specific.

Custom zones

Use custom zones when:

Your coach has already defined your zones.
You tested in a lab or with a trusted protocol.
Model-generated zones do not match your training reality.
You need sport-specific ranges that the default model does not capture.

Custom zones are entered as absolute values:

Power in watts.
Heart rate in bpm.
Running pace in seconds per kilometer.
Swimming pace in seconds per 100 m.

Keep zone names short and ordered. Clear labels make charts and AI Coach context easier to read.

When to update thresholds

Update thresholds when there is enough evidence that your current settings are no longer representative.

Good reasons:

A recent test produced a credible new value.
A race performance clearly changes your current benchmark.
Several weeks of workouts show sustained improvement or decline.
A device or measurement method changed.
You returned from a long break, illness, or injury.

Avoid updating thresholds after one unusually good or bad day. Threshold changes should explain a pattern, not chase noise.

How this affects AI Coach

AI Coach can use profile values, thresholds, zones, and load-source priority as context.

Better setup helps AI Coach answer questions such as:

Whether a workout matched the intended intensity.
Whether load is rising too quickly.
Whether a planned workout looks appropriate after recent fatigue.
Whether a pace, heart-rate, or power target is realistic.

If key values are missing, AI Coach may still help, but it should be more cautious and may ask follow-up questions.

Profile, Thresholds, and Zones

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