How do cycling, strength training, swimming and other sports count toward my training load?

Yes, Trait doesn't just look at your runs. Bike rides, strength training, swimming, tennis and other activities are imported from your watch or service and count toward your training load.

How an activity is rated

• Sport class: Each activity is assigned to a sport class based on its type. Every class has its own rules for how load points are awarded.
• Your subjective rating: At checkout, Trait asks how hard the activity felt (e.g. 10 out of 10). This input is essential – with a strength session, the data alone can't tell how hard it really was. So be honest with your rating.
• Two kinds of impact: The points are split proportionally between endurance impact (cardiovascular) and muscular impact. Trait deliberately keeps these two components apart: you can be aerobically fit and still not be able to run a half marathon yet.

When Trait prompts you to check out

Each sport class has a minimum duration above which an activity is considered relevant to your training load – as a rough guide, about 45 minutes for cycling and about 30 minutes for strength training. Only above that will Trait send you a checkout notification. Shorter activities, like your bike commute to work, don't trigger a notification. If you'd still like to rate them, just tap the activity – the first time you tap it, Trait will ask whether you want to check it out.

What this means for your plan

With an active plan, a share of the load from other sports counts toward your training progress. So if you're always cycling instead of running, you do make progress – but you can't fully replace running sessions. A coach would see it the same way: to get better at running, you have to run.

Extra load also affects your Readiness Score. After a tough tennis match, it can be noticeably lower than expected the next day – and you can view alternatives for today's session. We explain exactly how this works in the “Adjusting your plan, illness & vacation” category.

To learn how to interpret your training load overall, see How do I recognize my progress?