Performance Management Chart

TrainingPeaks Performance Management Chart (PMC)

The PMC helps track your training progression by monitoring three key metrics:

Chronic Training Load (CTL) – “Fitness”
- Long-term training load (6-week average TSS).
- Higher CTL = greater endurance/workload capacity.
Acute Training Load (ATL) – “Fatigue”
- Short-term training load (7-day average TSS).
- High ATL = recent intense training, signaling a need for recovery.
Training Stress Balance (TSB) – “Form”
- TSB = CTL − ATL
- Positive TSB → fresh and race-ready
- Negative TSB → fatigue accumulation, important for adaptation

Training Stress Score (TSS) measures workout load based on intensity and duration:

Note: A short, intense session can equal a long, easy one in TSS but affects your body differently.

PMC Updates After Each Workout:

Not always. CTL shows accumulated training load but doesn’t guarantee peak performance:

Recovery Matters:

Structured plans with hard weeks followed by recovery weeks improve performance more than simply chasing CTL.
Phil’s plans gradually ramp intensity with 2–3 hard weeks + 1 recovery week.

Performance > numbers: Regular fitness tests track improvement more reliably than TSS alone.
Improved thresholds: Even if TSS is the same, higher thresholds = better performance.
Consistency: Conduct tests under similar conditions for accurate comparisons.

PMC can be misleading if your training thresholds aren’t accurate.
CTL is personal—don’t compare yours to others. A lower CTL doesn’t mean lower fitness.

Track threshold improvements – Use regular fitness tests.
Avoid CTL comparisons – Focus on your own progress.
Update thresholds – Adjust TrainingPeaks settings after each test.
Review automatic updates – Check before accepting suggested threshold changes.