What is a simple metric used in training load monitoring?

• A. Distance run in kilometers
• B. Heart rate recovery after 5 minutes
• C. Session RPE × duration
• D. Number of meals per day

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is to capture how taxing a workout was by combining how hard it felt with how long it lasted. Session RPE is a subjective rating of how hard the session seemed, and multiplying that by the session duration in minutes gives a single training-load value. This approach is simple, inexpensive, and useful because it reflects both intensity and duration in one number, allowing you to track how demanding different sessions are over days and weeks. The other options miss one part of the picture: distance run shows only volume, not effort; heart rate recovery is more about how well you recover than the immediate load of a session; and meals per day relates to nutrition, not training load.