Weekly Training Monotony CalculatorFree online fitness & health calculator — instant results, no sign-up
Calculate Foster monotony and strain from seven daily training loads.
For general information only. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, dosing guidance or a treatment recommendation. Talk to a doctor or other qualified health professional about your health, pregnancy, or diet.
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About the Weekly Training Monotony Calculator
The Weekly Training Monotony Calculator uses seven daily session-RPE loads to calculate Foster training monotony and weekly strain. It measures how uniform your daily loads are relative to their average, then combines that monotony with total weekly load. All seven days, including rest days entered as zero, contribute to the calculation.
- Seven daily session-RPE loads
- Enter seven nonnegative daily training loads in arbitrary units (AU), each calculated by summing session duration in minutes multiplied by session RPE for that day, with zero for rest days; the defaults are 300, 400, 0, 350, 450, 200, 0.
Formula and method
W = Σᵢ₌₁⁷ Lᵢ; μ = W / 7; σ = √[Σᵢ₌₁⁷ (Lᵢ − μ)² / 7]; M = μ / σ; S = W × M.
- LᵢTotal session-RPE load on day i, in arbitrary units (AU).
- iDay index from 1 through 7, including rest days.
- WTotal training load across the seven days, in AU.
- μMean daily training load across all seven days, in AU.
- σPopulation standard deviation of the seven daily loads, in AU.
- MFoster training monotony, a dimensionless ratio of mean daily load to its standard deviation.
- SWeekly training strain, calculated as weekly load multiplied by monotony, in AU.
Sum the seven loads, divide by seven to obtain the daily mean, and calculate population standard deviation using a denominator of seven. Divide the mean by that standard deviation to obtain monotony, then multiply the unrounded monotony by total weekly load to obtain strain. For 300, 400, 0, 350, 450, 200, 0, total load is 1,700 AU, mean daily load is approximately 242.86 AU, and population standard deviation is approximately 169.93 AU. The resulting displayed outputs are training monotony = 1.43 and weekly strain = 2,429.52 arbitrary units.
Worked example
These are the calculator's starting values and the results it actually produces for them.
Inputs
- Seven daily session-RPE loads300, 400, 0, 350, 450, 200, 0
Results
- Training monotony1.43
- Weekly strain2,429.52 arbitrary units
- NoteUses population standard deviation across all seven days, including rest days.
How to use the Weekly Training Monotony Calculator
- 1Select seven consecutive days to represent your training week.
- 2For each session, multiply duration in minutes by session RPE, then sum session loads within each day.
- 3Enter the seven daily totals in order, recording each rest day as zero rather than leaving it blank.
- 4Run the calculation to obtain training monotony and weekly strain.
- 5Review both outputs together and confirm that the note specifies population standard deviation across all seven days, including rest days.
Reading your result
Training monotony = 1.43 describes the ratio of mean daily load to daily variability; higher values indicate more uniform loads relative to the mean, not necessarily greater total training volume. Weekly strain = 2,429.52 arbitrary units combines the week's total load with its monotony, so it increases when either total load or monotony rises while the other stays fixed. The Note row—Uses population standard deviation across all seven days, including rest days—identifies the calculation convention and confirms that both zero-load days in the default inputs are included.
Limitations
Session RPE is subjective, so use a consistent rating scale and collection method when comparing weeks. These metrics summarize load and variability but do not account directly for sleep, illness, fitness, exercise type, or the ordering of hard and easy days. They do not diagnose overtraining or provide a universal injury-risk threshold. Missing data should not be treated as a rest day. If all seven loads are identical, standard deviation is zero and the formula cannot return a finite monotony or strain value; an all-zero week also makes the ratio undefined.
Common questions
Should the two rest days in the default week be included?+
Yes. Enter 300, 400, 0, 350, 450, 200, 0 exactly as seven daily loads. Removing the zero-load days would change the mean and standard deviation and would no longer follow this calculator's seven-day method.
Why does multiplying 1,700 by the displayed monotony of 1.43 not reproduce the displayed strain?+
The displayed monotony is rounded to two decimal places, but strain uses the unrounded monotony. That preserves precision and produces the stated weekly strain of 2,429.52 arbitrary units.
How should I enter a day with multiple training sessions?+
Calculate duration in minutes multiplied by session RPE for each session, then add those session loads together. Enter that sum as one daily load, rather than entering each session as a separate day.
Why might another monotony calculator give a different result for the same week?+
Check whether it uses sample standard deviation, which divides squared deviations by six, or excludes rest days. This calculator uses population standard deviation with a denominator of seven and includes all seven daily loads.
Does the calculator save my information?+
Calculations run in your browser. While signed in, inputs and results are automatically recorded in account history; saving a result creates a separate saved record.
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Results are estimates for informational purposes and are not financial, medical or legal advice.