The Foster Score: A Simple Yet Effective Way to Measure Training Load in Endurance Sports
The Foster Score developed by Dr. Carl Foster, it is a training load metric that combines your perceived effort with workout duration to give a more complete picture of how hard you’re working.
Adrian was a former coach at Cambridge University Boat Club, then British Rowing, followed by Rowing Ireland where he was Chief Coach and coached the Irish sculler at the Olympics in London 2012. Throughout his coaching career, he worked with high performance teams and also mentored other coaches working with high performance teams.
Adrian also holds a Master’s degree in Executive Coaching and co-founded two startups, both in Sports Data Analytics.
1. It’s Easy to Calculate One great thing about the Foster Score is its simplicity. You don’t need any high-tech equipment—just a sense of how hard the workout felt and the duration of the session. By combining these two pieces of information, you can get a solid estimate of your total training load. This makes it accessible to athletes at all levels.
2. It Adds Depth to RPE The Foster Score builds onRPE by adding time into the equation. If RPE tells you how intense the workout was, the Foster Score tells you how much overall stress that workout put on your body. For example, a hard effort for 10 minutes (like sprint intervals) and a moderate effort for 60 minutes (like a long run) might both feel challenging, but their impact on your body is very different. The Foster Score helps capture that difference.
3. It Helps You Monitor Weekly Training Load Tracking your Foster Score over the course of a week can show you the total load your body is handling. By keeping an eye on these weekly scores, you can make adjustments to avoid overtraining. For example, if your scores are consistently high week after week, you might need to add more rest days to ensure you’re not pushing too hard.
How to Calculate the Foster Score
Calculating the Foster Score is easy! Here’s the formula:
Example Calculation: Let’s say you did a 45-minute workout and rated it as an RPE of 7 (a hard effort). You’d calculate your Foster Score like this:
Foster Score Guide by RPE and Duration
Here’s a quick guide to understanding how different combinations of RPE and duration affect your Foster Score:
4 Light, 30min – 4 x 30 = 120 6 Moderate, 60min – 6 x 60 = 360 8 Hard, 45min – 8 x 45 = 360 9 Very Hard, 30min – 9 x 30 = 270 10 Maximum Effort, 10min – x 10 = 100
In this example, you can see how different types of workouts (like a long, moderate effort vs. a short, maximum effort) impact your Foster Score. This variety helps you understand the physical toll of different sessions.
Practical Applications of the Foster Score in Training
1. Setting Weekly Training Load Goals By adding up your daily Foster Scores, you can track your total weekly training load. This allows you to set goals based on your training phase. For example:
2. Adjusting Workouts Based on Fatigue If you’re feeling more fatigued than usual, you can use the Foster Score to adjust your workouts. For example, if you have a 60-minute run planned at an RPE of 7, but you’re feeling tired, you might reduce the duration or the RPE, resulting in a lower Foster Score that day. This approach helps you balance hard work with recovery.
3. Spotting Patterns in Your Training Tracking your Foster Score over time can help you identify patterns in your training. If you see consistently high scores without much rest, it could indicate that you’re at risk of overtraining. By spotting these patterns early, you can add recovery days or adjust your workload to avoid burnout.
Limitations of the Foster Score
While the Foster Score is a helpful tool, it’s not perfect. Here are some limitations to keep in mind:
Using the Foster Score Alongside Other Metrics
For many athletes, the Foster Score works best when combined with other metrics, like heart rate or RPE alone, to provide a well-rounded view of training. For example:
To wrap up, the Foster Score is a simple yet effective tool that combines RPE with workout duration to give you a clear picture of your training load. It’s:
By tracking your Foster Score, you can make more informed decisions about your training, helping you improve over time without overdoing it.
Try Calculating Your Foster Score
Ready to give it a try? Track your RPE and duration after each workout for a week, calculate your Foster Score, and add it up to see your total weekly load. Over time, you’ll start to see how different workouts impact your overall load and how you can adjust to get the most out of your training.
What if want more information about Training Load
Why not have a read of some of our other blogs on this topic: