Why did the coach say my workout was harder than expected?
How the easier, as expected or harder than expected verdict is decided, and the expected RPE band for each session type.
Written By Martijn Russchen
Last updated 2 days ago
After every completed workout the coach records whether the session was easier than expected, as expected or harder than expected. That verdict feeds the analysis you read and, when a pattern shows up, the intensity of what comes next. Here is exactly what it is measured against.
Your rating decides
If you rate the workout (RPE 1-10, from the analysis email or on the activity in the app), your rating decides the verdict. Heart rate and intensity factor do not override it. Each type of session has an expected RPE band; your rating above the band means harder than expected, below it easier than expected, inside it as expected.
The expected RPE band per session type
The band comes from the session that was planned for you. An unplanned ride or run is judged as the session it turned out to be. So a threshold session you rate 5 reads as easier than expected, a VO2max session you rate 10 reads as harder than expected, and an endurance ride you rate 3 is exactly what was asked.
Two details worth knowing
A low rating on a session you stopped early does not count as easier than expected. If you completed less than 80% of the planned session, a low rating is recorded as "as expected": a 3 on a session you abandoned says nothing about the session being too soft.
Feel (1-5) is not a rating. It describes how your body was on the day, and the coach uses it as context. Only RPE decides the difficulty verdict.
When you leave no rating
Without a rating the coach reads heart rate, intensity factor and how the intervals went, and forms its own verdict. That read is treated as an estimate. It only counts towards the "your workouts feel harder than expected" signal, the one that can soften your next sessions, when the measured intensity missed the planned band by a clear margin. A rating from you always counts.
If a verdict looks wrong
Add or change your rating on the activity. The analysis is re-run when a rating changes, and the verdict follows your rating. See How to give your coach feedback after a workout for where to rate.