TR Feature Suggestion: How motivated are you to train today?

[Nate_Pearson]

We want to ask the question “How motivated are you to train today?” before your workouts.

We want to take this data and apply it to our machine learning models to see if we can predict fatigue trends before they happen.

This can also capture stress/fatigue that isn’t related to training. For example if you had a hard day at work and then train in the evening, the extra stress at work could relate to your workout feeling harder.

IE the premise is that if you are continually unmotivated to train, you’re probably overreaching and we should dial it back.

We’re starting a project to collect this data. We won’t use it at first to change any of your training.

We’re going to give you 5 emojis for you to choose from about how motivated you are to train.

You won’t have to answer this question, and if you start the workout the question will automatically disappear after 5 seconds.

My question to the forum is, do these 5 emojis make sense to you? IE could you pick one that relates to your motivation today?

Do these emojis correlate to how motivated you are to train on a given day?

• Yes, they track well
• Yes, but they could be better
• No, this doesn’t make sense
• Other (add comment)

If you have a better set of emojis, please let us know.

[gesteves]

Would you eventually try to capture why I’m feeling unmotivated to train? Do you think that matters?

[NateP]

This just for rides or runs and swims in the triathlon plans? Sometimes there’s multiple workouts a day and bricks, motivation can be different before each of those.

[mwglow15]

This is a great idea. Many times I’ve found that a week or so before my workout performance really starts to suffer, my motivation will start to tank. I will feel better once on the other side of the warm up but if I keep pushing through that feeling I will soon hit that wall.

It’d be interesting to also see (or take into account) the type of workout that day. I can feel bad but be very ‘motivated’ to do my chill 90min endurance spin since it will help clear my head and get fresh air/sunshine. But if I was going to do a tough VO2 or Threshold workout then I would be much less motivated.

[ellotheth]

Sounds amazing. Here’s my emoji set, same order:

Honorable mention for instead of .

[ABG]

I like the idea.

I was motivated to train on Monday but life happened so I did it on tuesday a little less motivated.

[Hyalync]

These emojis seem to be too generic for a training platform. It would be something I’d see on gaming apps. Colours, up/down arrow or numbers would give a more “serious” look.

Concerning the “before workout” motivation, I think it could lead to counter-productive reinforcement: if I’m not really motivated to train and I have to think “Yeah, I’m not motivated today” and push a button to confirm it, I could just drop the daily workout but my initial feeling would be reinforced.

[Jesse_Vernon1]

Don’t know how I feel about the emojis, but the idea seems really solid.

[mcneese.chad]

Considering the teasers of the Red Light / Green Light feature in prior podcasts, I’d offer only 3 options with “simplicity” in mind (since we often see indecision with more options).

= Good to go

= Maybe ready, but uncertain

= Not great

And judging from the TR comments on the surveys, I suspect they want something immediate and simple for users, without a need to offer “definitions” that will lead to it’s own level of confusion In that sense, the lights / color may not work well vs the face / emoji that is potentially more “obvious”.

[TexasWahoo]

I like it. The emojis are simple and easy to understand. I find them more straightforward than the post-workout survey.

[Jolyzara]

Do you think the order of emoji’s will skew results? If “happy” (highly motivated/feeling good) was on the left would there be a tendency to pick it more?

[Alaric83]

Personally, I’d rather just have a number scale. Preferably a 1-10 one as I’m not a very emotional person and I’m guessing I’d always click the middle one but with bit more options I’d probably use 3-7.

[Rizzi]

Oh no. Similar discussion on the „how did the workout feel“ rating.

I think it was in the https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/suggestion-for-those-who-find-progressions-too-intense/83685/248 thread.

People not being able to decide what feels like „moderate“ to „hard“ to „very hard“. Same might be with emoji’s…

Solution: Just ask for the number on a scale from 1-5. (Maybe giving a smiley or word behind the number as additional hint).

Or even fewer options like 1-3 as chad showed above with red/yellow/green light.

Or 1-4 and if you want to keep the smilies:

1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -

In the end you’ll convert it to a number / weight to feed into the algorithm anyway.

[ellotheth]

my word can i get some millennials in here to appreciate the emoji revolution

[Buckethead]

Not a fan of the emojis as they are. Need more distinction- either with color or numbers.

Example with color

Numbers

[Dwells329]

Personally I like the idea of numbers as opposed to emojis. Also there are a lot of days I end up moving workouts cause I just can’t bring myself to exert that effort. I would be curious if this was tracked in a daily basis if it could provide any insights.

[Chris1982]

Tone: Friendly, constructive criticism:

I personally don’t dig the idea, and would never answer. I’d really like an option to not even see this survey; it would really throw me off my game starting a WO.

I sort of get where the question is coming from; if you’re already run down, this will help explain why you rated a 8.1 difficulty VO2 ‘Very Hard’, when you ranked a lesser workout Easy the previous week.

I can easily see how the Adaptive Training algorithm could be adjusted to alter the user’s rank either more, or less, from the post workout survey response, given their motivation level going in.

7.5 user does 8.1 workout, Stoked + Very Hard = Small or no bump up, Tired + Very Hard = larger bump up, etc.

But:

1 – We’ve got some overlap w post workout survey. If I do an 8.1 today and call it Very Hard, but I did an 8.1 last week and called it Easy, we know what’s up. I’m not magically weaker. [And if we flip this, I’m also not magically stronger in 3 – 7 days.]

Furthermore, once I call it Very Hard, we get an opportunity to input Sleep, Nutrition, Stress, etc. So we’re already doing the motivation survey, in a slightly different form, are we not?

I mean… Bottom Line: If I’m tired from lack of sleep, and unlikely to perform well / not as well as expected on my current growth trendline, there is already a catch net for this data. Correct?

2 – Too Wishy-Washy, and not enough data. You guys nailed it on the post workout survey by providing very clear cut definitions for each response. Users know exactly how to answer.

How “motivated” am I ? Like… to succeed overall, and want to push myself to keep advancing IRL & in TR? How energetic I currently feel? If I feel like I have all the time in the world to enjoy this, or if I’m really cramming this between dinner and a medical appointment, so unfortunately not fully able to enjoy?

3 – Trying to measure too much, that possibly isn’t measurable, or relevant. If I slept poorly, or a customer made a bad decision at work, but I’m able to shake it off, get on the bike, and kick some butt, that’s all that matters. Perhaps in the minority, but I spend all day really looking forward to my workouts, they’re often the best part of my day! And also psyching myself up to knock them out of the park! Extra few hundred cals at lunch, spicy music on the drive home, no negative thoughts, etc. I don’t want to jump on the bike to have someone ask me to think about “How motivated am I?” …. Oh, right. Slept poorly….true…. : / I just want to jump on and rip! : )

5 - If I’m really too tired to do my AT recommended WO [extremely rare], it’s up to me to adjust it down a bit, and I want to directly be in control of that. I don’t want the system to step it down for me if I’m not feeling at 10/10 maxxxed-out super-power level one million. [So if forced to respond, I would literally always answer 5/5, 3/3, etc.]

If you do proceed, I’d strongly recommend making it a 2 or 3 option input only, instead of 5. It will force a significantly different response, and more significant and actionable data.

or

[Chosen emojis are fine; voted to help.]

[mcneese.chad]

I can agree on numbers to some degree. I have used my own scale for “Effort” and “Feeling” since before the TR surveys. I originally had a simple 1-3, but adopted 1-5 once they added the surveys (to record in parallel).

• EFFORT. ( 1 - 5 ): Same at TR survey now
• HAPPY… ( 1 - 5 ): 1 = not happy or motivated, up thru 5 = happy and motivated

That said, I think many people will want something more than a pure number for a choice like this. Emoji makes some sense and parallels that pain scale in a way (which also reinforces colors as mentioned above, that I think is useful as well)

• 

[Dwells329]

Totally understand. I’m a numbers guy myself so that is why I say that. I also had the thought of a combo number/emoji scale like you put out.

[PotsieA]

+1 for colour differentiated, large and clear emoji.

If i have to put my glasses on or zoom in to decipher an emoji, then i wouldn’t bother.

Training Peaks do it well.