I think the “sets to failure” calculus for strength training is limiting. I have a program of kettlebell workouts that are time-based (20m, 30m), not sets to failure with long rest in between. Because of that, I struggle to properly account for strength training in TrainerRoad. If I put the true number of sets I did, the platform thinks I need more recovery than I do. Yet, the plan is very manageable for me; it doesn’t dig a hole so deep that I can’t the next day’s bike workout. Please help.
I’m not arguing, just trying to understand what you’re looking for. You say it’s working fine without logging reps in TR, so why not just keep doing that? I don’t do strength to failure (or close to failure), so I just don’t record any sets.
I assumed that not logging any sets was telling the platform that it wasn’t a strength session. Do you think it’s still logging fatigue and doing the appropriate adjustments for you?
I do, and I thought you said it was for you too?
Okay, thank you. Like I said, I’ve assumed that AI isn’t recognizing the strength workouts, so it feels like a gap.
Right. I’m just saying that you also said
So, that being the case, it seems like you’re doing your strength workouts and TR is still giving you a doable plan.
(I’m not trying to be a defensive fanboy, I have plenty of both positive and negative things to say, just trying to say that it seems like you have what you’re looking for. The ability to mix your strength work and the TR plan without negative impacts to either)
Logging sets is not required.
But, if you do it’s assuming it’s a challenging set to failure or within 1-2 reps of failure. If that’s not the work you’re doing, you’re better off not logging it as a set, or it’s assuming a more difficult workout than you’re actually doing.
It’s a difficult workout - 140 double KB swings in 20 min, for example - but none of the sets are to “failure.” That’s my rub. I guess I’ll just leave the Working Sets at 0. Just seems there could be a better way to measure the effort.
I get where you’re coming from. Being able to incorporate the work you do would be useful. From a MTB perspective, I think it is super necessary and you need to be able to schedule it into your training plan. My thought is that it would be more complete if you could see the effect that work is having on your overall performance.
Now that Strava logs exercises and reps, it would be great TR could just pull from there.
Yes! This makes so much sense.
@JeffCoyle If things are going well with the way you’re doing them now, I wouldn’t change anything.
While it might seem like there is a gap between logging sets and not logging them, we’re still getting some data from you sharing those activities in TR.
We’re hoping to build on this down the road, but I agree that pulling data from Strava could be useful. I’m not sure how much of that we could get, but I’ll share that feedback with the team. 
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Thank you, Eddie! I’m not sure if I’m referring to the same thing as mikethewhite, but Whoop sends a lot of data from my strength workouts to Strava: total sets, reps, volume (total # of lbs moved), and of course, heart rate and calories. Some of this data could be useful for measuring the load of the particular workout.
I appreciate your response and love TR! Thanks.
On a related note, I log my strength training with my Apple Watch Ultra and have abandoned Strava due to its questionable product choices. Is there any update on Apple Health integration?
+1 for this, I find the whole sets to failure frustrating. If I do a strength workout I’m probably not going to failure, taxing certainly, and I’m often a bit fatigued and sore afterwards so it will surely have some impact on me, personally, I’d quite like the ability to log the workout and an RPE rating for the AI fatigue detection, so a yoga/bodyweight core session could be a 1 and a squat fest to failure would be a 5. (Some saracasm there, but it demonstrates the point)
No update at the moment! 