What is StressLogic? How ANC Balances Training Stress

In more detail

StressLogic is the whole ANC method. Every week we Evaluate where you are, Calibrate the right dose, Harmonize it with your life, and Optimize from what happened. It is not a rigid sequence or an automated formula. It is a coach led decision, made with you, every week.

What does it look like when it works?

None of these came from a template. Each came from hundreds of small weekly calls, made from real data and real lives.

The four steps of StressLogic

What inputs does StressLogic use?

We combine objective data, your own feedback and what your coach sees. No single number makes the call.

Training Stress Score. The load from each session, from power, pace or heart rate relative to your threshold

Chronic Training Load. Your rolling 42 day fitness trend. Rising CTL means fitness is building

Acute Training Load. Your rolling 7 day fatigue trend. Rising ATL means fatigue is building

Training Stress Balance. CTL minus ATL, your freshness. Race day calls for a positive TSB

Heart rate variability, a daily recovery signal. A low reading can flag a session to reduce or modify

Critical Power on the bike and Critical Speed on the run. Every intensity target is anchored to them

Which physiological system needs development next

Did power and pace match the targets? Did heart rate drift? Did you feel strong or labored?

Sleep, life stress, soreness and motivation. Things a chart cannot capture

Holly's fitness line climbs in steps, not a straight ramp. The flat stretches are Hold and Pull Back weeks. They are why the climbs stuck.

What does StressLogic produce each week?

1. A weekly load range. Your load is set as a range, not a fixed number, so day to day recovery and life stress have room
2. An intensity map. Which sessions are threshold, which are aerobic and which are recovery. One physiological system targeted at a time
3. Session cues. Power and pace targets, heart rate drift guardrails, cadence, fueling prompts and an effort backstop for each key session

Every output is specific to that athlete, that week, built from their current data and profile.

Direction and dose are two separate decisions

The five weekly load levels as weekly TSS ranges

Increases are small steps. The big step is down. A little too much repeated every week costs more than a little too little.

This athlete's weekly load moves up and down on purpose. No two weeks are copies, because no two weeks of his life were copies.

Training blocks inside StressLogic

The block sets the direction. One physiological system gets focused work for a few weeks before we move to the next.

High volume, low intensity. Builds aerobic capacity, fat use and tissue resilience. Kept below CP and CS

Builds fatigue resistance across longer efforts, the foundation that makes threshold work pay off

Sustained work at and around CP and CS. The most productive place to raise your aerobic ceiling

Short, hard intervals above CP and CS for top end power and speed. Used selectively

Race pace sessions, bricks and taper. Turns fitness into race day performance

Block choice is never arbitrary. It comes from your profile, current fitness, race calendar and training history. Your weekly load level then sets how hard each block is applied.

Testing keeps the anchors honest

We retest CP and CS about every 8 weeks, and not in the final two weeks before a race. When the numbers move, every session target moves with them.

The safety rails we never skip

1. Fitness rises gradually, a few CTL points a week in each sport, not more
2. No make up sessions. A missed workout is gone, not owed
3. No forced progression. We move up when you are ready
4. Good numbers never override a poor position to absorb more

Who is StressLogic for?

StressLogic powers every ANC 1:1 coaching program, for triathletes from sprint to full IRONMAN, runners from 5K to ultra, and cyclists.

• You want training built on your actual physiology, not a template
• You are chasing a competitive goal: a qualifying slot, a podium or a personal best
• You have struggled with fatigue, plateaus or injury from high volume training
• You like to understand the reasoning behind your training
• You want a coach who adjusts before problems happen

Frequently asked questions

No. A plan is written in advance. StressLogic is the weekly decision process that writes and rewrites your plan from your data and your life.

A power meter is strongly recommended for cycling. For running, a GPS watch with pace data is enough to set Critical Speed and run load.

A TrainingPeaks Premium account. Your coach uses the full analytics, including the Performance Management Chart, workout analysis and load tracking.

You usually see it first in your fitness line and in your CP and CS retests. Race day gains build over a full training block.

Yes. We assess your current fitness, set baseline CP and CS values and build a block that fits your remaining race calendar.

Keep reading

• How We Decide Your Next Training Block
• Understanding Critical Power and Critical Speed
• What Is TSS? How Weekly Training Load Really Works
• What is Critical Power?
• How Holly Koksel Won Anchor Down

Keep reading

• How we coach
• Coaching inquiry