Edwards TRIMP Training Load Lab

Students use heart rate monitors to record how many minutes they spend in each heart rate zone during a running and circuit workout, then calculate training load with the Edwards TRIMP method. They learn to quantify effort and compare different workouts.

How to play

1. Explain the method: five zones by percent of max heart rate (50-60, 60-70, 70-80, 80-90, and 90-100 percent) worth 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 points per minute (3 min).
2. Each student puts on a heart rate monitor and records their estimated max HR and zone limits on the card (3 min).
3. Workout (16 min): 6 minutes of easy running around a cone loop, 6 minutes of a hard bodyweight circuit, and 4 minutes of variable-pace running.
4. When finished, students check the app or watch for minutes in each zone and record them (2 min).
5. Calculation (4 min): TRIMP = sum of minutes in each zone times its points. Pairs compare results and explain the differences.

Rules

• Fit the monitor snugly before starting and make sure it is reading.
• Everyone works at their own pace: the goal is to measure, not to compete for the highest load.
• If the device shows unusual values or you feel dizzy, stop and tell the teacher.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: do the workout with arm exercises and wheelchair laps, using the same recording.
• No monitor: take a manual pulse every 4 minutes and estimate time in each zone.
• Autism: provide a card with the zone table already drawn and blanks to fill in.

Learning goals

• Quantify the internal load of a workout using the TRIMP method.
• Use digital devices to track heart rate.
• Compare workouts and decide how to adjust weekly load.

Equipment for a class of 25

• heart rate monitors
• cones: 10
• stopwatch: 1
• recording cards: 25

Teacher tip

If monitors are limited, work in two shifts: some record with a device and others by hand, then switch. Put a worked example on the whiteboard so the math goes quickly.

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