New to Training Summary Report: Track Weekly Time in Heart Rate Zones

A section on time in HR zones has recently been added to the Firstbeat Sports Weekly Training Summary report.

This new addition to the report now makes it easier to see how much time each player has accumulated at high physiological intensity each week, helping coaches to answer the question, “Has this player accumulated enough high-intensity work this week?”

This data helps identify differences between players, weeks with limited high-intensity stimulus, and whether the actual training week matched what was planned.

What Does Research Tell Us About Weekly Heart Rate Zone Exposure?

Recent work by Martin Buchheit in collaboration with Firstbeat analyzed time in heart rate zones across 948 six-day microcycles from 20 professional football teams and highlighted the importance of looking beyond individual sessions and understanding the weekly accumulation of exercise at different intensities.

The study found that players generally accumulated sufficient time above 80% HRmax during training, but exposure above 90% HRmax differed considerably between starters and non-starters.

For starters, matches provided much of their high-intensity cardiac exposure. Non-starters, however, often accumulated adequate time above 80% HRmax but limited time above 90% HRmax through training and compensation work.

This highlights why looking at accumulated weekly heart rate exposure can provide information that training volume or GPS metrics alone may not reveal.

The new Time in HR Zones component in the Training Summary Report makes it easier to see how much time each player has accumulated at different intensities across the week, and identify differences between players, including starters and non-starters.

Understand the Overall Intensity Distribution Each Week

Looking at Zone 2 and accumulated lower intensity work can also help coaches understand the overall intensity distribution of the training week, answering questions such as: How much aerobic work did players accumulate? How much time was spent at lower versus high intensities? Did every player experience the same physiological demands?

What Does the Firstbeat Weekly Training Summary Report Show?

The enhanced Weekly Summary brings the key physiological perspectives together in one single report:

• Acute and chronic load – put recent load into longer-term context
• Weekly TRIMP – quantify accumulated cardiovascular load
• Training Effect – understand the aerobic and anaerobic training stimulus
• Time in intensity zones – see how training time was distributed
• High-intensity minutes – quickly identify high-intensity exposure

The Weekly Summary Report can also be automatically emailed to selected coaches on the weekday and time of your choice.

For example, schedule it for Monday morning and the coaching team starts the week with the previous week’s key training insights already in their inbox.

How Can I Access the Weekly Training Summary Report?

The Weekly Reporting feature is available as part of the Firstbeat Sports Premium+ Package or can be purchased as an individual module for existing customers on other plans.

If you’re not yet a Firstbeat Sports customer but are interested in learning more about this feature or would like to arrange a free demo, you can contact via the button below.

What is Time in HR Zones?

Time in HR Zones shows how much time an athlete spends at different levels of heart rate intensity during training and matches. Looking at this data across the week helps coaches understand the physiological intensity each player has actually accumulated, rather than evaluating individual sessions in isolation.

Why should coaches track time in heart rate zones across the week?

Training stimulus accumulates across multiple sessions and matches. Tracking time in heart rate zones across the week helps coaches see how intensity is distributed, identify differences between players, and assess whether the physiological demands of the week matched what was planned.

Why might starters and non-starters have different weekly heart rate zone exposure?

Matches can provide a significant proportion of a starter’s weekly high-intensity cardiovascular exposure. Non-starters don’t receive the same match stimulus, so training and compensation sessions need to account for what they missed.

Research across 948 microcycles from 20 professional football teams found that non-starters generally accumulated adequate time above 80% HRmax but had considerably less exposure above 90% HRmax than starters.

Can external load data tell you how much high-intensity physiological work a player has completed?

Not on its own. External load measures what an athlete did, such as distance covered or high-speed running, while heart rate provides insight into how the athlete responded physiologically. A player can meet external-load targets without necessarily accumulating the intended cardiovascular stimulus, which is why internal and external load can provide a more complete picture when considered together.

How much time should athletes spend above 80% or 90% of HRmax?

There is no single target that is appropriate for every athlete, team or training week. Recent research involving Firstbeat found that professional football players broadly met a published cardiovascular fitness maintenance dose of 30 (±20) minutes per week above 80% HRmax. However, the researchers caution against treating this as a universal target, and maintaining fitness should not be confused with providing enough stimulus to improve fitness.

The appropriate exposure depends on factors such as the athlete, sport, training goals, match involvement and wider context.

What does the Firstbeat Sports Training Summary Report show?

The Firstbeat Sports Training Summary Report provides a weekly overview of key physiological training data, including acute and chronic load, weekly TRIMP, Training Effect, time in heart rate intensity zones and high-intensity minutes. This helps coaches put individual sessions into the context of the complete training week.

Can the Firstbeat Sports Training Summary Report be delivered automatically?

Yes. The report can be automatically emailed to selected coaches on a chosen weekday and time, making it easier for coaching and performance staff to review the previous week’s training data as part of their regular workflow.