The key aspect of progressing in your fitness is your ability to increase your training load over a longer period of time. The variables you can play with are training frequency, duration and intensity. With long-term analysis tools powered by TrainingPeaks you can now manage your training better than ever. To get started with the graphs it is important to understand the basics: Every workout gets a Training Stress Score (TSS) that is based on the intensity and duration of the workout. That’s the base for calculating training load for both short and long-time averages. Training Stress Score (TSS) is based on your anaerobic threshold power, but it can also be calculated based on your threshold heart rate or your threshold running pace. You can learn more about TSS values here. These single activities with their automatically calculated TSS values are then used to show your long-term training load. This long-term load is called Chronic Training Load (CTL) or simply “Fitness”. It is a 42-day weighted average of your TSS. The more you train – the more TSS you accumulate in your training – the higher your fitness is. While your long-term load is shown as “Fitness”, the short-term training load is called “Fatigue” or Acute Training Load (ATL). Fatigue is a 7-day weighted average of your TSS. When increasing training load your fatigue increases faster than fitness. These two values, fitness and fatigue, are shown in the upper graph in your Suunto app’s Diary’s ‘Progress’ view. The lower graph shows your “Form”, or Training Stress Balance. Form is basically the difference between long-term, chronic training load (CTL) and short-term, acute training load (ATL). This graph helps you understand if you are training in a way that is progressive or not. Too much load and you are too tired, too little and you are not moving forward. In Suunto app the Form graph is divided into four areas: losing fitness, maintaining fitness, productive training and going too hard. When your long-term, chronic training load is quite a bit higher than your acute, short-term load, you will start to lose fitness. Short-term hitting this area is good, for example when you want to be fresh for a race. However, training easier than you are used to for a longer time, will lead you to losing your fitness. When your current training is roughly in balance with what you are used to doing, you’ll be maintaining your fitness. To improve, add variety and load in your training. Adding more load will take you to the productive training phase: your fitness and fatigue are increasing in a manageable way. This means you are adding load but not too much compared to what you are used to doing. If you push too hard and add a lot of training stress compared to your long-term load, your form will drop. This will increase risk of illness and injury and hinder your improvements. Take a step back and allow your body to recover. Adjust the time frame When viewing the long-term analyses graphs, you can change the time perspective. Really long-term trends can be seen in the yearly view, that shows the latest four years of your training. In the monthly view you will see the latest 13 months and can easily compare your loads to a year ago, for example. The weekly view with the latest 26 weeks and the daily view with the latest 41 days are more appropriate for managing your current training loads. If you want to plan your training and see how the graphs will evolve, you can do that with TrainingPeaks’ Performance Management Chart. The activities you track with your Suunto can be automatically synced to TrainingPeaks so you can also use their advanced tools for managing and planning your training. As part of Suunto Value Pack you can get 30 days of TrainingPeaks Premium for free. Four examples of training load To make it easier for you to understand what to look for in the graphs, here are four different scenarios: Example 1: Overload This graph shows the impacts of a two-week training camp: The training load increases quickly, and at the same time the training stress balance drops very low. In this case the CTL before the camp was 66 and was pushed to 93. At the same time the training stress balance dropped to -79. These low numbers increase the risk of illness and injury. In this case, the training camp was followed by a recovery week that brought the training stress balance close to zero. Chronic training load still remained at an elevated level (close to 90), so the training camp had a positive impact on this athlete’s fitness. Example 2: Race In this graph race preparation is going nicely: The long-term training load is increasing over a long period of time meaning “fitness” is getting better. As the event gets closer, training gets lighter, fatigue goes down and the training stress balance, “form” goes up. The athlete is fresh for the big day. Example 3: Illness This graph illustrates the effects of an illness (or other break in training). At first training is going smoothly as CTL is ramping up, but then training stops for one week. ATL goes down quickly and also CTL gets lower. After the break the athlete starts training again gently. It takes about three weeks before her CTL/Fitness starts to be close to the same level she had before the break in training. Example 4: Normal This graph illustrates what quite a typical training load graph for an active person may look like: The long-term load is on a fairly good level, but not ramping up. To improve fitness, one needs to add load. Read more Training with TSS and hrTSS Training stress score in Suunto app 3 TrainingPeaks training metrics to adjust your running on the go View TSS and other power-based cycling metrics in real-time Figure out your training zones Main image: © Roger Salanova / Suunto

Training load is an essential metric of goal-oriented training. Gradually increasing load will improve fitness and performance. Suunto app quantifies training load using Training Peaks’ Training Stress Score, also known as TSS. The idea of quantifying training stress was first introduced by E.W. Banister and his research colleagues in 1975. Their model is called “Training Impulse'' (TRIMP). TRIMP is calculated using heart rate and duration: a short but intense workout got a higher score than a longer, easier workout. Since then several different training load models with the same basic principle have been developed: Quantify the training load by taking into consideration the workout duration and intensity. The most well-known training load metric is Training Peaks’ Training Stress Score, TSS™. Also Suunto app uses TSS to quantify training load. TSS is calculated based on duration and power-based intensity. (When calculating intensity, anaerobic threshold power, normalised power and intensity factor are taken into account. Learn more about the details here.) To get a better understanding of the TSS values, it is good to know that a one-hour time trial effort equals 100 TSS. At the same time a three-hour easy bike ride can accumulate the same amount of training stress. As said before, the value always depends on the intensity and duration of the effort.   TSS can be based on power, pace or heart rate While TSS is originally calculated based on anaerobic threshold power, it can also be based on threshold heart rate or threshold running pace. The suitable TSS calculation method depends on the activity type and data available. Suunto app chooses the method and calculates the TSS automatically. Usually heart rate data is used, but in activities like running and swimming TSS is calculated based on threshold pace and in cycling threshold power. If there are no measurements available, then Suunto app calculates TSS based on a statistical MET (metabolic equivalent) value. The MET based calculation only considers the duration and the activity type and gives a very rough approximation of the TSS. In order to get good quality TSS metrics, use Suunto heart rate, power or pace. TSS values in Suunto app TSS (r) –- Running pace TSS (hr) – Heart rate TSS (p) – Power TSS (s) – Swimming pace TSS (met) – MET base TSS- – user has edited the value manually   Correct anaerobic threshold is key Since TSS is based on workout intensity, your intensity zones need to be correctly set up in your Suunto watch. Suunto has five different zones where the upper limit of zone 4 should be your anaerobic threshold. The default zones in your watch are based on heart rate, but you can also set up advanced zones for running (based on heart rate or pace) and cycling (based on heart rate or power). Adjust your intensity zones on your Suunto 3, Suunto 5 or Suunto 9 at ‘Settings’ -> ‘Training’ -> ‘Intensity zones’. There are basically three ways to define your heart rate zones: an estimate based on your max heart rate, a field test and a lab test. Learn more about intensity zones and about defining them in this article.   TSS quantifies also the long-term training load When each of your workouts has a Training Stress Score calculated, long term values can be derived from this. Suunto app Diary’s ‘Progress’ view tracks your training load over time and helps you keep your training in balance – whether that means progress, maintaining your fitness or avoiding over-training. You will be able to see the long-term load as Cumulative Training Load (CTL) and short-term load as Acute Training Load (ATL). When your CTL and ATL are compared, you will get Training Stress Balance (TSB) that helps you follow changes in your freshness or “form”. Learn more about long-term training load analyses here.   Read more Training with TSS and hrTSS Understand and manage your training load with Suunto app 3 TrainingPeaks training metrics to adjust your running on the go View TSS and other power-based cycling metrics in real-time Figure out your training zones   Reference E.W. Banister, T.W. Calvert, M.V. Savage, T. Bach. A systems model of training for athletic performance. Australian Journal of Sports Medicine, (1975) 7:57-61. Lead image: © Matti Bernitz/Suunto  

We are talking about you, and your stories. We feel as though we have gotten to know our community better than we ever have before. We read about how you are managing through the past year with a world turned upside down and trying to maintain your health (and sanity). You told us about your achievements and your future dreams of adventure. We are inspired by what you have accomplished and the resolve in your path ahead whether to better health, faster races or new heights of exploration. You took time to share with us your past experiences, and the joy found in peaceful treks through the wilderness and stressful, challenging summit pushes. Some of you shared very personal moments, experiences that have shaped your lives, both heart wrenching and hopeful. We are honoured to have been there with you for some of those memorable moments, even at times providing critical information to get you home safely, or to help keep you motivated and pushing towards a personal goal, or a personal mission. These stories are why we exist, and reading them reaffirms our mission and commitment to enabling them. Thank you for sharing them with us, we are grateful and inspired. – Your fellow adventurers at Suunto Next Steps in the application process and program: We wanted to share that we are reading them (all) and due to the sheer amount we are going to take the following steps to ensure we a). Can kick-off the program in good time and get a first group of selected ambassadors going, b). Ensure we communicate in the most timely manner possible. So this is how we will roll from here: We have begun to communicate to our first selected brand ambassadors and as well as those applications we’ve read through that are not a match at this time. If you have not been communicated with, your application is still being reviewed. We are closing the application page for now effective March 11 to ensure we can handle all the applications with care. We will inform all applicants until this point by April of their status. A couple of notes to help you application in the future. Please create a ‘creator’ or ‘business’ account on Instagram (if you are on the platform), it helps us get to know you better, faster. We will inform you about the next application round on suunto.com, our newsletters and our social channels. Stay tuned! Tell us about you and your adventures with your Suunto! Your stories are a key reason we have made the selections we have, so keep them coming!

KEEP UP WITH THE SUUNTO COMMUNITY The app has many ways in which it keeps you and our community engaged, helps you connect with people with similar interests and allows you to create everlasting training memories and to share relevant content with your friends or on social media. But, first things first: We value your privacy It's always up to you to decide how much you want to share. By default, after you have created your account in the app, your activities are private. Nevertheless, you can change that to any of the other two privacy options: show your activities to your followers or make them public for all the Suunto app users. Additionally, you can change that setting for every exercise individually. In the app's privacy settings, you can also define if you want to approve people before they can start following you. Read more about adjusting privacy settings with iOS and Android. Then: Create long-lasting training memories Edit your activities to make them memorable: write stories, add comments and comment on your friends' training, add photos and even videos taken during your activity. It matters even if you have a private account. This way, you create a visual diary for your activities and experiences. Share a data overlay image of your training After adding photos to your activities, you can share (or save) them with data overlays. You can add elements like altitude graph, total distance, the highest point and many more. You can also add a custom title text on top of the image. Share them with your friends, your social media, or save them for later in your files. Tap the "Share" button on your activity. Tap the information you have displayed to change it. Change the photo by choosing another one from your gallery. You can even share your training week, month, or year Want to show your friends your training days, duration per sports, distance, ascent and the active kcal? We have the best way for you to do that. On the app's main screen, tap the calendar or sports/h square and then choose what you want to share. You can send it directly to your friends, post it on your social media channels or save the image for later. Connect with your friends even if they aren't using our app (yet) You can sync your Suunto app account with our partner services, like Strava, Training Peaks, Relive and Fatmap, and reach your friends there, too. To connect your Suunto app with other services. Enable the automatic sync from under your Profile. Select the Partner services option and find the apps you want to connect your Suunto app to. Happy training!

South African ultra runner Ryan Sandes was right on the money when asked about races being cancelled in 2020: “Sure, it’s a little disappointing,” he said. “But at the end of the day it’s just a race. I’ve still got my health, I’ve still got my family. When you look at it more holistically like that it gives you peace of mind and you become a better athlete, a better human, you’re more relaxed. For running ultras you need this, you need to be calm and in a good headspace.” Whatever your sport, having a positive, calm headspace is optimal. It hasn’t always been easy maintaining that this year. But the reverse is also true; training, pursuing the sports we love, helped to keep us on an even keel. Each reinforces the other. The data we’ve collected and crunched from 2020 user activity shows staying active, finding ways to train, and even taking the opportunity to rest more, have been key in helping us ride out this crazy year. We’ve found ways to keep ourselves pumped. Let us walk you through the data.   Spain on top The first wave of COVID-19 hit Spain hard. The lockdowns were strict, sudden and shocking. But that didn’t stop Spaniards from continuing to train and find ways to challenge themselves. Our data shows Suunto’s users in Spain clocked the highest total minutes per user, averaging 5,965 minutes on average. Spanish Suunto athlete Joaquin Perez also looked out for community initiatives to help his community cope. Back in April he told us: “A good source of inspiration and motivation for the community are the multiple solidarity initiatives that exist, for example in Spain last Saturday there was an initiative to raise funds for COVID-19 research where more than 7,300 athletes ran in their homes and raised almost €83,000,” he says. Click to read more about how Suunto athletes adapted to life in lockdown.   Go France! Respect to Suunto users in France for having the highest total ascent numbers! They also had the highest total meters for all workouts combined in both running and cycling. And, just like in 2019, the French had the highest "adventure running ratio": our French community ran 15 times more on the trails than on the treadmill!   We stayed upbeat Even with tough times the average mood our users selected after each workout was "very good". This is slightly higher than the year before in spring 2019. By the time autumn arrived in the northern hemisphere it was about the same as 2019. Check out our article about making your best workout playlist ever, and give your mood a boost on your next workout!   The most active countries were … Take your hats off to Finland, South Africa, Sweden, Russian and Poland for having the most active Suunto users. It’s interesting South Africa is the only country in the southern hemisphere to make the list. It also went into lockdown early.   These places caught more Zs Finland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Estonia, Belgium came out on tops for getting the most sleep. Respect to Finland for having the most active users and also the users that got the most sleep. The Finns were also the only ones sleeping more than seven hours a night on average. Impressive! Learn how sleep can make you a better athlete!   You sport freaks mix it up In 2020, the average number of different activity types per user was 4,2. This means an average Suunto user enjoys more than four different sports, with running the most popular. On average, our users tracked 66.5 total workouts of any given type during 2020. Click for 12 ways to change up your training over winter   Walking booms When things get tough, conventional wisdom says to take a nice, long walk. Somehow Suunto users must have got the memo because there was a massive 70% increase in that activity among our users. What does this tell us? It could be that because so many of us were doing home office we found more time to take walks. Maybe with family at home, too, we took more walks together. Whatever the reasons, it can only be a good thing. Read our articles on walking: How to walk your way to good health How to improve your walking technique How to walk mindfully and its benefits   Other increases Hiking amongst our users also had a big increase, by 37%. Mountain biking increased by nearly 20%. Unsurprisingly, there was a big increase in indoor cycling.   Swimming drops off With pools closed, swimming dropped off with our users. Even with vaccinations available, this trend will probably continue into 2021. Our solution? We recommend you triathletes and swimmers pivot to open and cold water swimming. Read our articles on how to do them safely. 10 reasons to enjoy open water swimming with Suunto What you need to know about cold water swimming   Diving booms! Put your fins together for the divers! Landlocked lockdowns didn’t stop our community of explorers from venturing underwater with an average of 15.5 m depth for divers and 6 m for freedivers. In a year of backyard adventures when divers explored what treasures their local sites have to offer, August was the busiest month on record.   Lead image: © Philipp Reiter     Read more articles 10 must-read Suunto articles from 2020 7 tips for running in the rain 14 tips for backcountry skiing this winter

Suunto athlete Lucy Bartholomew has published a book of her favourite recipes. Called Sustain your Ability, available in print and as an ebook, the plant based cookbook is loaded with delicious meals and treats designed to keep active people fuelled and thriving. “These are all recipes I’ve used to pursue my athletic pursuits from the age of 15 when I started, says Lucy, now 24. “I made the book for people who are trying to sustain an active lifestyle. I was going to call it ‘sustain’ which means to nourish, to thrive, to continue to live, and ‘sustainability’ is the ability to do that for yourself. So it’s for people who want to live a consistently sustainable life. This isn’t a book with some sort of dietary fad – like ‘follow this diet for one month and you'll reach peak fitness’ – it’s for those who are passionately dedicated to being active in the outdoors.” Now available for download, the book was three years in the making. A self described foodie, Lucy initially posted her favourite recipes on her blog and shared them via social media. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the Melbourne based runner suddenly found herself in lockdown, and prohibited from travelling more than five kilometers from her home. “I was thinking I’ve got to have a goal during this time otherwise I will lose motivation,” Lucy says. “COVID gave me time at home with a kitchen, it gave me time because I wasn’t training as much which also gave me a lot of energy. It was a nice distraction. It kept my dad and I very full.” While all the recipes are plant based or vegan, Lucy says they are easily adaptable for people who eat dairy products or meat. “The recipes have been inspired by my travels,” she says. “After Western States in 2018 I went to Mexico where I learned about the culture and the way they make things. Then I went to Nepal and that’s where the dal recipes came from. The meals these places produce are made with ingredients that aren’t super rare or expensive, they normally consist of rice and beans. “They are all meals I enjoy before, during and after runs,” Lucy continues. “It really shows how after nine years in the sport and the fact I still love it is because I’m able to be sustainable in the way I approach it, just like the way I eat.” Read more articles 9 bits of positivity from a crazy year 10 must-read Suunto articles from 2020 7 tips for running in the rain