Tonnage (Load)
Also known as: Total Load, Training Load, Work Load
The total weight moved in a session, the simplest measure of mechanical stress placed on the body. Tonnage captures "how heavy was today?" in a single number.
Formula
Tonnage = sets x reps x weight (per exercise, summed across session)Example
Bench Press: 4 sets x 8 reps x 80 kg = 2,560 kg. Squat: 3 sets x 5 reps x 120 kg = 1,800 kg. Session tonnage = 4,360 kg (4.36 t).
How Afitpilot Uses This
We compute tonnage for every exercise that has a numeric weight. Sessions display tonnage in kg or tonnes (auto-selected at the 1,000 kg threshold). We compare your actual tonnage against the planned prescription and flag deviations greater than 10% (amber) or 25% (red).
Typical session tonnage by athlete type
| Who / Context | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Powerlifter (heavy block) | 15,000-25,000 kg | 60-100 t/week across 4 sessions |
| Regular gym goer | 3,000-6,000 kg | Varies hugely by exercise selection |
| Hybrid athlete | 2,000-4,000 kg | Lower per session, stress split across modalities |
| Active aging (60+) | 800-2,500 kg | Perfectly effective; consistency > tonnage |
| Runner (10 km equivalent) | ~2,600 t impact force | Ground reaction force x strides, different metric, same idea |
Known Limitations
- •Bodyweight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, dips) contribute zero tonnage because we don't yet factor in body mass, this understates total mechanical work for calisthenics-heavy sessions.
- •Band, cable-machine, and percentage-based prescriptions (e.g. "70% 1RM") are excluded from tonnage comparison because the absolute load isn't known.
- •Tonnage treats all weight equally, 100 kg at RPE 6 and 100 kg at RPE 9 produce the same tonnage despite very different physiological demands.
What We're Improving
Science Context
Tonnage is widely used in powerlifting and strength research as a proxy for mechanical tension, one of the primary drivers of hypertrophy (Schoenfeld, 2010). However, it is an incomplete measure, it ignores time under tension, eccentric vs. concentric loading, and metabolic stress.