By JuanPa, creator of TrainingForever · Updated on 25/10/2026
Short answer: a good software for physical preparer gathers in a single calendar the strength, mobility and endurance work of each athlete; allows to prescribe in detail (series, repetitions, load, perceived effort); collects the internal load and feedback after each session; saves the tests; gives the athlete a simple app, and helps you manage who you train and who pays you. Choose by testing it for a week with a real athlete, not the list of features.
A physical preparer spends more time than he would like to copy sessions into spreadsheets, sending PDF by courier and chasing his athletes to find out how the workouts have gone. A software doesn't train anyone, but it can take that job off of you and leave you time for the important thing: deciding what each athlete needs.
This guide explains what functions really matter, how to check them in a test and where each type of tool fits. It is designed mainly for physical preparers working with endurance athletes (runners, trail runners, triathletes) and combine strength with aerobic work. If you are looking for a general comparison of platforms, you have it in the guide to the best software for coaches.
What is a software for physical preparation?
A physical coach software is a platform (web and mobile app) to plan, send and follow the workouts of various athletes from one site. Replaces the usual combination of spreadsheet, PDF and messaging with a shared calendar: you programs, the athlete sees the day session on his mobile, registers it, and you receive the data and his sensations.
What distinguishes it from a generic gym app is that it is designed to manage others: several athletes, each with its parameters, tests and history.
What functions should a software have for physical preparation?
These are the functions that should be required, why they matter and what to ask in the demo or free trial.
| Function | Why it Matters | How to check it in the test |
|---|---|---|
| Unique Calendar of Strength and Endurance | The load of the week is the sum of everything, not each app separately | Schedule a week with two strength sessions and three race sessions and see if you see everything together |
| Exercise library with video | The athlete executes what he sees better, and you don't repeat explanations. | Look for day-to-day exercises (pliometry, core, mobility) and create your own |
| Detailed requirement | Series, repetitions, load and target effort make session reproducible | Write a session with RIR or RPE target and check how the athlete sees it |
| Parametrized sessions | If the intensities depend on zones or VAM of each athlete, do not recalculate by hand | Assigns the same session to two athletes with different areas |
| Feedback after the session | The RPE and the comments are the internal load and context that the clock does not give | Complete a session as a athlete and see what comes to you |
| Load tracking | See trend avoids going up too fast or stagnating | Check if the panel distinguishes what is planned from what has been done |
| Tests and evaluations | Without a baseline, you don't know if the plan works. | Saves a test and checks that it updates the parameters of the athlete |
| Sporter app | If it is uncomfortable, the athlete stops registering | Ask a real athlete to use it for a week |
| Synchronization with the clock | Avoid manual records of endurance sessions | Connect a watch and check what data comes in |
| Management of athletes and collections | Knowing who is active and who paid you saves trouble | Check each athlete's tab and payment control |
Force limitation: series, repetitions, load and effort
In force, the session is not just a list of exercises. To be reproducible you need to indicate series, repetitions, load or percentage and an objective effort. One practical way to guide that effort is the perceived scale of effort based on backup repetitions (RIR): how many more repetitions the athlete could have done at the end of the series. This scale has been proposed and studied specifically for strength training (Zourdos et al., 2016) and has been described how to apply it in programming (Helms et al., 2016).
Question in the test: can I write "3 × 6 to RIR 2" and let the athlete understand without explaining anything else?
Strength and endurance in the same plan
For a fitness coach of endurance sports, strength is not an extra. A systematic review of mid- and bottom runners concludes that adding strength training (with high loads and pliometry) tends to improve race economy and performance (Blagrove et al., 2018). And in a meta-analysis of randomized trials on prevention of sports injuries, strength training reduced injuries, while stretching showed no protective effect (Lauersen et al., 2014).
That's why the unique calendar matters so much: if Tuesday's leg session and Wednesday's series are in different places, it's easy for them to step on. If you want to delve into how to program it, read the guide strength for endurance runners.
How to control the load from the software without complicating yourself?
You don't need a lab. The consensus on load monitoring recommends combining external load measures (what the athlete does: kilometers, kilos, time) with internal load measures (how it affects him) and not relying on a single indicator (Bourdon et al., 2017; Impellizzeri et al., 2019).
The simplest method for internal load, and valid for both strength and endurance, is the session RPE (Foster et al., 2001):
Session Load (UA) = Session RPE (scale 0-10) × duration (minutes)
Illustrative example: 50 minutes of force with an RPE of 7 = 350 AU
The software should ask for that RPE at the end of each session and add it up for weeks without you having to account for it. Added to this is a brief record of well-being (dream, fatigue, muscle pain, mood): a systematic review found that the subjective measures reported by the athlete himself reflect load changes better than many objective measures of usual use (Saw et al., 2016).
If you work with accumulated load models (form, fatigue and their difference), you have the explanation in the guide of CTL, ATL and TSB training load. And to compare what you planned with what was done, in proposed versus implemented.
What tests should I be able to keep?
The athlete's tab is the place where his references live. At a minimum, the software should save:
- Initial data: history, injuries, availability and material. You have one. athlete's initial form template For starters.
- Strength tests: those you use (jumps, estimated maximum repetitions, isometry). Ideas in strength test for runners.
- Endurance references: VAM, thresholds and heart rate zones. You can calculate the areas with the heart rate zone calculator and review the VAM test.
Ideally, when updating a test, the parameterized sessions fit the new values on their own.
How to choose a software to prepare physical step by step?
To choose a software to prepare physical without mistake, follow these six steps:
- Define your profile. It is not the same to prepare runners and triathletes, a staff of a team sport or gym clients. Discard what's not meant for your case.
- Try a real athlete for a week. Program strength and endurance, and ask him to record everything from his cell phone.
- Look at the athlete's app with his eyes. If you are late in finding the session of the day or leaving your RPE, you will stop doing so.
- Check integrations and dependencies. Which watches are connected directly and what works even if the athlete does not use any third-party app.
- Calculate the cost with your numbers. How many athletes you have today and how many you expect to have; see if you pay per athlete, per stage or a fixed fee.
- Check the exit. What happens to your data if you leave and how health data are treated, which GDPR considers a special category (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Article 9).
| Do | Evita |
|---|---|
| Try a real athlete | Choose from the longest list of functions |
| Demanding a unique calendar of strength and endurance | Separate the force into another app |
| Request RPE and comments after each session | Measure external load only |
| Calculate the cost with your number of athletes | Depending on a single integration to work |
How much does a physical preparation software cost?
The most common price models are three: payment per athlete, plans per tranche (up to X athletes) and fixed fee. What you should compare is not the starting price, but what you will pay with your real number of athletes and whether the features you need are included or go separately.
As a reference, in TrainingForever there is a free version up to 5 athletes, with all functions. Then you pay. €0.99 per active athlete per month, with a maximum of €49 per month. The app is free for the athlete. You have the detail in prices. If you want to know how to organize your rates, read how to get paid by your athletes, and if you're starting, the guide to free software for personal coaches.
Where does TrainingForever fit in and where doesn't?
TrainingForever is a Spanish platform for endurance coaches that brings together planning, tracking, feedback and payment control in one place.
Fits well if you are a physical runner preparer, trail runners or triathletes and want the strength and race on the same calendar:
- Discipline: running (asphalt and trail), strength and mobility, plus cycling and swimming.
- Strength and mobility: library of exercises with video and instructions to mount complete sessions within the same plan.
- Parametrized sessions: adapt to the heart rate, paces and VAM zones of each athlete.
- Feedback: the athlete leaves his RPE, sensations and comments after each activity.
- Integrations: Garmin Connect integrated and optional connection with Strava; sessions are also exported to Coros and Polar. Strava is not required to use the platform.
- Payments: You control how much each athlete pays you and who paid you, and you manage online payments.
- Free up to 5 athletes and Gems, optional monthly and non-permanence payment extras.
- If you come from TrainingPeaks: There is no automatic import, but we help you migrate your plans and athletes.
Where it doesn't fit: if you're a physical coach for a team sport template and you need to manage group GPS data, or if your work is mostly room-based with fitness clients with no endurance component, it suits you a specific tool for that context.
What a coach says: Marc Bañuls
Marc Bañuls, endurance coach. "Force cannot live in another app. If the gym session is not on the same schedule as the race, I end up planning blindly."
«Before raising the load in the gym I look at how the athlete arrived a week: what he tells me weighs as much as what he has done.»
Frequently Asked Questions
What software does a physical preparer use?
Depends on who I work with. A physical coach of endurance athletes needs a calendar that gathers strength and aerobic work, with feedback and load control; one of team sports usually prioritizes group GPS, and one of gymnasium, series and kilos registration. It is common for everyone to plan, collect data and follow several athletes from one site.
Is there a free software for physical preparation?
Yeah. TrainingForever has a free version with all functions up to 5 athletes; then costs €0.99 per active athlete per month, with a maximum of €49. The athlete's app is always free.
What is better to control the load in force: RPE or RIR?
They complement each other. The RIR (repetitions in reserve) serves to guide the effort of each series during the session; the RPE of the session, multiplied by the minutes, summarizes the total internal load and allows to compare it with the race or other sessions. A good software should allow you to use both without making accounts by hand.
Do I need my athletes to use Strava?
No. In TrainingForever data can be reached from Garmin Connect, which is integrated, and Strava is an optional connection. The sessions are also exported to Coros and Polar. The strength and mobility sessions are recorded directly from the athlete's app, with his RPE and his comments.
Can I pass my athletes from another platform?
Yes, although there is no automatic import. If you come from TrainingPeaks or another tool, we help you migrate your plans and athletes: write to us and we organize it with you. It is appropriate to review areas and templates once they are moved, before starting to program.
Serve TrainingForever for cycling and swimming?
Today it covers running (asphalt and trail), strength and mobility, as well as cycling and swimming. If you prepare triathletes, you can already schedule the race, strength and mobility on the same calendar.
Sources
- Bourdon PC, Cardinale M, Murray A, et al. Monitoring athlete training loads: consensus statement. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017;12(Suppl. 2):S2161-S2170. doi:10.1123/IJSPP.2017-0208
- Foster C, Florhaug JA, Franklin J, et al. A new approach to monitoring exercise training. J Strength Cond Res. 2001;15(1):109-115. doi:10.1519/00124278-200102000-00019
- Impellizzeri FM, Marcora SM, Coutts AJ. Internal and external training load: 15 years on. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019;14(2):270-273. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2018-0935
- Saw AE, Main LC, Gastin PB. Monitoring the athletic training response: subjective self-reported measures trump commonly used objective measures: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(5):281-291. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094758
- Zourdos MC, Klemp A, Dolan C, et al. Novel endurance training-specific rating of perceived exercise scale measuring repetitions in reserve. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(1):267-275. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001049
- Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserved-based rating of perceived exercise scale for endurance training. Strength Cond J. 2016;38(4):42-49. doi:10.1519/SSC.0000000000000218
- Blagrove RC, Howatson G, Hayes PR. Effects of strength training on the physiological determinants of middle- and long-distance running performance: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2018;48(5):1117-1149. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0835-7
- Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports infringements: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(11):871-877. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (General Data Protection Regulation), Article 9. EUR-Lex
References verified in Crossref (DOI) and EUR-Lex on 25/10/2026. The load calculation example is illustrative, it does not come from any real athlete.
