The Recovery Balance Score
Magdalena Bürk
You open the app, see a number between 0 and 100, and wonder: What does it mean? Here’s the answer and how I use the score in my daily routine.
What it's about: Balance
The Recovery Balance Score compares two sides of your training routine: how much you train and how much you actively do to recover. It’s not about either one on its own, but how they balance out.
Recovery isn’t something you do when you have time left over. It’s the other half of your training. The Score makes it visible so you can plan it just like your workouts.
Your wearable passively tracks things like heart rate and sleep. The Score shows something different: how much time you actively invest in Recovery and how that fits with your training. Sleep is deliberately left out.
Your score: 100 is right in the middle
The highest value is in the middle of the scale, not at the end. That makes this score different from most other numbers in your apps. When your training and Recovery are balanced, the needle sits in the middle and the score reads 100. If the balance tips to either side, the score drops:
- to the left when your training is well ahead of your Recovery
- to the right when your Recovery is well ahead of your training
Both directions lower the score, but each calls for the opposite response. So the number alone doesn't tell the whole story. The needle's position shows you which side needs more attention.
|
Page |
Score |
Status |
What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Center |
90–100 |
Just right |
Keep your rhythm |
|
left |
70–89 |
Training-focused |
add a Recovery session |
|
left |
40–69 |
Not enough recovery |
Schedule a session today |
|
left |
0–39 |
Significant deficit |
Start a Recovery session now |
|
right |
70–89 |
Recovery-focused |
Good after hard days, but no substitute for training in the long run |
|
right |
under 70 |
Plenty of Recovery |
take on your next training challenge |
YOUR GOAL
90 or more. You don’t need to hit it every day. What matters is the pattern across the week.
One exception: If you haven’t trained at all in the last 7 days, the app shows the status “No Training.” It’s not a warning, just a break.
How I use the score
I'm training for a half marathon right now: four runs, one bike ride, and one strength session each week. My workouts sync to the app automatically through Apple Health. I log my Recovery myself; only Reboots sessions sync automatically.
In my first week, I just trained and didn't log anything. The result: a score of 0, a significant deficit. Fair enough: Recovery simply wasn't part of my plan. With five sessions spread across the week, I reached 94:
- 10 minutes of foam rolling and 30 minutes of Reboots Intense after intervals
- 30 minutes of yoga on my rest day
- 30 minutes of Reboots Intense plus a 12-minute ice bath after my long run
- 20 minutes in the sauna after strength training
Three things have worked for me:
I look at the week, not the day. After my long run on Sunday, the score shifts left. That's normal. What matters is that it comes back over the next few days.
I look at the direction, not just the number. Below 90, it matters which side the indicator is on: left means I need more Recovery; right means I need more training. During race-week tapering, my indicator is deliberately on the right.
I schedule Recovery right after training. My Reboots are within reach, and I run a session while I stretch. That way, I don't forget.
What the evidence shows and what we’ve decided
Transparency matters, so we make that distinction clear.
Based on research: training load calculated using heart rate reserve (TRIMP model, Lucía et al. 2003) · load based on perceived exertion for strength training and similar sessions (Session-RPE, Foster 1998/2001; Day et al. 2004) · how training load fades over time (Banister model) · the principle that beyond a certain duration, an intervention adds little extra benefit (for cold: Machado et al. 2016).
Our own choices: the intensity factors · the values and dosages for each Recovery method, including Reboots · the combination bonus · the target · the shape of the curve and the target value of 90. The idea that 100 represents balance is an app definition, not a measurable physical state.
These choices are deliberate and reasoned, but they are not published metrics. We adjust them when real usage data shows that an assumption does not hold up.
What the score isn’t
The Recovery Balance Score is a wellness and lifestyle feature for your sports routine. It shows how the Recovery activities you log compare with your training load. Nothing more, nothing less.
It does not assess your health, provide a diagnosis, or offer medical advice. The tips in the app are suggestions to help you plan your training and Recovery, not recommendations for therapy or treatment. If you have pain, an injury, or health concerns, talk to your doctor before changing your training or Recovery routine.
