How to use Weightpace

Once you understand what Weightpace measures, using it is simple.

Start with an activity you already do. Record it, get your WP, and use that result as a starting point.

You do not need to chase a certain number or completely change how you train.

Your first goal is simply to find out:

Whether you walk with a weighted vest, ruck, run with intentional external load, or hike with a training load, record the activity and get your WP.

All you need is the load you carried, the distance you traveled, and the time it took.

With the Weightpace App, enter your load and start moving. The app tracks your distance and time and calculates your pace and WP.

You can also use the Weightpace Calculator to enter those three measurements from an activity you have already completed.

Now you have a number.

That number can become your first benchmark.

Your first WP gives you something you did not have before: a benchmark for your performance under load.

Suppose you carry 20 pounds for 3 miles in 45 minutes.

Your result is:

80 WP

That 80 WP is your starting point.

It is not a score you need to beat immediately. It is a measurement of what you did.

The next time you complete a similar activity, you have something to compare it with.

Keep the same 20-pound load and the same 3-mile distance, but finish in 42 minutes:

85.7 WP

Finish in 40 minutes:

90 WP

Finish in 36 minutes:

100 WP

The load and distance never changed. You moved faster, and your WP increased.

When comparing activities, changing one thing at a time can make the result easier to understand. Keep the load the same and see what happens when you move faster, or keep your pace similar and see what happens with a different load.

Carrying more load at the same speed will increase your WP. But adding weight is not the only way to improve it.

You can also increase your WP by moving faster with the same load.

For example:

20 lb at 4 mph = 80 WP

Keep the same 20-pound load and increase your speed:

20 lb at 5 mph = 100 WP

Your load did not change, but your WP increased.

A benchmark can also be reached in different ways.

Suppose you want to reach:

There is no single load, distance, or pace required to get there.

Each activity produces 100 WP, but each gets there differently.

The first uses a lighter load at a faster speed. The third uses a heavier load at a slower speed.

That is why a WP number should be viewed together with the activity that produced it.

And there is no WP number that everyone needs to reach. The useful benchmark is the one that gives you a starting point for your own performance.

Weightpace is most useful when you keep the rest of the activity in view.

An activity might look like this:

The WP gives you one performance number. The other information tells you how you got there.

Distance tells you how far you went.

Load tells you what you carried.

Time and pace tell you how quickly you moved.

WP brings those pieces together into a measurement of your performance under load.

Terrain, elevation, weather, and other conditions can also make two activities with the same WP feel very different.

That context still matters.

One activity gives you a result.

Multiple activities give you a pattern.

The Weightpace App helps you keep those results together. Enter your load and start moving. The app tracks your distance and time and calculates your pace and WP. When you finish, save your activity to build a history you can compare over time.

Maybe your WP increases while your load stays the same.

Maybe you carry more load while maintaining a similar pace.

Maybe you become more consistent across the same route.

Those changes become easier to see when you have a benchmark and a history to compare against.

You can also use the Weightpace Calculator to calculate individual activities from your load, distance, and time.

Weightpace is now available for iPhone on the App Store.

You do not need to know what your WP should be before you begin.

You need a starting point.

Choose an activity you already do. Record your load, distance, and time, and find your WP.

Then do it again.

Compare similar activities. See what happens when your pace changes, your load changes, or both.

One activity gives you a number. Repeating it gives that number context.

Over time, you can begin to see how your performance under load is changing.