Training Readiness Checker

Not sure whether to push today or take it easy? Answer five quick questions, the same kind teams use to check how players are coping, and get a readiness check.

Your details

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If you track this, compare today with your normal.

Answer for how you feel this morning, compared with normal for you.

Your results

Answer all five questions to see your readiness.

How to use it

  1. Answer each question for how you feel this morning compared with normal.
  2. If you track your score, add your usual total to compare. Optional.
  3. Read your readiness and which areas are below normal.

How it's calculated

The questionnaire. McLean et al. (2010) tracked professional rugby league players with five items rated 1 to 5: fatigue, sleep quality, general muscle soreness, stress and mood. Higher is better, and 3 means normal. Fatigue, well-being and soreness dropped in the 48 hours after matches, alongside measures like jump performance.

Reading the result. There’s no published cut-off for “ready”. The calculator uses a plain reading of the scale:

  • Ready: every item is normal (3) or better.
  • Ease off (a bit below normal): one or two items below normal, none at the lowest.
  • Go light (well below normal): three or more items below normal, or any item at 1.

That reading is a rule of thumb, not a validated threshold.

Your own baseline. Teams compare each player with their own usual score rather than with a fixed number. If you note your total for a few weeks, enter your usual total to see how today compares.

Limits. Life outside training affects your score too: a bad night or a stressful week counts as much as a hard session. That’s useful to know, but it means a low score doesn’t always point to training.

Sources

  1. McLean, B. D., Coutts, A. J., Kelly, V., McGuigan, M. R., & Cormack, S. J. (2010). Neuromuscular, endocrine, and perceptual fatigue responses during different length between-match microcycles in professional rugby league players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 5(3), 367–383.
  2. World Rugby. Wellness questionnaires (example questionnaire after McLean et al. 2010).

Questions

What does my score mean?

Each item runs from 1 to 5, where 3 is normal, so a normal day scores 15 out of 25. The calculator flags the items below normal, because one bad item tells you more than the total.

Should I skip training if I score low?

Not necessarily. A low score suggests a lighter session might be wiser. If you're ill or in pain, though, skip hard training.

Why compare with my usual score?

Everyone answers a little differently. Teams look at how your score changes from your own normal, not at fixed cut-offs, so tracking it over a few weeks makes it more useful.

Is this a medical test?

No. It's a simple self-check of how you feel. It can't diagnose overtraining, illness or anything else.

Updated November 9, 2026.