The objective physical work performed, independent of the athlete's internal response.
External load describes the measurable, objective work done by an athlete — distance covered, speed, sprint counts — regardless of how hard that work feels or costs physiologically. Comparing external load (e.g. relative distance) against internal load (e.g. heart rate) can reveal mismatches, such as a cooler substitute being asked to produce high relative outputs with less physiological readiness.
This guide was auto-drafted and is pending editorial review.