Work out recovery time estimate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Recovery time scales with session load and is lengthened by poor sleep and advancing age. A 90 minute session at RPE 8 gives a baseline near 22 hours, extended by about 4% for each year past 30 and by up to 45% on under six hours of sleep. Treat the figure as guidance for spacing hard sessions rather than a precise physiological readout.
Baseline recovery
hours = RPE x minutes / 100 x 3
Adjustments
x sleep factor (0.9 to 1.45) x age factor (1 + 0.008 per year over 30)
This is an estimate from population-average equations, not a medical or diagnostic assessment. Individual results vary with genetics, training history and technique. Seek advice from a qualified coach or clinician before making significant changes to training.
Growth hormone release, glycogen resynthesis and central nervous recovery are all sleep-dependent. Short sleep is the single largest modifiable recovery factor.
Yes - easy aerobic work often speeds recovery. What this estimates is the gap before the next genuinely hard session.