What is TSS in cycling - and how can understanding it improve your fitness?

We take you through the benefits - and the limitations - of this key cycling metric

Image shows the TSS metric in Training Peaks
(Image credit: Training Peaks)

You might have come across the initialism TSS if you're a user of training apps such as Training Peaks - or even just in the context of your riding buddies talking about how much TSS they accumulated in a week or on a given ride. 

At its simplest, TSS stands for 'Training Stress Score' - but there's much more to the term than just that. We'll take you through how the number is calculated and how to use this information in your training to help maximise your fitness gains.

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