Cardio logging framework
Distance, duration, or effort: what should a cardio log prioritize?
Choose the minimum useful cardio fields for running, cycling, rowing, classes, and machines without forcing every activity into pace.
The short answer
Prioritize duration and activity type for every cardio session, then add distance or output when it is measured reliably and useful for comparison. Add perceived effort to describe the internal cost. Pace belongs to distance-based activities; it should not be invented for classes, mixed circuits, or machines with incomparable displays.
Fit the activity
Track cardio without inventing a universal score.
LogFast keeps duration, distance or output, and effort only where each field makes the activity more useful.
Log any cardio activityUse a field only when it answers something
A run usually benefits from distance and duration. A spin class may need duration and RPE, while a rower can add distance, split, and machine setting. The goal is a repeatable history, not equal schemas for unequal activities.
- Always useful: activity, date, duration
- Often useful: distance, pace, power, heart rate
- Context: terrain, machine, class structure
- Internal response: session RPE or talk comfort
Avoid false cross-machine comparisons
Calories, resistance levels, and distance can be device-specific estimates. Preserve the machine or source when trends depend on it. An honest 30-minute entry is better than converting unlike displays into one fake score.
Example: “Elliptical, machine 4 — 35 min, level 8, RPE 5” is reproducible without claiming its displayed miles equal outdoor running distance.
Let the activity determine progress
Progress might be more distance in the same time at similar effort, the same output at lower effort, or simply completing planned sessions consistently. Use the smallest set of fields that makes that comparison possible.
Frequently asked questions
Is duration enough for cardio?
It is a strong minimum for many activities. Add distance, output, or structure when those values are reliable and affect the next session.
Should I log estimated calories?
Keep them as estimates and avoid using them as the main performance comparison across devices or activities.
How do I compare cycling and running?
Compare weekly activity mix, duration, and perceived demand rather than treating distance or pace as interchangeable.