What are the two factors that define the load of a workout?

• A. Cadence and Heart Rate
• B. Volume and Intensity
• C. Time of Day and Sleep
• D. Diet and Hydration

Answer: (B)

The load of a workout is determined by how much work you do and how hard you do it. That’s volume and intensity. Volume is the total amount of work—things like total distance rowed, total time spent training, or the number of rows and reps. Intensity is how hard that work is—captured by pace or split, power output, or the portion of your max effort you’re using.

Because load comes from both factors, you can have a long, easy session with high volume but moderate intensity, or a short, very hard session with high intensity but lower volume. Both can produce significant training stress depending on how they combine.

Other factors like cadence or heart rate can help gauge how hard you’re working, and aspects such as time of day, sleep, diet, and hydration affect recovery and readiness, but they don’t define the workout’s load by themselves.