What is a recovery score?

A recovery score is a single number — here 0–100 — that summarises how ready your body is to train, based on how well you slept, how sore you feel, your energy and your stress. Higher means more recovered.

What affects training recovery most?

Sleep is the biggest lever, which is why it carries the most weight here (duration plus quality). Muscle soreness, perceived energy and life stress then nudge the score up or down.

Should I train with low recovery?

A low score (under 40) is a signal to rest or do light active recovery, not necessarily to skip the gym entirely. Use it alongside how you actually feel during your warm-up.

How is the score calculated?

Sleep hours (capped at 8) contribute 30%, sleep quality 15%, soreness 20% (inverted), energy 20% and stress 15% (inverted). Each is scaled to 0–100 and the weighted total is rounded.

How is this different from a Whoop or Garmin score?

Whoop and Garmin readiness scores are device-grade and built mainly on heart-rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate. This is a quick self-report estimate — useful, but not a substitute for those measured metrics.

Recovery Score Calculator

This recovery score calculator turns a quick morning check-in — sleep, soreness, energy and stress — into a single 0–100 training readiness score, so you know whether to push hard or back off today.

How it works

Each input is scaled to a 0–100 sub-score, then blended with the weights below. Sleep duration is capped at 8 hours (more than that doesn't keep raising the score). Soreness and stress are inverted — more of them means a lower score.

Sleep hours — 30% (your single biggest lever)
Soreness — 20% (inverted)
Energy — 20%
Sleep quality — 15%
Stress — 15% (inverted)

Worked example

Say you slept 8 hours of good quality (4/5), woke with mild soreness (2/5), good energy (4/5) and low stress (2/5). Sleep hours score 100, quality 75, soreness 75, energy 75 and stress 75. The weighted total is 0.30·100 + 0.15·75 + 0.20·75 + 0.20·75 + 0.15·75 = 83, which lands in the Primed — train hard band.

What your score means

Score	Readiness	What to do
0–39	Rest / recover	Prioritise sleep, mobility and nutrition. Skip hard training or do light active recovery only.
40–69	Moderate — train easy	Train, but dial back volume or intensity. Aim for technique work or a steady aerobic session.
70–100	Primed — train hard	You're well recovered. Good day for a hard or high-intensity session and a progression attempt.

Frequently asked questions

What is a recovery score?: A recovery score is a single number — here 0–100 — that summarises how ready your body is to train, based on how well you slept, how sore you feel, your energy and your stress. Higher means more recovered.
What affects training recovery most?: Sleep is the biggest lever, which is why it carries the most weight here (duration plus quality). Muscle soreness, perceived energy and life stress then nudge the score up or down.
Should I train with low recovery?: A low score (under 40) is a signal to rest or do light active recovery, not necessarily to skip the gym entirely. Use it alongside how you actually feel during your warm-up.
How is the score calculated?: Sleep hours (capped at 8) contribute 30%, sleep quality 15%, soreness 20% (inverted), energy 20% and stress 15% (inverted). Each is scaled to 0–100 and the weighted total is rounded.
How is this different from a Whoop or Garmin score?: Whoop and Garmin readiness scores are device-grade and built mainly on heart-rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate. This is a quick self-report estimate — useful, but not a substitute for those measured metrics.

Related calculators

Disclaimer. This recovery score is a simple self-report estimate, not a medical or device-grade readiness metric (such as an HRV-based Whoop or Garmin score). Use it as a guide alongside how you feel. Not medical advice.