Cadence

Cadence is how many cycles of movement you complete per minute:

• Running — steps per minute (spm). A frequently cited reference is ~170–180 spm for efficient running, though optimal cadence varies with height, speed, and individual mechanics. Raising a very low cadence can reduce overstriding and impact load.
• Cycling — pedal revolutions per minute (rpm); many riders self-select ~80–100 rpm.
• Rowing / swimming — strokes per minute.

In the data layer, cadence pairs with speed/pace and power to describe how output was produced. For a cyclist, power = torque × cadence, so the same watts can come from grindy low-cadence or spinny high-cadence pedaling — useful for fatigue and muscular-vs-cardiac load analysis. For runners, cadence plus pace gives stride length (pace-derived speed ÷ cadence), and tracking cadence at a fixed pace can flag form drift as fatigue sets in.

Cadence is a form metric, not an intensity metric — don't treat a higher cadence as harder training. Use it to refine technique and to interpret efficiency trends (see cardio-efficiency).

• Cadence = movement cycles/min: spm (run), rpm (bike), strokes/min (row/swim).
• Running reference often ~170–180 spm (individual-dependent).
• Cycling self-selected often ~80–100 rpm.
• Cycling: power = torque × cadence; same watts, different muscular load.
• Running: cadence + pace → stride length; flags fatigue-driven form drift.

• cardio-pace — cadence + pace yields stride length.
• power-ftp — cadence and torque jointly produce cycling power.
• cardio-efficiency — cadence helps interpret efficiency changes.
• what-to-log-cardio — cadence is a form field in the cardio log.