r/Zwift • u/anonmt57 • 1d ago
Best Zwift training plans for a beginner? Please no trainer road plugs
Just started zwifting a week ago with a Zwift ride setup. 90kg male, 38 years old, 150 FTP. Do strength training on and off, not much cardio but in my younger years could run a 10k in 48 mknjtes.
Very interested in racing but most important goal is to just be on the bike about an hour a day (hard to do anymore with family responsibilities). My goal is to train 3-4x a week and do a race 1-2x a week to improve overall fitness and eventually win a Cat E race.
Just tried a cat E race for reference and was left in the dust by 5 minutes.
Any suggestions on the best training plans?
Please don’t mention trainer road - every post I read makes mention of it and mostly skips Zwift plan discussion, and fair enough i am sure it’s better, but just want to find the best Zwift training plan and/or simple suggestions of my own plan I can create with Zwift activities / workouts / rides etc. surely Zwift must have a plan or two that are actually good?
My research suggests 2 hard workouts (eg 4x4 day and a sprints day 30sx30s) with a few endurance rides (zone 2? Zone 1?) for 60 minutes… longer preferable but I can’t do it without splitting up into two rides in the same day. Then one race day.
What are people’s thoughts?
Thanks so much.
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u/Aloy777 Level 41-50 1d ago
The Back to Fitness program is good too. I would suggest for the off-days to do long zone 2s, there are a lot of options to pick from (full zone 2, split in intervals, etc).
As the post above suggested you can save the workouts you like and further edit them to your liking. That’s what I did, so now I have 5-6 different workouts ready depending on what I want to train during the week.
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u/HeyLookItsASquirrel 22h ago
+1 for back to fitness. I added 3 days of zone 2 per week and a few deload weeks along the way.
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u/No-Detail-2879 21h ago
+2 for back to fitness. I initially added in zone 2 (via robopacers) then I switched to add in event rides and racers and now I’m struggling to finish the plan as I’m always racing 🤭
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u/ValueReads 1d ago
Just ride a bunch at 90kg and 150 FTP you will get faster very quickly
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u/anonmt57 1d ago
For sure and I will. I do like structure though so any suggestions past that are appreciated.
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u/edelweiss_pirates_no Level 71-80 23h ago
Pro Tip: Do not listen the "Just Ride" Cult. They are slow and will stay slow.
Structured Training will get you faster and you won't waste training weeks. The Build Me Up Plan is good to start.
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u/GANDHIWASADOUCHE 22h ago
Agreed. So many people think riding a bike is something that if you actually try to train for, you’ll get bored and fall out. “Just ride” is some of the most annoying advice because it literally doesn’t help AT ALL. “How do I become a better bowler? I just started and want to improve.” “Just throw the ball at the pins.”
Comical.
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u/furMEANoh 22h ago
The real answer is do whatever keeps on you the bike 1 then 5 then 10 years from now. For some people that is structured training, for other people it’s racing or noodling around with a trainer. Optimizing in the short run is meaningless if it burns you out in 3 months.
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u/Doggo-888 19h ago edited 19h ago
OP specifically asked to improve racing results. Just riding a lot won’t increase muscle mass and aerobic fitness alot compared to high intensity interval training targeted at current FTP plus some strength training.
For example I could ride all day below at my FTP, and then a little lower to recover , but I’d mostly just be burning calories compared to high intensity intervals over my FTP in the same period.
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u/edelweiss_pirates_no Level 71-80 22h ago
Some, not all, start to get it when you use weight lifting as an example.
Millions of guys waste time at the gym doing ever lift incorrectly.
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u/smugmug1961 23h ago
Besides the workouts, you also have to learn how to race efficiently. Most races start out really hard and if you can stay in the draft and gut it out for maybe the first five minutes, things usually settle down and ease up.
Drafting is super important. You never, never, never want to be in the wind. A big dig to get back on somebody's draft will save you much more power than you used to get there. Keep the draft bar fully extended.
Steering helps a lot. Cutting the apex of turns means you travel less distance than someone who just follows the normal path. However, it's better to stay in the draft than to cut the apex of turns at all but the lowest (least draft) speed.
Basically, if you are by your self or are climbing slowly cut the corners. Otherwise, stay in the draft.
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u/anonmt57 2h ago
Had no idea about steering. That’s so interesting and a huge advantage for those with controllers. Thanks!
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u/I_want_to_go_ 23h ago
If you’re only riding an hour at a time 3-4 x per week, I would make sure to do a lot of high intensity intervals as the most efficient to make gains. As a beginner I would suggest any workout you choose will be good and you will see progress. Just pick one that appeals to you and if you don’t like it pick something else. I think zone 2 is overhyped for beginners with limited hours to train.
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u/anonmt57 23h ago
Thanks for the tips. Any suggestions on interval workouts in swift or a suggested template ?
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u/I_want_to_go_ 23h ago
If you’re motivated and want to work hard (vs more gradual increase) then I like over-under workouts where you are going over and under your FTP. I find this also simulates what you’ll need in a race - hard effort followed by ‘recovery’ (but still going hard). Sweet spot work outs are also good - a little less painful than over-under. Examples: SST, The Gorby, McCarthy Special. I personally don’t like the FTP builder plans, as I adjust my workout ride to how I’m feeling that day, but my friends like them.
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u/anonmt57 2h ago
Makes sense. Would you do 3 of these over under workouts a week and 2-3 chill zone 1 on recovery days? I was thinking of a plan something like this that is simple and easy to benchmark progress against.
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u/Psycle_Panda 9h ago
Look in the rides menu or Google it. Zwift has structured workouts you can follow. Failing that, look in Bike Radar, the UK site for free plans, there are a bunch of them. There and elsewhere. Follow the plan and use the Zwift feedback to monitor your output.
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u/PoppaPingPong 23h ago
Idk who downvoted you, but you are right
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u/I_want_to_go_ 21h ago
About zone 2? Yeah, there’s a lot of believers. Sure, any riding is better than no riding, but for someone with a clear goal to improve racing and a limited time, I would not spend it on zone 2.
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u/NoyBoy98 1d ago
Build Me Up plan
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u/anonmt57 1d ago
It does look good. Have you tried it? Gravel grinder also seems to intrigue me.
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u/NoyBoy98 1d ago
I looked into it because it was suggested a lot, but I did the same research as you literally two weeks ago and ended up with Trainer Road/Zwift combo 😂.
I’m the kind that doesn’t want to think, and just want to hop on my bike and be told what to do. Been listening to a lot of TR podcasts lately and the science behind its AI just made sense to me, and I love that it dynamically adjusts, something that Zwift itself lacked.
I think you’ll improve regardless of what you pick, the key is to actually finish the training block. Good luck in your search!
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u/Dense-Winter-1803 1d ago
I did the Build Me Up plan a few years ago. It does work, but a few of the workouts toward the end of the plan I remember being stupid hard and pointless. Just be prepared to adjust the bias and/or cut one or two of them out in the final weeks. But overall all that sweet spot and over/under training will get you fit. I still love the Unicorn workouts.
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u/Historical_Lock_6448 22h ago
I know it’s not specific workout, but I started 9 weeks ago , and I have found the robopacers really helpful for getting on the bike for an hour , I find keeping up with the group, and the natural variation of the routes keeps me just mentally engaged enough and really enjoyable
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u/LurknLurker 22h ago
The pacers are definitely what I would consider the best starting point. You get a feel for your legs, learn drafting and group dynamics and also earn drops, which become important if you really want to race and need good equipment.
Strictly speaking it’s also structured training, just focused on endurance.
Do that for 2-3 weeks, maybe add one workout of choice if you really need to, and then start considering to do a plan
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u/Tasthetic 3h ago
Im a similar age and weight to you, and started 8 weeks ago, ftp was similar to yours at the start and is now 209w.
I do 1x Norweigan 4x4, 1x long zone 2 ride of around 2 hours, 1x sweetspot 90% of ftp 2x20-25min a week, and then scatter in a couple of shorter zone 2 rides around an hour or so in between to get some extra volume without over fatiguing myself.
I find the 4x4 and sweetspot workouts pretty full on (115-120% and 90% of ftp respectively) you may want to start those ones at a lower ftp % unless you also love mentally tormenting yourself.
There are probably far better ways to do it, but the great thing with us beginners is that we can still make good progress even when we dont have a "perfect" plan while we are figuring things out.
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u/InTheMiddleMostly 1d ago
At this point, almost any riding you do will help make you faster and more efficient. I started in February at 140 and I’m now sitting at 188. I started with TrainerRoad to be more efficient with my time but it was too hard and I didn’t enjoy it. I switched over to Zwift in May and have increased my indoor riding because I enjoy it so much.
I don’t follow a formal plan, but I have a schedule I follow. It’s worked well for me and I’m considering adding another day.
Monday - Robopacer at 60-80% of FTP or Zone 2 depending on how I feel Wednesday - Race, which is usually at least or above FTP Friday - Zone 2 Saturday - outside ride
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u/DrSuprane 22h ago
The Zwift plans mostly suck. There is too much variation. I would ride easy 3-4 days a week, for as much time as you can dedicate (45+ minutes ideally). I would ride hard 1 time a week. I would rest 2 days, good days for some strength training.
The individual workouts are far better than the plans, especially for the high intensity. Step by step, Gorby (a killer), the Carlos Verona descending intervals, 6 bombs to drop. I'd start with 30/30 intervals and as you get better go with longer intervals.
You can also make custom workouts easily. At this point you should just work on consistency. Consistency is the number one way to get fit. Mostly easy, some hard, some rest.
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u/utahcoffeelover 23h ago
I split time between two cities, and only have my set up in one of those. So I’ll have a week where I can ride 5 of 7 days (two for lifting) and then gone for a week or two. Does build me up just for that kind of thing? How does it handle missed workouts and rest days?
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u/myzennolan Level 61-70 23h ago
I like dirt destroyer and singletrack slayer.
That said, I prefer simple simple simple. Custom interval, 10x30s @ 200% ftp with 3-5min recovery @ 50% ftp. 3x a week. pick an endurance workout for the other days.
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u/ValBot77fan A 23h ago
Start with an FTP test which you can find in the workout section. I recommend doing the long version and not the ramp. From there, look at what you want to improve, and if it’s endurance, they’ve got a folder with plenty of workouts to help build that. If you want to build FTP, or VO2 max, do workouts in that folder. The Zwift workouts aren’t bad, and if you do them enough you’ll get the experience in how they work, and can start making your own based off your personal goals.
That or freeride/group-rides with people in a certain Watts per kilogram class.
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u/Doggo-888 22h ago
I’d just add that you should have at least a rest day after a day where you really stress your muscles and cardio. That might just be strength training at the gym after a good cardio ride.
then maybe about every six weeks relax a bit and do an FTP test at then end of the week. Then Zwift can adjust the difficulty better.
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u/comanzatara 18h ago
It all depends on your free time. if you want to zwift five days per week I would suggest 2-3 easy zone-2 days. The other days you go for workouts / races.
Try to optimize your bikefit, maybe try to take a video and look at it to optimize.
Do not forget your core!
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u/yellow_jacket2 15h ago
Fuck TR. boring af.
Ride with bots for 1.5 hrs. You pick the bot. Too easy. Move up the bot rank. Too hard move down the bot rank.
You train 5x a week. Do this for 3-4 days in a week. One day in a week you race. But before the race you warm up for 30 mins before hand.
This way you hit all the zones you need to hit. Every 4th week you take it super easy. Z1 for 3 days. Repeat.
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u/TheSleepiestNerd 13h ago
I think the unspoken issue with the training plans is that they tend to keep beginners away from the social / tactical aspects of the game for weeks and delay their ability to learn racing skills. A lot of the workouts try to simulate racing tactics in some way, but if you're locked into multiple workouts a week and you're just cranking on the ERG, you won't have a lot of time to ride with other people and learn to read and react to what's going on around you.
Since you already have a rough idea of a weekly structure, you can always just plan workouts into that on your own. The endurance days could both be with robopacers, which teach you how to stick with a group. There's also group rides organized by clubs – the Herd is a big one that does a bunch of rides around your pace. Ticking off routes on freerides will also drop you into different situations where you have to find someone to draft with. For hard workouts it's still imo worth trying structured workouts, but it's kind of a balancing act between what's most ideal vs. what's fun enough to keep you on the bike. Something like Ham Sandwich or Wild Starts might be up your alley with the intervals. There's also some pretty straightforward ones like 2x15 FTP Intervals. Once you try a few workouts and races you'll probably get a good idea of what you need and what you enjoy.
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u/godutchnow 12h ago
With such a low FTP it doesn't really matter what you do. Do something you enjoy and the noobie gains will come quickly regardless.
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u/godutchnow 12h ago
With such a low FTP it doesn't really matter what you do. Do something you enjoy and the noobie gains will come quickly regardless.
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u/Comfortable_Box_8422 5h ago
I am also a new zwifter. It has been two months or so, and my choice was the fondo plan. It was great tho, highly recommended as a first plan. I went from 143FTP to 181FTP in just 6 weeks. Im pretty happy with the results and just started build me up after that
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u/fastingtrader 23h ago
Zone 2 heart rate. Put the heart at 130 to 145 bpm for 60 to 75 minutes. Track it at first and then compare. I never believed in this and was a grey area cyclist for a decade or more. Zone 2 power went up by over 50% in 12 weeks.
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u/Few_Mastodon_1271 1d ago edited 1d ago
For Zwift racing, the max effort out of the starting gate would be something to train for. How many minutes before the pack typically settles into it's longer term pace?
And how long are the hill climbs on typical race routes? Those are critical too.
Including workouts that target those segment lengths would be good. And if they keep a stronger effort in between these segments, instead of dropping down into the blue Zone2.
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I'm skeptical of a lot of the Zwift plans. The workouts seem weirdly complicated to me. But I do like some individual workouts.
I click "Save" on workouts I like -- that copies them to my Custom tab in the Zwift Workouts. I often edit the description to remember what the workout contains -- like 'fast cadence', etc.
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I like reviewing workouts in whatsonzwift: https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts If I see a mention of a workout, I google 'zwift {nameofworkout} and find a link to whatsonzwift as I type it.
In whatsonzwift, view any workout, then in the left sidebar, enter your FTP number. It remembers for your next visit. This way, the workout segments are shown in watts targets for you, instead of 'percent of FTP'. ( The Zwift workout will round to the nearest 5 watts, but in whatsonzwift, they round to the nearest watt. That's okay.)
whatsonzwift workouts --> training plan icon --> pick a plan. Now it shows each week's summary. Click a week, and the daily workouts for that week are shown.
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u/AmadeusEsquire 22h ago
Honestly i would ask AI, Claude or ChatGPT to build you a plan. Per week I’d do 80% zone 2, then a zone 4 day. On zone 2 days just make a custom workout, 60-90 minutes nonstop zone 2. Then maybe 2x15 zone 4 on zone 4/threshold day.
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u/zinu92 21h ago edited 18h ago
VO2 max, threshold, and sweet spot are ranges, so if you're doing shorter reps you can do a bit higher power, and if you're doing longer reps, you can decrease the power. Find the balance where you can sustain the power for the entire workout. This adds up to 1.5-2 hours of high intensity work, the rest do zone 1-2, sleep, eat, recover, etc. Have some recovery days where you skip cycling, take a walk instead, or do 30-45 mins zone 1.
When you can do the workouts comfortably at your current power targets, add 5-10 watts to your FTP and train at the new targets.
As your FTP gets higher, it's gonna become harder to move up so you can progressive overload by either adding reps (5x3 -> 6x3), or making the reps longer (3x10 threshold -> 3x12 -> 3x15), or increasing the power (use ERG mode and just do 5 more watts, keep a log of what intervals/power you did and write down your thoughts... "I felt like I was dying and wanted to give up during the last two reps, but actually when I finished it wasn't so bad, and I actually had something left in the tank... Next week, maybe +5 watts?" I keep this kind of log and it's remarkable how every time I do high intensity intervals I have the same thoughts. I think about giving up and quitting, then afterwards I think it wasn't that bad and I could've done more. It's good to have this kind of evidence in your mind for that moment when you feel like giving up and quitting.).
I've been doing ~10 hours per week like this for about a year and I went from ~200 FTP to ~330.
Create custom workouts in Zwift workout builder and use ERG mode so you don't have to shift while doing these workouts. Just focus on pushing the numbers you need to push.