Has Zwift and indoor training improved your outdoor riding, examples please.

bjl

Not sure I can face too much cold , dark , windy winter riding this year. Been fairly focussed past 5 or 6 years year round so feel I need a more mental break than physical. Got an Elite Diretto coming this week and will prob use virtual cycling (zwift/Fulgaz) as main form of cycling for next few months. I am interested in how indoor cycling has affected your outdoor cycling performance.
I will probably still get out for a 3 or 4hour ride at weekend but feel I can benefit from indoor turbo sessions through the week. Tell me about your improvements or how indoor training has complemented your cycling .

kawaspresso

I trained on zwift last winter, I did a lot of intervals workout and I never been so fit at spring, I improved my FTP a lot.
My training routine was zwift 4 times a week, and nordic skiing every weekend.

cgfw201

followed a training plan for first time in my life last winter and got miles better. Zwift was where i did 95% of the quality training, and came out in feb/march much stronger than i had ever been, won a race and moved up a cat instantly.

wasn't because of zwift, but zwift very much facilitated it.

napoleond

All my training over last winter done on Zwift.
Despite specifically training for middle distance Triathlon having previously targeted Time Trialling I PBd at 25 and 50 miles and got a course 10 mile PB, before going on to smashing a course PB at said middle distance Triathlon by over 10mins.
Never had as consistent a winter’s training and the races meant I pushed myself far harder than I would in any other training session.

bobbydazzla

Used Zwift all last winter, didn't bother riding outside. Didn't do a training programme but regular hard group rides, the odd race and lots of solo riding. 5-8 hrs every week. Stayed in decent nick all winter.

Loved riding to power so got a power meter in Spring.

Once I got outdoors I smashed PB's on big climbs, had faster average speeds over my regular loops, found myself making big improvements on Strava leaderboards and even taking some KOM's.

I don't have much spare time so used Zwift during summer evenings. I live in a city and 50 mins of any ride are spent stop starting through traffic and lights, if I only have an hour spare it's a waste of time. 60 mins on the turbo of an evening is far more productive and convenient.

daniel_b

Are you only after Zwift examples?

Can give you a TrainerRoad one if you want, but didn't want to waste both of our time, if it's of zero interest :-)

roubaixmb

Daniel B wrote:

Are you only after Zwift examples?

Can give you a TrainerRoad one if you want, but didn't want to waste both of our time, if it's of zero interest :-)

Now since when did we have to ask before hijacking a thread :twisted:

I'd be interested in your TrainerRoad experience Daniel, as currently weighing up the various options. I like the theory of 4DP on Sufferfest but I know what kind of riding I want to be better at and am not fussed about other aspects such as improving my sprinting, so currently looking at Zwift and TrainerRoad, although copying TR workouts across to Z appears to be easy enough.

joey54321

I spent a lot of time on TR last winter, 2 sweetspot sessions/week throughout Jan, Feb and parts of March. In Spring I was lighter and faster than I had ever been at that time before (still needed some harder work to bring me on a bit though).

I am planning to do the same again this year but starting a bit earlier and planning to extend some of the sessions closer to Spring (1h -> 80-90 mins for example).

I really enjoyed it, it was so simple. No weather/light/rain/issues to contend with, just get home and jump on the turbo. In fact I really missed it when, in the summer, the room I train in got WAY too hot to turbo in as almost all of the sun-facing wall is glass.

daniel_b

RoubaixMB wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

Are you only after Zwift examples?

Can give you a TrainerRoad one if you want, but didn't want to waste both of our time, if it's of zero interest :-)

Now since when did we have to ask before hijacking a thread :twisted:

I'd be interested in your TrainerRoad experience Daniel, as currently weighing up the various options. I like the theory of 4DP on Sufferfest but I know what kind of riding I want to be better at and am not fussed about other aspects such as improving my sprinting, so currently looking at Zwift and TrainerRoad, although copying TR workouts across to Z appears to be easy enough.

I will proceed to bore you in that case.

I started TR properly in January, was in a bad state of fitness, having done precious little for the previous 6 months, and did not perform well in the FTP - ended up with a paltry figure of 117, but looking back, and in reality I think it was more around the 140 mark.
I have pretty much lived on TR since, with the exception of a 4 week break in summer for a holiday and subsequent cold.
This set me back a fair bit actually, the break and cold combined, and I only ended up regaining my previous fitness some 6 weeks into the next program - so only 2 weeks of gains, versus 8.
I have always carried out the mid volume programs which tend to be 5 rides a week, and roughly between 6-7 hours time on the bike.

I went through sweet spot base, which was 12 weeks, then general build which was 8, and then an 8 week speciality one, climbing road race, as I had a couple of hill climbs I was targeting.
I'm now back on sweet spot base, but I flunked my last FTP again, due to having a bit of a cold I think, so have guesstimated my FTP, and think, happily, I underestimated it, as I am running most workouts at 104%.
Nearly at the end of the first sweet spot base, and have my next FTP planned for a week on Saturday.

I really noticed the difference out on the road, legs are feeling great (Everything is relative of course!) and I have bettered all of my previous best loop times that I regularly do and critically with something, if not plenty in reserve at the end.
Strava boards show the proof too - I used to regularly end up in the top 50%, but now I am often in the top 10%, and have crept into the top 10 of 3 or 4 just over the course of a handful of rides.

At the same time as training, what I deem to be, hard, I have managed to lose some 11+kg, so my w\kg has rocketed.
In January I was technically putting out 1.59w\kg.
EDIT: Just to add, I do not believe TR has solely allowed me to lose that much weight (1st 10lbs in old money) a chunk of it is from cutting out, or VASTLY reducing cake and chocolate intake, and having a smoothie for breakfast 6 days a week - I firmly believe that all of the training has clearly burnt calories, and likely boosted by metabolism though.

Currently I am at 3.7w\kg
And IF I achieve my target FTP of 252 next month, that should see me hit the magic, for me, 4w\kg amount, and am hoping to build from there, though I appreciate the stronger you get, the harder it is to make any gains, and I guess it can be a battle to maintain what you have got even.

My FTP has gone as follows:
Jan - 118 or 140 if you prefer
Feb - 180
April - 197
May - 215
June - 229
Big break til next FTP
Sep - 234 (Though based on just my first 8 minute effort would be 243)

So for me, 180 was a good proper baseline to work from, and I have been fairly consistently improving by circa 15 watts each time, though clearly that cannot be sustained!

I suspect this is nothing outstanding in the larger scheme of things, but it's revolutionised my cycling, and made me even more passionate about it. I am planning to try my hand at TT's and some outdoor Velodrome action nextx year too :shock:

I have set myself an optimistic, and potentially unachievable target of a 300W FTP by the end of next year - we will see!

So in a nutshell, I LOVE TR - it fits my lifestyle perfectly - young family, and wfh a few of days a week (Today for example) allows me to use my lunch and extend it to carry out a 90 minute workout mid afternoon, shower, and get back to work with no fears of a mechanical delaying me getting back online - also with childcare, I can take a baby monitor into the garage and knock out a workout whilst the small one sleeps, but will hear her if she needs me.

I do plan to try Zwift, as it does look good, but suspect my old laptop will not be up to the job.

Interesting if you could transfer TR workouts across to Zwift - is that what you are saying?
I can't fathom how that would work though, as I thought Zwift was governed by the type of terrain you were on no?
Doubt I could justify two monthly payments though, but if I did like it enough, it's very easy to 'suspend' your TR membership, so I might be persuaded to Zwift through the winter and darkest months, and then return to TR.
be interested to hear what you decide upon, and how you get on.

roubaixmb

Thanks Daniel B. All I meant by putting TR workouts on Zwift is that the Zwift workout builder seems quite easy to use - I expect if I look hard enough there will be a lot of similar workouts (to those you find on TR) on Zwift already. Also, in workout mode on Zwift it runs to the power not the terrain - one of the first things I investigated as like you I was a bit puzzled. I guess this means you end up flying past/ being dropped by other people at times in a way which will be totally unrealistic, but if you're using Zwift for a workout, not a race or group ride that doesn't matter. Anyhow I think I'll mix and match over this winter and see how it goes.

Also, well done on that level of improvement - the main reason I want to use one of these indoor apps is that I seem to have hit a plateau which i put down in part to not being able to get consistent outdoor training sessions in.

bjl

Thanks for replies everyone , interested in all apps so thanks for your Trainerroad exploits and well done. Currently waiting for an Elite Direto that seems to be delayed due to apparent massive demand. Next question ,,,
Have you modified your road bike position at all, seems to be common to have seat slope down a bit, has this meant you've changed your road position to match?
Really looking forward to this but seems I've still nearly two weeks to wait before delivery .

DavidJB

Great thing about Zwift is it kills the boredom so you can go longer on the trainer.

pulinski

I have improved in a number of ways. I'll give you one example.

When on the wheel on trainer you have to pedal 100% of the time. Outside you can pedal and coast, so the trainer has made me a more consistent outside, as now I don't coast as much.

Mikey23

What i have noticed is that my legs are stronger and i am far more used to pushing up lower percentage gradients in the big ring and at higher cadence. Which makes me faster and stronger when my age means i should be slowing down. Also being 10 months post hip replacement it got me back traing a couple of months earlier than i would have otherwise. Even if i needed steps to get on and off!

daniel_b

Pulinski wrote:

I have improved in a number of ways. I'll give you one example.

When on the wheel on trainer you have to pedal 100% of the time. Outside you can pedal and coast, so the trainer has made me a more consistent outside, as now I don't coast as much.

Yep good call - I would heartily agree with that, I would also add from my own perspective, in the old days, when I reached the top of a hard hill, I would coast, and really wind it down, and in extreme circumstances stop for a drink, now I can just power on, all be it at a lower power output than used on the climb.
That's what the intervals have trained into me now - you have a hard effort, and then you HAVE to carry on pedalling.

Also, due to TR, I am now a better pedaller - ie I can use the quadrants better, kick over the top, pull along the bottom, lift at the back etc.
Oh and I've also frequently visited the riding in the drops situation on the turbo, which translates to be now being able to ride lower for longer on the road bike.
I do still struggle with riding in the drops at power approaching FTP - any tips on that?

roubaixmb

Daniel B wrote:

I do still struggle with riding in the drops at power approaching FTP - any tips on that?

I expect this is to do with the ability to generate the same power as the hip angle closes - for example TTers don't necessarily push their biggest power in their most aero position, but it's the best compromise between power output and aero efficiency.