Can't get the right start on the structured training

Training
1

Hi guys,
In winter I always do the training plans on Zwift. I also see that I am getting better. But since the outdoor season i dont improve. I really like to ride my home laps and group rides, but I would also like to improve my FTP.

My problem is that I do not know what to do.

  • Should I just buy a plan at trainingpeaks?
  • Should I subscribe to Trainerroad and do the outdoor workouts there?
  • Should I subscribe to one of the other training apps, (Join…)?
  • Should I buy a book and try to make a plan myself, if so which book. Or that one anyway.

I would like to try the polarized training approach, there are also plans by Dylan Johnson to buy.

Do you have any recommendations on how I can get started with structured outdoor training? At the moment I don’t know what to do.

What I have at my disposal for training: Polar-H10, P2M Powermeter, Strava Premium, 12h Ride Time and Intervals.icu.

Thanks

2

How much time do you have to ride? You say you like the polarized plans, so I take it you have 10+ hours to train? Then I think there are better alternatives to TR. If you’re not sure how much you can ride, or how well you can stick to a training plan. You’ll just have to pick one and try. After a couple of months you can for a better opinion on what’s working and what’s not. And if other plans might work better.

3

I have about 6 hours during the weeks and 6-12 hours on the weekends. Where the time on the weekend are always Group Rides with many kilometers > 150km.

I would not know which to pick and to start. I’m a little worried about running in the wrong direction. I lack pretty much the basic knowledge about structured training at the moment.

4

You can run Trainerroad and Zwift at the same time with Trainerroad controlling the trainer and Zwift just being an output. There are a lot of ways to achieve this.

DC Rainmaker has an article which will hopefully cover your set up.

How-To: Using Zwift and TrainerRoad Concurrently | DC Rainmaker

Based on the hours you have available I would look at doing a Medium Volume (MV) plan with TR and seeing how you get on. You can sub out the longer rides at the weekend if you are riding outside but would give you good structure during the week (with a bit of wiggle room for any races and group rides that you may want to do). MV is less intense that Low Volume (LV) so with your previous experience and time on the bike you shouldn’t struggle too much.

The Trainerroad calendar makes it easy to plan you week, substitute alternative workouts or view what is coming up in the strucutre.

5

I chose TrainerRoad because I wanted a system that would give me the next best workout based on my goals and the time I’ve allocated to training. 18mo in I’m faster than I’ve ever been and I can say it’s given me exactly what I wanted. I think it’s worth a shot for you.

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