4x a week strength training alternating upper/lower body. Barbell, Kettlebell, TRX rows.
3x a week HR zone 2 / MAF 45-60min ride. Road bike on Kurt Kinetic trainer with virtual power and HR meter.
1x a week, outdoor interval ride on MTB. I used a tabata timer today on the trail for the first time on my phone and it worked out.
This comes recommended from Peter Attia for long term fitness. I’m not really interested in getting faster, raising my FTP, or planning for events as primary goals. Of course these things will rise and I can take on casual/ad-hoc events as I’d like.
Are there any new features I should check out? I haven’t used TR for a few years and am thinking it may not be for me given the price and my goals.
As far as substitutes I have - I have an app that will display the trainer watts for indoor rides - I just keep my HR in range. I can use a tabata timer doing intervals on the MTB.
I use TR and do not race. I also lift and swim several times a week, and would jog if my knees were better. For me, I need a plan to follow and like the variety of workouts. Without direction I wouldn’t push myself and my overall fitness would decline so, for me, TR is worth the subscription to maintain / improve fitness.
Some general comments: even for general fitness, what you do on the bike is quite monochromatic. Z2 is good, but if you want to be healthy and enjoy being fit, I would at least replace on of the 3 Z2 indoor sessions by something with intensity, e. g. threshold or VO2max work. If all you do is 45–60 minutes Z2, you will plateau very quickly and won’t do much for long-term fitness. Either you will need to ride in Z2 for longer or you need more intensity. I think the latter option is better if you want to do as much as you write you do. Lastly, you really want some variety, otherwise you will get bored of your workouts and drop off the band wagon.
I’m not exactly sure what your question is. TR has gotten loads better, and you could follow e. g. a maintenance plan for time-crunched athletes. Adaptive Training will then suggest workouts that scale with your abilities in a given power zone. All things considered, TR isn’t very expensive, my wife’s gym membership costs 5x what TR costs. So it is well worth it for me. (Plus, cycling is definitely a lot more expensive than my wife’s gym membership … so I am not complaining at all )
PS I rarely race, but I have been training regularly. Before joining TR, I used a timer app to do simple intervals going by RPE only. For anything but Z1–Z2 I find heart rate useless to pace my efforts.
I don’t race either nor have any special events, what I like about the structure is that it keeps you progressing and there is a well thought balance in workouts throughout the week
If the goal is riding to improve your general fitness I’d ditch all the training apps and just get out and ride your bike for as long as you had scheduled for sessions. And ride however you like. The key in all of this is to bring some pleasure from riding so you’ll make gains in all aspects of health!
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