Today TrainerRoad has announced major changes to the platform, which they have dubbed Adaptive Training. This means that they begin to use machine learning algorithms to change workouts based on your progress toward a particular goal. A workout is noted when you complete it, and then the rest of the scheduled workouts change accordingly to adapt accordingly. Still, even though it was announced today, it won’t reach most people’s desktops for a while.
What’s on the desktop starting today is its new TrainNow feature, which will give you one-time workout recommendations in three workout categories, based on your past workout history, along with the option to choose the duration of the training. TrainNow uses the basics of Adaptive Training machine learning to generate these training recommendations. Indeed, it is your first window to the biggest changes in TrainerRoad.
While this may seem basic, the reality is that with far fewer people setting a goal to train or compete in 2020/2021, doing ad-hoc training has become increasingly common for athletes than in training. otherwise they are highly structured. This feature is fully targeted at those who use TrainerRoad but without a specific TrainerRoad plan, of which TrainerRoad says there are more users than you might notice (although it works if you have a loaded plan and prefer to ignore the plan)) .
The main point is that many of us want to do a structured workout, but frankly, we can’t decide which one to choose. Whether on TrainerRoad, Zwift, Xert or others – you are often presented with hundreds or thousands of choices without any real guidance, not even basic suggestions. In fact, I would suggest that’s why platforms like Peloton have done so well: they make fun of these suggested workouts, eliminating all indecision blockers.
So let’s jump straight into it.
How it works:
To get started, first update the TrainerRoad app, and when done, click “Workouts” on the left, followed by the “TrainNow” tab at the top:
You can then choose a specific duration for your workout, from 30 minutes to 120 minutes. These, of course, align with the specific durations of the TrainerRoad library.
In my case, for today I will choose the 45 minute option and then you will notice that I then change the training options to others. As usual, the fine line in the middle of the workout is your FTP level, so you can quickly assess how much suction this workout will entail. Or, those with a more scientific approach can only look at the TSS and IF (Training Stress Score & Intensity Factor) scores that appear next to it.
Don’t like the look of the options presented? Not your favorite blue style? Don’t like the name of the workout? No problem, press the “Refresh” button to clear these options and you will be presented with three new ones. It’s like pulling the arm of the slot machine, suitable for a company based in Reno, Nevada.
In the end, I pressed to refresh a few more times, until I got “Goddard –4,” which seemed interesting. Side note: You will notice that the intensity and TSS scores of all these workouts in each category are almost identical. This is no coincidence. And it’s not a thing for today’s post either.
Once you’ve decided on a workout, you can tap it to open it. You will get a preview with a little more descriptive detail, as usual:
And, from there, he will go ahead and pair any coach device and do the training normally.
And then just suffer and do the training as usual. There are no differences right now – it’s like doing the usual TrainerRoad workouts.
Below you will get the summary information as well as see the results in the app and online for analysis (and also, as usual, synchronized with other training platforms like TrainingPeaks and Strava):
Look … easy!
Wrap:
This is a smart move for TrainerRoad and has been waiting to be seen for a long time. As I said before, the idea of ad hoc training is not very different from what Peloton does, or in fact, even Zwift. For example, in Zwift when I open the add-on app I am presented with all the upcoming group attractions that are about to start. When I decide to use Zwift, 95% of the time I will choose one of these workouts in the next hour or so, based entirely on this small section.
However, Zwift does not have this same concept for structured workouts. I mean, sure, if one of those group trips is a group workout, yes. But there is currently no recommendation engine within Zwift’s expanding structured training library. And that ignores the fact that it’s a nightmare to find anything in the Windows 95-style nested folder layout that is the workout user interface. There may be a lot of gold down there, but I just gave up and chose the short or long form of Jon’s Mix half the time, as I could at least quickly find it in the folders.
But what’s probably most interesting about TrainerRoad is actually the innocuous text just above the TrainNow workouts, which says, “Let us suggest some other options, depending on your workout history. recent “.
This is remarkable, because so far, TrainerRoad has not taken historical data, except for the details of the RAMP / FTP tests, and has done everything that is recommended or to advance. Therefore, this line basically refers to the biggest platform changes based on machine learning of adaptive learning. But, this is a different thing or two for another day.
With that, thanks for reading!
[Can’t decide on a trainer app to use? Ask no more, and hit up this massively long and detailed cycling trainer apps guide.]