Zwift: Creating Custom Workouts for Tailored Training

How do I create a custom training in Zwift?

Creating custom training sessions in Zwift allows athletes to precisely tailor their indoor cycling workouts to specific physiological goals, leveraging Zwift's robust workout builder to design structured intervals based on power, cadence, and time.

Understanding Custom Workouts in Zwift

Zwift, at its core, is a virtual cycling and running platform designed to make indoor training engaging. While it offers a vast library of pre-built workouts and training plans, the ability to create custom training sessions is a powerful feature for athletes seeking specific physiological adaptations or addressing unique training needs. This personalization is crucial for optimizing performance and achieving targeted fitness outcomes.

Why Customize Your Training?

• Precision Training: Design workouts that target specific power zones (e.g., Sweet Spot, Threshold, VO2 Max) for precise physiological adaptations.
• Goal-Oriented Sessions: Create workouts to prepare for specific events (e.g., long climbs, time trials) or to address personal limiters.
• Replicate Outdoor Rides: Mimic the demands of a specific outdoor route or race profile.
• Rehabilitation or Special Populations: Adapt training around injuries or specific physical requirements under professional guidance.
• Progressive Overload: Systematically increase the difficulty of sessions to ensure continuous improvement.

Key Metrics for Customization Effective custom workout design hinges on understanding your current fitness and training metrics.

• Functional Threshold Power (FTP): Your FTP is the cornerstone of Zwift's power-based workouts. It represents the maximum power you can sustain for approximately one hour. All power targets in Zwift workouts are expressed as a percentage of your FTP, making accurate FTP testing essential.
• Power Zones: Based on your FTP, distinct power zones (e.g., Active Recovery, Endurance, Tempo, Threshold, VO2 Max, Anaerobic Capacity, Neuromuscular Power) dictate the physiological response of an interval.
• Cadence: Controlling pedal revolutions per minute (RPM) is vital for developing pedaling efficiency and targeting specific muscle recruitment patterns.
• Heart Rate: While power is the primary metric in Zwift, heart rate can provide valuable secondary feedback on physiological strain and recovery.

Accessing the Zwift Custom Workout Builder

The custom workout builder is an integrated feature within the Zwift application, allowing for intuitive drag-and-drop creation of training sessions.

1. Launch Zwift: Start the Zwift application on your chosen device (PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Apple TV).
2. Log In: Enter your Zwift credentials.
3. Navigate to Workouts: From the main Zwift home screen, typically below the "Just Ride" option, you will see a "Workouts" tile or button. Click on this to enter the workout selection screen.
4. Access Custom Workouts: On the workout selection screen, look for a section or button labeled "Custom Workouts" or "Workout Editor." This is usually found towards the bottom or within a specific tab. Click on "Create New Workout" to open the workout builder interface.

Anatomy of a Zwift Custom Workout

A Zwift custom workout is constructed from various "blocks" or "events" that dictate the structure and demands of the session. Understanding these components is key to effective design.

Workout Blocks Workouts are typically composed of three main phases, each represented by specific blocks in the editor:

• Warm-up: Gradually prepares the body for the main training load. Typically starts at a low intensity and progressively increases.
• Main Set: The core of the workout, containing the specific intervals designed to elicit the desired physiological adaptations. This can include steady-state efforts, ramps, sprints, or complex interval structures.
• Cool-down: Gradually reduces intensity to aid recovery and bring the body back to a resting state.

Interval Types (Workout Elements) The Zwift workout editor provides various elements you can drag and drop to build your session:

• Free Ride: Allows you to ride without specific power targets, useful for warm-ups, cool-downs, or active recovery.
• Steady State: The most common interval. You set a duration and a target power output (as a percentage of FTP).
• Ramp: Gradually increases or decreases power over a set duration. Excellent for progressive warm-ups or cool-downs, or specific ramp tests.
• Sprint: A short, high-intensity effort block, often with a high cadence target.
• Pyramid: A block that allows you to create intervals that progressively increase and then decrease in intensity or duration.
• Text Event: Allows you to insert on-screen messages for yourself during the workout (e.g., "Drink water," "Stand up," "Focus on cadence").

Adjustable Parameters For each interval block, you can typically adjust:

• Duration: How long the segment lasts (in minutes or seconds).
• Power Target: The target power output, expressed as a percentage of your FTP (e.g., 75% FTP, 105% FTP). You can also input absolute watts if preferred.
• Cadence Target: An optional target for your pedaling RPM. This can be a range (e.g., 85-95 RPM) or a specific number.
• ERG Mode Toggle: Most structured intervals in Zwift utilize ERG mode (if your trainer supports it), where the trainer automatically adjusts resistance to maintain the target power. You can often toggle this off for specific intervals if you prefer to control resistance manually.

Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Custom Workout

Creating a custom workout in Zwift is an intuitive drag-and-drop process.

1. Start a New Workout:

   • From the "Workout Editor" screen, click the "New Workout" button. This will open a blank workout canvas.
   • At the top, you'll see fields to enter the Workout Title and a brief Description. Choose a descriptive name (e.g., "Threshold Intervals 3x10min") and add notes about its purpose.

2. Add Workout Blocks:

   • On the left side of the screen, you'll see a palette of available workout elements (e.g., Warm-up, Steady State, Ramp, Sprint, Text Event).
   • Drag and Drop: Click on an element and drag it onto the main workout canvas on the right. Elements will snap into place.
   • Order: Arrange the blocks in the desired sequence (e.g., Warm-up first, then main intervals, then Cool-down).

3. Configure Each Interval:

   • Select a Block: Click on any block you've added to highlight it.
   • Adjust Parameters: On the right-hand side of the screen, a panel will appear allowing you to modify the block's properties:
     • Duration: Use the sliders or enter a specific time in minutes or seconds.
     • Power Target: Adjust the power percentage (e.g., 50% FTP for recovery, 100% FTP for threshold). You'll typically see a range (e.g., 75-85% FTP) for steady-state blocks, representing the lower and upper bounds of the target zone.
     • Cadence Target: Set a desired RPM range if applicable.
     • Repeat Blocks: For repeating interval sets (e.g., 5x5-minute intervals), drag a "Repeat" block onto the canvas. Place the intervals you want to repeat inside the repeat block, and then set the number of repetitions.
   • Visual Feedback: As you adjust parameters, the graphical representation of your workout on the main canvas will update, showing the power profile over time.

4. Add Text Events (Optional but Recommended):

   • Drag a "Text Event" block onto the canvas at strategic points.
   • Use these to remind yourself to hydrate, stand up, focus on form, or provide motivational cues.

5. Review and Refine:

   • Look at the overall workout profile. Does it match your training objectives?
   • Check for any unintended gaps or overlaps in intensity.
   • Ensure warm-up and cool-down durations are appropriate.

6. Save Your Workout:

   • Once satisfied with your design, click the "Save" or "Save Workout" button, usually found at the bottom or top right of the editor.
   • Your custom workout will be saved as a .zwo file in your Zwift workouts folder and will be accessible under the "Custom Workouts" section in the Zwift app.

Implementing Your Custom Workout in Zwift

Once saved, your custom workout is ready to be ridden.

1. Select Your Workout:

   • From the Zwift home screen, go to "Workouts."
   • Scroll down to the "Custom Workouts" section.
   • Select the workout you just created.
   • Click "Ride" or "Start Workout."

2. During the Workout:

   • ERG Mode: For smart trainers, Zwift will automatically control your trainer's resistance to match the prescribed power targets of each interval. This is known as ERG mode.
   • Manual Control: If you have a classic trainer or prefer manual control, you'll need to adjust your gearing to hit the power targets.
   • On-Screen Cues: Follow the on-screen prompts for power targets, cadence, and any text events you added. The workout progress bar will guide you through each segment.
   • Adjustments: While in ERG mode, you can use the Zwift Companion app or keyboard shortcuts to adjust the ERG intensity bias (e.g., make it slightly harder or easier) if needed.

Advanced Tips for Effective Custom Workouts

To truly maximize the benefit of custom training in Zwift, consider these advanced strategies:

• Integrate with Periodization: Don't view custom workouts in isolation. Design them to fit into a larger training plan (e.g., base phase, build phase, peak phase) to ensure progressive overload and targeted adaptations over time.
• Accurate FTP Testing: Regularly re-test your FTP (every 4-6 weeks) to ensure your power zones are current. An outdated FTP can lead to workouts that are either too easy or too hard, compromising their effectiveness.
• Specificity of Training: Design workouts that mimic the demands of your specific goals. If you're training for a long climb, include sustained threshold efforts. If it's a crit race, incorporate short, high-power bursts.
• Workout Naming Conventions: Adopt a consistent naming convention (e.g., "YYMMDD_WorkoutName_Duration_Purpose") to easily find and track your custom workouts.
• Iterative Adjustment: After completing a custom workout, reflect on its difficulty and effectiveness. Was it too easy? Too hard? Did it feel productive? Use this feedback to refine and adjust future iterations of that workout or similar sessions.
• Understanding .zwo Files: Zwift custom workouts are saved as .zwo files. These are simple XML files that can be edited with a text editor (for advanced users) or shared manually with others by copying the file into their Zwift workouts folder.

Conclusion: Elevating Your Zwift Training

Creating custom training sessions in Zwift transforms the platform from a virtual playground into a highly personalized and powerful training tool. By understanding the principles of exercise science, leveraging your physiological data (especially FTP), and mastering the intuitive workout builder, you can design sessions that precisely target your fitness goals. This level of customization ensures that every pedal stroke contributes meaningfully to your development as an athlete, pushing you closer to your peak performance.