TRAIN ON ZWIFT
Zwift Training Plans That Actually Progress
A good Zwift training plan gives every week a purpose: mostly easy aerobic riding, two or three key sessions that target your limiter, a recovery week, and an FTP test so your targets stay honest. Evolve Coaching offers three ways to get that on Zwift: 8-week TrainingPeaks plans that sync to Zwift, a 150-workout library of .zwo files, and 1:1 coaching with Bryn Griffith, BSc (Hons) Sport, Fitness and Coaching.
Three ways to train on Zwift with Evolve
| Training plans | Workout library | 1:1 coaching | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 per 8-week plan, yours to keep | $49.99 one-time, 150 workouts | From £75 a month, no contracts |
| Best for | Riders who want a full block planned day by day | Riders who build their own week and want better sessions | Riders who want someone reading their data and adjusting the plan |
| How it reaches Zwift | Loads into TrainingPeaks, which syncs the day's workout to Zwift | .zwo files you drop into your Zwift Workouts folder | Built in TrainingPeaks, synced to Zwift, reviewed by me |
TrainingPeaks plans and the workout library are priced in US dollars by the stores that sell them; coaching is billed monthly in pounds sterling.
Browse the training plans, see what is in the workout library, or read about online cycling coaching, how much a cycling coach costs and how to choose an online cycling coach.
Which Zwift plan should you pick?
- Only 30 to 45 minutes a day? The Time-Crunched Cyclist plan: 4 to 5 short sessions a week, with VO2, threshold and sprint work and an FTP test in week 8.
- Want a higher FTP? FTP Booster: 5 sessions a week on 6 to 8 hours, built on sweet spot, threshold and over-unders.
- Racing on Zwift and getting dropped on the climbs? VO2 Max Builder: 6 sessions a week on 7 to 8 hours, aerobic base plus VO2 intervals.
- Over 40? Masters Over 40: 5 sessions a week with 2 rest days and a recovery week, so you absorb the work instead of digging a hole.
Not sure where you sit? The plan look-up table lists every plan by focus, hours and duration, and the training plan guide explains zones and testing.
How to get a TrainingPeaks plan into Zwift
- Buy the plan on the TrainingPeaks checkout. A free TrainingPeaks account is all you need.
- Pick your start date. Every session drops into your calendar, already built.
- Connect TrainingPeaks in Zwift under your Zwift connections.
- Ride. The workout scheduled for today shows up in Zwift's workout menu, ready to go in ERG mode.
- Test and update. After your FTP test, update your FTP in both TrainingPeaks and Zwift so every target stays accurate.
What makes a Zwift plan work
Most of the week should be easy. The biggest gains come from steady Zone 2 riding week after week. It is tempting to race every group ride on Zwift because it is right there, but a week of medium-hard rides leaves you too tired to nail the sessions that matter.
Two or three key sessions, done properly. Threshold, sweet spot and VO2 intervals are where ERG mode shines: the trainer holds the watts, you hold the cadence.
A recovery week every third or fourth week. Adaptation happens when you back off, not when you dig deeper.
Fuel the trainer like the road. Indoors you sweat more and get no cooling breeze. Two bottles, a fan, and carbohydrate on anything over an hour.
More on this in how to improve your FTP.
Train with a Zwift team
Structure is easier when you have people to ride with. Team Evolve is a free Zwift racing team for every category, with weekly group rides and races and the Breakfast Club World Tour, sixteen Sunday rides from 1 November. Members get £25 off every coaching package.
Zwift training plan FAQs
Yes. Every plan is built in TrainingPeaks, and when you connect TrainingPeaks to Zwift the session scheduled for today appears in Zwift's workout menu. The plans work outdoors too.
A smart trainer makes it easy because ERG mode holds the target power for you. You can also ride the plans on a basic trainer with a power meter, or by heart rate.
Zwift's workouts are good single sessions. A plan puts the right session on the right day, builds load week by week, adds recovery weeks and finishes with a test, so the sessions add up to progress.
Copy the .zwo files into the Workouts folder inside your Zwift folder in Documents, restart Zwift, and they appear under Custom Workouts. Once added on a computer they sync to Apple TV, iPad and the app.
Yes, swap a race in for a key interval session rather than adding it on top, and keep the easy days easy. If you want someone to plan the racing around your training, that is what coaching is for.
Each 8-week plan is $24.99 and yours to keep. The 150-workout library is $49.99. 1:1 coaching starts at £75 a month with no contracts.