Probably a silly question, but the FTP Builder plans indicate 5 day weeks. Am I to assume days 6 and 7 are rest days? It seems a bit odd to ride 5 days straight and then rest for 2, or 3 as day 5 is sometimes optional. Or, are we supposed to space those 5 days throughout the week as we wish? Sorry, but I’m not used to seeing things scheduled in 5 day weeks.
Some weeks have 4 days. I ride everyday so I just freeride or pick a different work-out but maybe a Q+A session with a coach might make an interesting pod-cast?
I think a Q+A with a coach would be an awesome podcast!
I have this same question. I’m a total newbie, so I assumed it was just me. Can anyone else give us some help? What does everyone do when there’s not a “scheduled” workout?
Yup, that simple question has been baffling me…
I’m new to Zwift and was wondering if anyone got clarificaton on this?
Almost all training modes are based in a week. Yes of course, a week has 7 days, but all the training plans I have seen are normally adding 2-3 days to relax/recover.
You can do swimming pool, or some exercise at the gym with your upper body.
If you cycle during the rest days, you should try to be on your Zone 2-3, but never exceed it. This allows the fibres on your muscles to regenerate accordingly.
Every trainer and experienced people I have talked with around this always have told me to respect the 2-3 days of relax as it is really important to allow your body to recover. They have always told me if you don’t do that you can ruin your progress…
ok so are these days expected to be consecutive? or should we spread it out throughout the week?
it seems like this is a rather important part of the plan that has been left out. it would have been nice if all plans had 7 days in them.
Of all the people who have asked this question, has anybody actually gotten a successful answer? I have the same question, I want to start the 12 week plan but just telling me to work 4 out of 7 days is not specific enough for me, I need to know what days are supposed to be rest days and which ones are for workouts.
I am painfully aware this sounds ridiculous but I have close to no experience with cycling or training and this feels like an important thing at this time.
Hi there ,Carlos/Mark:
Let me talk you about my experience…
I am 43 …smoker…heavy smoker…didn’t exercise at all my body (apart from having beer and cigs and sxxx) on the last 25 years of my live, understood?
Then a friend of mine told me about indoor turbo trainers. I bought 1 as I live in London half time… then another one, because half of my time is spend in Spain…and of course 2 bicycles…
I had exactly same doubts than you have. Nowadays, and since from the very beginning, my exercise is indoor with the turbo trainer, so 90% of my cycling time is spent with my Bkool turbo trainer and Zwift app…and I have to admit I am hooked with it.
Just taking a look onto my results (I think you can see my activities either on Zwift or on Strava…I am Oscar Caravaca Martinez…follow me if you want to)… I started with primary thhe FTP test. Result… 80FTP…I couldn’t ride more than 30 min without getting completely exhausted, my BPM over 150 made me feel I was going to pass… and then my body was asking me for some relaxing days… Which I took? the ones where a)didn’t had time to cycle b)the ones I was tired and I was not keen to mount the bike. But what I did, without any rule was the 4-5 days a week whenever my job and health/tiredness allowed me.
After a couple of months, I was able to ride for more than an hour without any problem. I reckon, no hills, no high heart rates, and just keeping myself on low BPM…
What I noticed then? Well, I started with an average speed of around 18-20 Km/h… and heart rate was around 130-140. After just 4 weeks, my average speed went up to 22-26 km/h and the heart rate went down to 110-130. I took another FTP Test. Result: 100 FTP
Nowadays, I am able as yesterday to take 77km in a row. No stops. 2:45 min non-stop. Heart rate around 120. Average speed around 26-30km/h.
It’s been just only my 8 week FTP Builder training and I have increased an amazing 70% of where I started…from 80 to 135. Not bad at all if I compare it with myself. Where I was and where I am.
And then, answering your question. What days have I been riding 4 out of the 7? Sometimes all of them.And by all of them I mean 7 days in a week. Sometimes 3 days in a week. Some other weeks 5 days, 3 indoor and 2 outdoor. But hat I’ve always tried is to do the sequence of trainig to fit into a week frame. If a week I finished the 4 days and I was not tired, then or I was going for the next week or I was having some fun outside or picking the next week.
When I took a rest? When I was tired or had not time to cycle What I did the weeks where I was able to ride 7 in a row? Just cycle, but keeping in mind to be focused on trying to avoid to exceed my 80% of my latest FTP. When have I taken new FTPs tests? When I noticed that keeping the pace of 80% of my FTP was easy for me and I felt confident I could do one step further.
Hope this helps you clarify your doubts… and please let me know how it goes with you…
And just some final advices:
When I started I had mainly two reasons:
-
To improve my health as I couldn’t go up to a second floor without getting exhausted. Now I am able to do it and that makes me feel quite happy. Furthermore, I’ve discovered a hobby that gives me my own time to be isolated from the stressful work days. And this really works amazingly well.
-
Try to do some exercise and prove to myself that I could do it. Now I am sure I can. At the beginning it was frustrating looking at everyone else overpass me like if they were in an aeroplane, but I noticed it was never my goal to race against anyone. I just had to keep in mind to set my pace, to follow the effort that Zwift was demanding me every single day at every single time. I wasn’t racing against anyone. Just it was about myself. I already have my job and I never planned to become a Senior cyclist. And you know what, I really enjoy myself comparing against myself a couple of weeks ago only. Everyday I notice on Strava that I am doing PR (Personal Records) on the same places that I was cycling before…and you know what? That is amazing and makes you feel really good.
Cheers!!!
1 Like
Thank you Oscar, your answer makes perfect sense, I guess sometimes I expect to have clear directions and thus I forget to think and find my own conclussions.