Lack of support for beginners

[Patrick_Treptau]

Love the concept behind Zwift! Thank you!

However here are some annoying parts:

NO WORKOUTS FOR BEGINNERS
There are no training plans (not a single one!) on Zwift catering to the average, untrained cyclist. That is not really Zwift-specific, but I noticed the complete lack of beginner workouts in BKool, Rouvy, etc. - surely not all users are seasoned cycling pros? Where is the love for us average guys that just want to get a little fitter and start out, with realistic and achievable workouts?

The beginner FTP builder is not anywhere in reach for me, because in the beginning I couldn’t even cycle for 30mins, let alone 4-5 times a day. I didn’t even know what cadence to start out, what wattage to aim for, if I should try to hold a zone or do intervals, etc.

It took me awhile and several hours of research to find a complete beginners training plan (British Cycling Beginner Training Plan to 50km) to create my own training plan, but still… why are there no beginner trainings plans (8-12 wks, 3x week)?

UNFAIR W/KG FOR HEAVIER GUYS
As a heavier beginner (100kg) with an abysmal FTP (128), my W/KG is nowhere near the average class D or class E ride. I don’t consider myself obsese or completely untrained, I just have a little bit more weight on my bones.

I participated in one group E ride advertised with 1.2-1.5 W/KG and after a few meters the group left me in the dust with 2.0 W/KG. 140W for me equates to 1.4 W/KG for my weight, whereas a 65kg cyclist would have a very respectable 2.15 W/KG. Surely, that cannot be make that much of a difference for us big guys? Pretty much all of social and group features are non-existant for me.

Show us bigger guys some love!

NO HEART RATE ZONES FOR WORKOUTS
Most training plans that I saw online recommend heart rate zones over % FTP. Would be great to see this implemented, also on the main cycling screen next to the current heart rate.

MENU NAVIGATION
The navigation of the PC is, well, “weird”. Instead of menu options, I have to remember shortcuts. Would be nice to have a proper menu options for “Routes”, “Workouts”, “Settings”, etc., instead of them being nested or only accessible via shortcuts.

FREE CHOICE OF WORLDS
Another +1, but I heard that it is coming

BUILT-IN ENTERTAINMENT OR AUDIO CHAT SUPPORT
Some music supporting the pace or workout program would be nice - I think Rouvy and Sufferfest have that feature. Or built-in audio chat support, instead of Discord.

Thank you very much.

 

 

[Paul_Allen]

In the 2+ years I have used Zwift I could count on one hand the Zwift Training sessions I have done, I do all mine using little cards based on more or less feel or HR and not specific watts and have improved greatly. I have also never done a group ride/workout or a race in all the time I have been using it. I spend all my time solo in free ride mode.

Actually heavy riders have a lot of advantages within Zwift, most of the time when one weights more they can put out higher watts (not w/kg) and on the flats and down hills that can be a great advantage.

HR training can easily be done within Zwift once you know your max HR (this can be used to estimate your zones: http://www.fitdigits.com/personalized-heart-rate-zones.html I use the Joe Friel zones) and you can use free ride mode and stay within your desired zone (I do this all the time).

As far as menus, I have been using it so long I don’t even think about it, but I don’t have much of a learning curve since I HAVE been using it so long. I can see there needs to be training or some kind of tutorial built-in.

Choice of worlds is coming, but you can edit the World Tag and ride any world you like.

I think built-in chat is a ways off right now.

 

[Josh]

I second the motion for more beginner/big people support. I am not a beginner cyclist, but my fitness has dropped way below what I used to be able to do, and I too found the lowest level workouts to be more than I could handle at the present time. I have started the FTP Builder and what I did that makes it work for me is lower the FTP to about 190. That has made the Watts in workout mode more achievable. I am pretty new to Zwift and the menus are cumbersome and not very intuitive. Using my phone (Android) with the Zwift PC program has helped. I think the designers are Apple folks and have not spent too much time with the PC / Android interfaces. I have not tried a group ride yet, so I don’t know how that will go. In short, it appears to me that the Zwift designers are making the assumption that the user is an active cyclist wanting to work on their winter fitness with very little attention paid to the noob rider who just wants to loose some pounds in a way that’s much less mind numbing than a treadmill. Maybe an interactive tutorial would be a good thing. 

 

[Jerry_VanStee]

I agree. Should be more structured workouts like the ftp plans. More specific plans, ie beginner, intermediate, and workouts that replicate mtb coarses. Even the YouTube videos by Zwift are vague . The scope of the workouts lack imagination.