Hi…New to Zwift and just started doing a workout. After the workout of 15 sections, it showed 11/15 by the star. I completed all 15 sections. I’m guess it’s a function of how well you rode that section? How do you see which sections failed.
Thanks
Hi @J_Voorhis
Welcome to the forum.
During the workout you can see the stars. The gold stars is the ones you completed successfully the gray is those you were over or under the target Watts.
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No star for the section also means you don’t get any XP for that block of the workout. XP is given out differently in a workout rather than by the mile or km when free riding. Generally you get slightly more XP when doing a workout.
Only in Z1-Z3 on a flat route or when climbing.
Z4-Z6 you get less XP on a Flat road comparing to the speed you would do when not in a workout.
At least that is how it work for me. (Depending on your FTP)
So workouts is done on climbs for max XP and elevation LOL
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Thanks for the help. Those must have been blocks where I stopped pedaling for a second to grab a water bottle and had a bike issue. I guess I should pause prior to that in the future and I’m guessing spool back up to power before resuming?
Even if you do stop and press pause… would it still give you no star? 
Quick answer is yes.
Best is to pause in the beginning of the block. Then when you are ready to start. Get you power to the required level and then un pause.
Okay thanks!
You don’t generally get more XP doing workouts.
It’s dependent on other factors, the most important being average speed.
I generally get less XP for doing workouts unless I do them while climbing Alpe.
Well, the few times I have paid any attention to it I got more XP during the workout than I would have by traveling the same distance in a free ride. But you are right, it depends on how hard you ride. A workout block in zone 1 for 30 minutes gives you the same XP as a zone 4 30 minute block. Outside the workout, if you ride for 30 minutes at zone 4, you will certainly go farther, and get more XP, than 30 minutes at zone 1.
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It’s simple.
Lets use 20mph as a base. That means you need 3 minutes to get 30XP.
Durning warm ups and cool downs or during low effort (zone 1-3) recovery spins you get get less than 30XP for 3 mins worth of work. So if you are on a flat area where 20mph hour is sustainable than you’re losing potential to gain XP.
Not all workout zones generate the same XP for a minute of work. Zwift insider list them so I won’t post it here.
During harder intervals where you can get slightly over 30xp set for 3min worth of work you have the potential to get more XP but that’s only if you’re generally a slow rider to begin with as these harder efforts would allow for many riders to average 24 to 26 mph in ideal conditions.
If that’s the case then you’re now losing even more XP than when you were during your warm up and cool downs.
The only way to make workouts generate XP in your favor is to do them on routes with a lot of climbing. And I mean a lot not a little or a few small climbs.
Im not saying don’t do workouts; that’s all I do when I get on Zwift.
Im saying do make generalizations about things like this because it’s simply not true and the evidence is out there.
@Ian_Kessinger, thanks but I already agreed with you… 