I would really appreciate some advice on how to set up a fun and challenging weekly exercise routine using zwift. I can’t run right now so the bike is my main form of aerobic exercise. I bike outside on the weekends and have enjoyed using zwift on the weekdays, but I’m a bit adrift on how to get the most out of it. Some of my questions are:
I like doing the workouts, especially group workout events, but I don’t want to do them more than once or twice a week, so training plans that are 100% workouts don’t interest me.
If I just pick a route and ride, I find I don’t really push myself as hard as I can and it’s a bit boring - I need some metric or incentive to motivate me.
I’m extremely motivated by my ghost on the segments; I hate when it beats me! I’m an older female so many other zwifters are much faster than I am, but I know my ghost is my peer. I’d like to figure out how to pick routes that have climbing or speed segments that will incentivize me during a weekday workout, but I’m not sure how to start. One small segment on a long route wouldn’t be enough - are there places to loop back to the same segment over and over again with some recovery time in between?
The robot pacer works fairly well for a tempo ride.
I’m not sure I understand all the incentives in zwift enough that they work for me. For example, the first time I got a jersey I was wondering why all of a sudden I was in an ugly polka-dot shirt! Gaining drops, xp or levels isn’t very motivating to me in and of itself.
Any other tips on using clubs, races, time trials, etc. to keep things interesting for someone like me who isn’t bound to win a whole lot of (or any) races?
Don’t forget that you can U-turn to your heart’s content, which means Hill Repeats are your new best friend.
As an example, in Watopia choose (IIRC) Muir and the Mountain and get a warmup in before you hit the Titans Grove Reverse KOM. Once you get to the top, u-turn and cruise back down. Ride a short distance past the start of the KOM, u-turn again and hit the KOM again, this time trying to stay ahead of your Previous HoloReplay.
If your goal is to improve your cycling fitness, then pushing yourself to ride hard frequently will be counter-productive, but pushing yourself to do more/longer relatively easy rides will help. One way I handle that is to do social group rides at a comfortable pace. It does take some time to figure out the groups and leaders that you like, and most of those events are exactly one hour, which is not a lot of time for a low intensity ride but if that fits your time budget then I recommend it. I find those rides much more engaging than riding with the robo pacers, plus you can find a group where you become a regular, the other frequent participants know you, you know the event schedule without thinking about it, and they have conversation that interests you. Some of them are also workout-ish where you ride at a comfortable pace and do occasional sprints, but most are paced steady (depending on the leader - read the event descriptions).
I’d like to figure out how to pick routes that have climbing or speed segments that will incentivize me during a weekday workout, but I’m not sure how to start. One small segment on a long route wouldn’t be enough - are there places to loop back to the same segment over and over again with some recovery time in between?
