Trainerroad, IMO, has the better training plans. Zwift has gotten better though.

They are all good and should get you what you need. Which one is “best” is a matter of personal preference. For me and others, it’s TrainerRoad while others swear by Zwift.

Thank you both!

I just wasn't sure if one had more perks over the other. So far, I'm learning that TR is a little more structured with the workouts and the plans are a little more efficient. But good to know Zwift is also making some shifts in that direction too.

trainerroad is great, but dont overlook the possibility of just writing your own in Garmin and stuffing them into your device, its free and flexible, and can be a good idea to do for a couple of months before taking the plunge into trainerroad

Hi TriTeacher86! David McQuillen, Founder and Chief Suffering Officer of The Sufferfest here. Hope you don't mind me jumping in. There are lots of options out there for you, and pretty much everyone offers a free trial so give us all a go and find the one that works best for you.

At The Sufferfest, we have a highly structured approach, the most precise sports scince and more than 100 training plans. In particular, as you look at training plans across the platforms, make sure you ask yourself a few critical questions:

1. Who wrote the plans? Plans are only as good as the coach who wrote them. Our plans are written by Sports Scientist & Coach Neal Henderson. How good is he? Well, he's coached his athletes to 47 World Championships - most recently BMC's Rohan Dennis to the World Time Trial Championship and, last year, Flora Duffy to several Triathlon World Championships. More about Neal here: https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/training-resources/meet-neal-henderson-coach-to-the-pros-scientists-behind-the-suffering

2. Are the plans tailored to my goals and my particular characteristics? Our plans are based on both your overall goal as well as the areas of your fitness you need to work on (as identified in our power-profile based fitness test). Furthermore, the workouts are then based on your full 4DP Power Profile, not just FTP (which isn't as effective in giving you the training stimulus you need). More about all that here: https://thesufferfest.com/...-in-your-4dp-profile

3. Are the plans comprehensive? Our plans are the only ones that allow you to add Strength Training, Yoga for Cyclists and Mental Toughness programmes to your training (all content that's provided in our app). Here's more about our new strength training plan: https://thesufferfest.com/pages/learn-more-strength-training-for-cyclists

Lastly, here's a recent review of our app
And here's a video that GCN recently did about our fitness test and 4DP power profile.

Thanks very much for your time. Happy to answer any questions about us if you have them.

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David McQuillen
Founder & CEO of The Sufferfest

I am a TrainerRoad user and would absolutely recommend it. I can’t compare it to sufferfest plans because I haven’t used them.

i have trial months to give away through my TR account so let me know if you’re interested.

Sufferfest is good fun!

Zwift races are the best thing that has happened to me in indoor training

If only you had an Android App...

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

I landed on Sufferfest ( excuse me, The Sufferfest)

- Zwift can bring out the same behaviors that aggravate me on group rides, and I don't need more of that.

- TR doesn't have the entertainment factor - but if you like movies and trainers that might be a good one

- Sufferfest puts you IN the pro peloton and has great soundtracks. The workouts definitely work on my weaknesses and the sense of humor behind it all works for me. I much prefer the video sensation of me chasing down Sagan on a break than the sight of an avatar of questionable veracity dropping me ( and everyone else) in Zwift.

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

I've been on Trainer Road and have all the Sufferfest vids. I find these programs are good but they still have that indoor training (boring) feel to them. Once I started on Zwift I can honestly say I have fun with it. I'm on a strict 6 month off-season program that has me focused during the week, but lets me free ride on the weekends. This is where Zwift is hands down the best program for me. It's no problem for me to ride for a couple hours and get the time in my program calls for.

You didn't say if you were riding a regular, traditional trainer or a new smart trainer. Is the trainer a standalone piece of hardware, or is it wired (or wi-fi'd) so it self-adjusts based on the workout demands?

If you are using a regular bike trainer, then I agree with many here that Sufferfest is great, and I would add Spinervals to the mix. Some of those Spinervals workouts can really kick your butt in just 40 or 45 minutes.

If you are using a smart bike trainer, than I would say Zwift has the edge. Although, you can certainly use the others with a smart trainer too. It is just that Zwift was really built for smart trainers.

By the way, I have found that my workout quality isn't any better with a smart trainer.... just a little more fun. So you don't need to drop $1K do get a good indoor workout.

Thank you David! This was EXTREMELY helpful! Will Sufferfest communicate with Training peaks or Garmin? My coach will need to be able to see my workouts, heart rate, power ect....

I'm very intrigued by the 4DP test and really drawn to the idea that there is more than one measure.

And the Strength and Yoga aspect is a must have since I'm very prone to injuries.

Thanks again for the feedback and the youtube video with the GCN goobers was very helpful.

I'm on a Wahoo Kickr Snap. Hands down the best upgrade I've ever done! I'm not familiar with Spinervals, but it sounds intense and might be worth looking into as well.

When I first got into Zwift, I thought it put you on an actual course. At this time, I was training for IMFL and thought Zwift had the bike course preloaded. I misunderstood, but have been enjoying the social aspect of the program. Just hoping for something that would be a little more focused so my training sessions were more purposeful.

I've written several "generic" plans.
Zwift and trainer road have plans.
They are all great, but maybe not specific to you.

Athletes would benefit best from someone writing a plan based on that athletes history and goals.

Sure, you can do a canned plan, but you'll get more out of your time from a specific YOU plan.

My 2 cents.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

That's an extremely good point. Thank you!

Hey KKerns -- I think you'd be surprised to see how many workouts we have now and which you don't have the videos. You're missing some absolutely epic sessions like Butter, The Chores, Defender and GOAT (+ about 20 more....). Plus, unlike other platforms where you might use our old videos, our app has the workouts properly calibrated by our sports science team and uses your full power profile (not just FTP). Give us another look if you get a chance! I think you'll enjoy what you see.

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David McQuillen
Founder & CEO of The Sufferfest

Absolutely! In fact, The Sufferfest app will synch up with TrainingPeaks, FinalSurge, Garmin and Strava and you can also email yourself (and then your coach) the workout file. Your coach will no doubt be very impressed that you can do full power-profile based workouts with The Sufferfest with our 4DP methdology. (Your coach will also be pleased to know that all our workouts are available as a library on TrainingPeaks -- your coach can just drag and drop our session descriptions into the training plan s/he has created for you and then you just go into The Sufferfest app and do the workouts.)

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David McQuillen
Founder & CEO of The Sufferfest

I have the offseason covered. Thanks anyway.

I recommend the Wahoo Fitness App which is free, convenient, easy to use and reliable.

To build power and endurance, I recommend Plan A, C or D from the following based on your schedule...



...or you can mix and match from these plans...



...or you can take a more personalized/responsive approach by using these workouts for which progressions are already worked out for you...



...or you can convert each workout from whatever plan you decide to follow to one of the above workouts which will help you with load monitoring because the above workouts are carefully designed for consistent progression, to avoid overlap and for easy comparison/analysis.

...of course you'll want to know when to progress your training or how you are coping/adapting to whatever plan you follow if you follow a plan...

...so you'll want to carefully monitor internal:external-load ratio.

If this ratio decreases, then you are improving.

If it decreases because external load has increased, then you probably got a good workout this time.

If it decreases because internal load has decreased, then the current workout may have been insufficient for proper stimulus. You can avoid this from happening, however, by adding an interval when you know you have another interval in you. The Wahoo Fitness App allows you to to this easily because you are in control. It also allows you to split intervals to preserve workout quality if you get into trouble.

Whatever, you do, avoid workouts that are not true interval workouts ; meaning the same power is repeated for the same duration for each interval. Otherwise, you can't compare workouts to gauge your performance and also you break the chain of time at intensity that runs throughout training organization at every level.

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Interval Design Studio
YouTube | SoundCloud

I use Tacx Neo and Trainer road and I watch Netflix while on the bike!
Zwift is fun but too distrating for me.
What I love in TR is that you have a full training program (i used Ironman low volume program lst year and will use mid volume this hear) and that you finish the session after doing what was supposed to be done ( while for me on Zwift I often drift and push too hard or too little)
Smart trainer + trainer road was best investment for me

Sufferfest is awesome if you are serious about building big power or working on your weaknesses. My coach picks workouts for me based on weakness, time, fatigue, where we are in the season. After the workout it goes right to TP for him to analyze.