Introduction

With the increase in club members using Zwift, now would be an ideal opportunity to provide more detailed guidance to allow you to make the most of this cool training app. There are other apps such as Bkool, Rouvy and Sufferfest, however Zwift is by far the most popular.

Zwift is a turbo trainer video gaming app that allows you to virtually cycle around 130 routes including London, Paris, the French countryside, Harrogate, New York’s central park or the futuristic Sky Loop, climb a volcano or ride in Zwift’s very own fantasy world – Watopia. The Jungle circuit is one my favourite routes, with long wooden swing bridges, waterfalls and caves with the Alpe du Zwift, a close second. Reaching virtual speeds of 70 kmph + as you descend from the top is not for the faint hearted! 

The Zwift Academies (Run, Road & Tri) are structured training plans produced by experienced coaches, with various coaching tips flashing up on the screen during the session. There are plans for all abilities catering for 5k, 10k, half marathons and various cycling sportives. For those that have a turbo trainer and treadmill there is also a Duathlon race.

Turbo trainers are certainly a great way to keep cycling through the dark, colder months or for cycling newbies to safely practice cleated shoes / pedals and grabbing and placing back water bottles in the bottle cage.

Equipment

First, you need a bike! Any bike should do – mountain bike, hybrid or road bike.

Next, you need a turbo trainer, ideally with Bluetooth capability so that it can connect to your mobile phone. Once you have this set-up, download the Zwift gaming app   to your phone / tablet.  Zwift currently offers a free 7-day trial with a monthly subscription of £12.99. You will also need to download the Zwift Companion free app. This complements the gaming app, allowing you to join organised group rides, races, review your performance data or training plans. You can even give ‘Ride Ons’!

Zwift connects to other sites such as
Strava, Suunto and Garmin Connect. The turbo trainer connects to the Zwift app via Bluetooth. You can then either watch it on your phone or, using a HDMI cable, connect your phone to a TV screen.

Safe set up

It is important to make sure that the bike is securely attached to the turbo trainer. More importantly, do not raise the front wheel to simulate hill climbing – the turbo’s resistance will change to take account of gradient changes!

Correct Rider Position

Correct rider position is important to prevent knee and lower back pain / injuries. Unlike normal cycling, there is no rocking movement with turbo trainers, which can lead to tightening of the hips, glutes, hamstrings and restricted ankle dorsiflexion. One way to overcome this is to mount the turbo trainer on a wooden board with half tennis balls underneath – I kid you not – people are doing this!  The more sensible solution is to stand up and move the hips or come off the bike completely and walk / stretch for a minute or two.

ZWIFT in-game features

Drops (based on your drops of sweat!) – these are in-game credits that can be redeemed for items in the Drop Shop / Garage. The further you cycle, the higher you climb, the more calories you burn, the more ‘ride ons’ received then the  more ‘drops’ you will earn. You can then buy virtual bike frames (based on actual makes such as Specialized) and wheel sets.  The number of drops accumulated is shown underneath your ride information i.e., distance, elevation, speed).  To access the drop shop, start a ride, select menu and then click on the ‘garage’ icon to the left side of the screen.  Once this window has loaded click on the Drop Shop icon.

Powerups – different icons will appear during the ride. The most popular are:

Feather (lightweight) – this reduces your weight by 10% for 15 seconds. It is best used on climbs, when weight matters the most.

Van (draft boost) – increases the draft effect by 50% for 30 seconds.

Helmet (Aero boost) – decreases air resistance making you more aerodynamic for 15 seconds. Best used at higher speeds on flat routes and descents.

ERG and SIM modes – Smart turbo trainers can run in different modes that determine how much resistance they apply when you cycle. The two most common are ERG and SIM (simulator mode). In SIM mode, Zwift software sends information such as rider weight, gradient and wattage to the turbo trainer, which will then try to replicate the “feel” of that virtual ride environment through its resistance on your drivetrain. ERG mode is very different in that it is the turbo trainers’ job to make you a hold a particular wattage. For example, your workout interval plan wants you to stay at 130 watts for 10 minutes.  If you are spinning at a cadence of 90 and putting out 130 watts, if you slow the cadence to 60 the turbo trainer will quickly increase resistance, so you are still holding 130 watts.

Functional Threshold Power (FTP)

Here, we look at ways in which you can use your turbo trainer (or outdoor bike) to help you understand, measure, train and improve FTP.

So, what is FTP? It is used as a measure of fitness. It is calculated by looking at the power you can hold for an hour, measured in watts per kilo divided by the rider’s weight. The theory behind this is that you will need more power to go at the same speed, and less if you lose weight. You can manually measure FTP every four weeks to track progress however the beauty of Zwift is that it will do this for you. If the FTP goes up without your weight increasing, then your fitness is improving. If the number goes up and your weight has gone down (inc heart rate) then this is the ideal situation re fitness improvement. There are several smart scales that will automatically update Zwift with weight changes.

 If you are completing the test on the road then you need to plan a route that has minimum stops – the less junctions the better. This should be much easier to plan to use a turbo trainer!

Despite it not pushing you to your maximum power output, the session should be very hard, with the 30-minute testing period requiring maximum sustainable power throughout.

If it is the intensity that is putting you off, you should consider trying a ramp test alternative to the conventional FTP test. Zwift has a ramp test – after a brief warm-up, you will the perform a series of one-minute intervals with the power increasing each time. Starting at 100 watts, every minute the power will increase until you can’t turn the pedals any longer. Once you stop pedalling, the app will then calculate your FTP based on how far you reached in the session. It is a less demanding session than the 20-minute FTP test and will still offer a good idea of where your FTP currently sits.

‘Weight Doping’

Yes, this is a thing! As with all e-games comes the downside – hacking and cheat codes providing you with the ability to look like you are going full pelt around Central Park when what you are actually doing is nothing more strenuous that sitting idle sipping the finest Malbec whilst your Avatar does the hard work! ‘Weight doping’ is where you simply record an incorrect weight in the app profile settings. The lighter you are the faster you go. Therefore, it is important that you review your settings regularly or use a smart scale.