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What are Masters Triathlon Plans?

Masters Triathlon plans are alternate versions of the TrainerRoad triathlon plans. These plans are designed to prioritize recovery with a 2:1 ratio of load and recovery weeks. With a Masters Triathlon plan, you’ll get a recovery week every third week, as opposed to every fourth week in a non-Masters plan. How Do Masters Triathlon Plans Work? Masters Triathlon Plans are based on their standard non-Masters Triathlon Plan equivalents. Specifically, Masters Triathlon Plans include the same distribution of workouts each week as the non-Masters Triathlon plans but encompass more frequent rest with a recovery week every third week. This distribution of rest allows your plan to preserve key workouts across all 3 sports, while still facilitating extra recovery throughout the training plan itself. Adding more frequent recovery weeks ensures an ideal distribution of workouts from week to week while affording plenty of extra rest for anyone who needs it. Who are the Masters Triathlon Plans For? When combined with Adaptive Training, Masters Triathlon Plans can provide an optimal training experience for anyone in need of some additional recuperation from their training. While Masters training is typically associated with older athletes, the Masters Triathlon plans are designed for anyone who might need extra time to recover. This plan will be automatically recommended to you if you are older than 50, but we also think that if you have a high-stress job, are a new parent, shift worker, or someone dealing with an irregular sleep routine you might benefit from these plans. How Can I Get a Masters Triathlon Plan? Masters Plans are available for all triathlon Base Build, and Specialty plans. This includes Sprint, Olympic, Half, and Full distance categories. When a Masters plan becomes available for your current Triathlon plan, you will automatically be prompted with a modal to adjust your plan. Alternatively, you can manually add a Masters Triathlon plan to your Calendar via Plan Builder, the TrainerRoad training plan library, or by choosing to switch future phases of your triathlon plan to a Masters version. Adding a Masters Triathlon Plan Through the Masters Triathlon Plan Modal If you are already on a custom Triathlon plan with a Masters equivalent, a Masters plan announcement modal will automatically pop-up once a Masters version is available for your current training plan. If you are following a custom-built plan this modal will include a button giving you the option to switch your current plan to the Masters equivalent. Masters Tri Modal 1.png Screenshot 2023-12-19 at 12.20.04 PM.png This pop-up will only appear once you reach the first week of a new training phase. If you'd like to adjust your training plan sooner, you can follow the directions below to build a new plan with Plan Builder, or manually adjust your current plan by swapping out a training phase, deleting time off, or adding in a new event. In most cases, though, we recommend waiting until you've finished your current training phase before making any adjustments, as this will help avoid disruptions to the plan itself. Mobile Apps How to get a Masters Triathlon Plan through Plan Builder Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of the TrainerRoad mobile app. Step 2: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: Choose Plan Builder. Step 4: Follow Plan Builder's steps until you reach the Schedule step. Step 5: If a Masters version is available a Masters toggle switch will appear on the Schedule step. Toggle this on to build out your triathlon plan with Masters phases. IMG_784958E52A49-1.jpeg Step 6: Finish building your plan. How to get an Individual Masters Triathlon Plan through the TrainerRoad Plan Library Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of the TrainerRoad mobile app. Step 2: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: In the Individual Training Phases section there are Masters options of each triathlon discipline for Base, Build and Specialty phases (below the standard training phases). Simply, choose the Masters triathlon phase type and volume you would like. IMG_EE57803D4BD5-1.jpeg IMG_43E4E9EAC03D-1.jpeg Step 4: Add to your Calendar. How to Change Your Current Triathlon Plan to a Masters Plan Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of the TrainerRoad mobile app. Step 2: Select the Calendar tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: Select the title of your training plan in the upper left corner IMG_3283.PNG Step 4: Select pencil shaped "edit" icon in the lower left corner. IMG_3284.PNG Step 5: Select the Masters toggle and hit 'Update' IMG_3285.PNG Important Notes: Your current training phase will remain unchanged. Only your future training phases will be adjusted to a Masters version. This will also reset any volume changes you’ve made to individual phases in your plan. Desktop Apps How to get a Masters Triathlon Plan through Plan Builder Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of the TrainerRoad desktop app. Step 2: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: Choose Plan Builder. Step 4: Follow Plan Builder's steps until you reach the Schedule step. Step 5: If a Masters version is available a Masters toggle switch will appear on the Schedule step. Toggle this on to build out your triathlon plan with Masters phases. Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.08.10 PM.png Step 6: Finish building your plan. How to get an Individual Masters Triathlon Plan through the TrainerRoad Plan Library Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of the TrainerRoad desktop app. Step 2: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: In the Individual Training Phases section, there will be Masters options of each triathlon discipline for Base, Build and Specialty phases. Simply choose the Masters Triathlon phase and volume that you would like to add. Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.01.52 PM.png Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.05.28 PM.png Step 4: Select 'Add to your Calendar' How to Change Your Current Triathlon Plan Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of the TrainerRoad desktop app. Step 2: Select the Calendar tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: Select the title of your training plan in the upper left corner Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 2.57.37 PM.png Step 4: Select the pencil shaped "edit" icon in the lower left corner, then select the Masters toggle Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 2.58.24 PM.png Step 5: Hit 'Update' Important Notes: Your current training phase will remain unchanged. Only future training phases will be updated to a Masters version. This will also reset any volume changes you’ve made to individual phases in your plan. Web How to get a Masters Triathlon Plan through Plan Builder Step 1: Make sure you are logged in to www.trainerroad.com. Step 2: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: Choose Plan Builder. Step 4: Follow Plan Builder's steps until you reach the Schedule step. Step 5: If a Masters version is available a Masters toggle switch will appear on the Schedule step. Toggle this on to build your triathlon plan with Masters phases. PB Masters Toggle.png Step 6: Finish building your plan. How to get an Individual Masters Triathlon Plan through the TrainerRoad Plan Library Step 1: Make sure you are logged in to www.trainerroad.com. Step 2: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: In the Individual Training Phases section there will be Masters options of each triathlon discipline for Base, Build and Specialty phases. Simply choose the Masters triathlon phase and volume you would like to add to your Calendar. Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.10.56 PM.png Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.12.42 PM.png Step 4: Select 'Add to your Calendar' How to Change Your Current Triathlon Plan to a Masters Plan Step 1: Make sure you are logged in to www.trainerroad.com. Step 2: Select the Calendar tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step 3: Scroll to the Calendar annotation containing the name of your Triathlon training plan. Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.16.44 PM.png Step 4: Select the Masters toggle. Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.17.21 PM.png Step 5: Hit 'Update' Important Notes: Your current training phase will remain unchanged. Only future training phases will be updated to a Masters version. This will also reset any volume changes you’ve made to individual phases in your plan. FAQ Why did TrainerRoad create Masters Triathlon Plans? Masters plans have been a long-standing request from our athletes. Our initial release of Masters cycling plans was warmly received, but did not include triathlon plans. This release adds Masters plans for multisport athletes. We believe that Masters Triathlon plans, especially when combined with Adaptive Training, can offer a highly effective training experience for our athletes by prioritizing recovery and encouraging sustainable progress and consistency. I changed to a Masters Triathlon Plan and now I have two recovery weeks in a row. Why? Plan updates are automatically applied following a recovery week, before the start of a new training phase. This is done to avoid losing recovery weeks overall when the plan's structure is modified. Although rare a double rest week may occur when these changes are implemented. If you have any concerns about changes to your training plan, please reach out to [email protected]. How will I know if my Triathlon plan is a Masters Plan? Masters plans can be recognized in your TrainerRoad Calendar by the addition of “Masters” to the plan name. For example, a Mid Volume, Olympic Distance Masters Base plan will display as "Masters Olympic Triathlon Base- Mid Volume". Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.25.12 PM.png Can I convert individual Triathlon training phases to Masters versions? Unfortunately, you cannot convert individual Masters phases to Triathlon phases. This is because of the way that the load and recovery weeks in Masters triathlon plans are distributed versus how they are distributed in Non-Masters Triathlon plans. Important Note: when changing to a Masters triathlon plan, all individual phase changes will be reset. Once your plan is set to a Masters version, though, you will then be free to reapply any desired changes to training phase volume or workout schedules. If Masters phases can't be individually swapped, what phases are available via the swap dropdown menus? All Triathlon phase lengths are now standardized. This means that athletes with Masters Triathlon phases will be able to swap between different triathlon discipline types (Sprint, Olympic, Half Distance and Full Distance) for their current Masters training phase. Screenshot 2024-02-13 at 3.19.44 PM.png For example, you can swap a Masters Sprint Build phase for a Masters Olympic Build phase. Why don't Masters Cycling Plans have a 2:1 Load and Recovery schedule? There are many approaches to Masters Training. We’re confident in both approaches we’ve implemented in our Masters plans and feel that each works well for the specific discipline targeted. Like all TrainerRoad features, though, we will continually refine and improve these plans to ensure that training is optimized based on current science. Why can't I change my plan to a Masters Plan? If you aren't able to swap your training plan to a Masters plan or add a Masters plan to your Calendar you might be trying to add a phase or plan that doesn't have a Masters alternative. Master plans are not currently available for Maintenance plans, Time Crunch plans, Polarized plans, or Traditional Base plans.

Choosing Your Training Plan • Last updated on Aug 20, 2026

Plan Builder Overview

Plan Builder is a tool that creates custom plans tailored to you and your goals. Plan Builder considers the unique demands of your goals, your available training time, and your recent training history to build a plan specific to you. Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 1.02.29 PM.png With Plan Builder, training plans exist for just about every cycling discipline and can account for the specific needs of individual athletes. Build your custom plan and get training right away! Note: The most up to date Plan Builder is only available on the TrainerRoad website! We recommend building your custom plan on the TrainerRoad website to gain access to all of Plan Builders new functionality Plan Builder Walk-Through Plan Builder takes you through a series of steps to build you a fully tailored custom training plan. In Plan Builder, you add a start date, set goals and events for your schedule, choose how you would like to approach your training and customize your plan schedule. After Plan Builder builds your plan you’ll have the option to review it before adding your new plan to you Calendar. Customizing your plan is super easy, so let’s jump into it! Step 1: Sync Your Training History If you have any activity history, Plan Builder can use that data to help shape your plan. You can sync your activity history from Garmin Connect or Strava. If you don’t have any training history coming into TrainerRoad, don’t worry. Your plan will adjust as you progress through your workouts. How to Sync All of Your Garmin Connect Activities 1. Log into TrainerRoad to access your Account Profile. 2. Select “Activity Sync” from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. 3. Click the option to “Connect with Garmin.” 4. Authorize TrainerRoad to access your Garmin Connect account by selecting “Agree & Connect.” 5. In Garmin Connect, authorize TrainerRoad to access your Garmin Connect account and data. If you would like a more detailed walkthrough, check out this article: Garmin Connect How to Sync All of Your Strava Activities 1. Log into TrainerRoad to access your Account Profile. 2. Select "Activity Sync" from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. 3. Under Strava, click "Connect." 4. Read through how the TrainerRoad-Strava integration works and click "Agree & Connect." 5. Enter your Strava login credentials. 6. Authorize TR to connect with your Strava account. If you would like a more detailed walkthrough, check out this article: Strava Step 2: Choose your Goal and Start Date First you will need to let Plan Builder know if you are training to prepare for a specific event or if you would like a training plan to train for a general fitness goal. Screen Shot 2025-03-27 at 8.03.19 AM.png Once you have done this you will be prompted to choose the start date of your plan. You can start a plan at any time in the future, as long as plans do not have overlapping start/end dates with other plans. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 3.56.44 PM.png Step 3: Add Events or Goals Once you have chosen your start date you'll be adding your events or choosing your main goal and discipline! Select the options below for more information on adding events or choosing a goal and discipline. To Prepare for an Event This is where you will add your goal events! These can be cycling events and cycling stage races. Events can be added at these three different priority levels: - A Events are your most important events of the season. Your training plan is designed to have you at your best for these events. As such, you can only have a few A events in a year. These events have a full taper before the event with a recovery week after. A events should ideally be 12 weeks apart in order to be in peak form for both. - B Events can be seasonal objectives in their own right. They allow you to try different race prep and strategies to see what works best for you. B events receive a taper in the week of the event. - C Events are great practice and experience, but the outcome of these races should carry little value. C events will not change your plan. You can treat them like a hard workout. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.25.21 PM.png If you are unsure what races you are doing or what your final schedule is this upcoming season, no worries. You can always add events to your Calendar after your plan has been built and your plan will automatically adapt around the new additions. With that said we recommend adding at least 1 “A” priority event to your plan, when you build your initial training plan. Unsure of how to prioritize your races? Check out this blog article for more information. General Fitness Goals If you've chosen General Fitness Goals first you will be prompted to choose the length of your plan. You can choose between a 1 month, 2 month, and 3 month plan or opt for another duration! Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 12.40.43 PM.png Once you have done this you will prompted to choose your plan's main focus by selecting your primary training discipline and your training plans primary goal: Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.01.12 PM.png Step 4: Training Approach In the next step you can decide how aggressive you want your training to be by choosing your Training Approach. When choosing your training approach there are five options; conservative, moderate, balanced, demanding, and aggressive: - Conservative - A conservative approach is for athletes looking for more modest gains while benefiting from a reduced training load. This is a great approach for athletes looking to maintain their fitness or who are returning from injury. - Moderate - A moderate approach is for athletes who want steady progress and constant improvements with a comfortable and manageable training load. This is a solid option for athletes who haven’t trained in a long time or are new to the sport. - Balanced - This approach is called balanced because, for most athletes, this is the best approach to progress fitness while receiving enough recovery to remain consistent and prevent long-term fatigue. - Demanding - This is an approach for athletes who are prepared for a demanding plan and who understand their recovery needs to make progress. - Aggressive - This is an approach for athletes who want to push the boundaries of their current limits. Athletes will need to have a solid understanding of their nutrition, hydration, rest, and recovery needs for this training approach. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.29.51 PM.png Be sure to read the descriptions of each option on the slider. When in doubt we recommend opting for a more balanced approach! Once you've generated your schedule you'll be able to view your training plan! Step 5: Schedule Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.39.48 PM.png Here in the schedule step, Plan Builder will automatically recommend a training schedule based on your training approach and imported training data. You will see an outline of what a general training week will look like. You can customize your schedule in the training week outline in these five ways: Dragging and dropping workouts: You can drag and drop workouts in the weekly schedule to the days of the week that you would prefer to complete them! workout move test.png Note: If you drag two workouts so they are close together you may receive a warning. Be sure to give yourself enough recovery between workouts! Changing the duration: You can change the duration of your planned workouts using the time drop down for each workout. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.44.24 PM.png Changing the workout type: You can change your indoor structured workouts to TrainerRoad Outside Workouts, Group Rides or Solo Rides, and Zwift Race from the drop-down menu. Screenshot 2025-06-09 at 10.32.31 AM.png Screenshot 2025-06-09 at 10.33.11 AM.png Adjusting amount of workouts per week: To adjust the amount of workouts per week or the number of intense workouts per week go ahead and click on the settings icon located in the top right hand corner of the weekly schedule. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.40.21 PM.png From here you can adjust how many days per week you want to train and how many intense workouts you want per week. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 5.12.32 PM.png Keep in mind, if you choose to do more days of training you may receive a warning that your plan has too much training load. You can restore the plan to the original settings to get you back on track by selecting Restore Schedule. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 5.01.59 PM.png If you'd like to tinker you can also reduce the duration of workouts, or change how many intense days you have per week to get your desired training schedule. Restoring your Original Schedule If at any point you'd like to restore your plan back to the initial recommendation go ahead and select the Restore option located to the right of the settings button and then hit Restore Schedule: Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.55.29 PM.png Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 4.58.40 PM.png Step 6: Name your plan and Review! Finally you can go ahead and give your training plan a name, and take the plan to review! Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 5.04.53 PM.png You will see a breakdown of your custom training plan with details of your schedule and an overview of your plan phases and when they start, before you add the plan to your Calendar Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 5.06.36 PM.png Your plan will be composed of these three different phases: - Base Training Phase is where it all begins. It's the foundation of cycling and triathlon success, developing resilient aerobic fitness and laying the groundwork for higher-intensity, discipline-specific training later on. The importance of base training can't be overstated. - Build Training Phase builds discipline-specific fitness on your aerobic foundation, pushing you out of your comfort zone to increase your sustainable workload and make you faster. - Specialty Training Phase Focuses your training on the specific demands of your goals and/or events. This is a demanding discipline-specific final block of training. FAQ What if I already have events on my calendar? Plan Builder will detect events already on your calendar, and ask you to "Include" them once you reach the “Events” step of the process. What if I need to add events later? No problem! When new events are added after a custom plan has been added to the calendar, we’ll ask you if you would like those events to be accounted for in your plan and edit the plan to better fit that event. What if I need to take time off? You can add time at any point in your TrainerRoad Calendar once your plan is built. Learn how here: How to Add Time Off to My TrainerRoad Calendar What if I’ve already started training? Go ahead and choose a start date when you actually started training, even though it's in the past. This will make the plan automatically start where you were in your training! Why does my plan go Base/Build/Base? In your plan, when you have extra time before your goal event, alternating between Base and Build phases ensures your body stays responsive and well-prepared for your target event. Utilizing the Base phase after building fitness allows you to reduce fatigue, prevent plateaus, and enter your Specialty phase with the energy needed to maximize your event-specific gains. TrainerRoad Base training is not the same as Traditional Base training. So when TrainerRoad Base training is used after a Build phase, it does not revert the plan to significantly easier Z1/Z2 training. Instead, it strategically shifts your training to maintain progression while giving your body the necessary preparation for the final push into the Specialty phase. Note: If your plan is long enough, alternating between Base and Build serves the same preparatory function mentioned above. I got a different volume than what I’ve been doing, why is that? Your recommendation is customized for you based on your current capabilities as an athlete, your goal, and your Training Approach. If you are seeing a different volume than what you have been doing you might’ve been doing too much volume before, or not enough. Why did my long Endurance ride change to a Solo Ride? We recommend doing particularly long Sunday Endurance rides outside. You’ll notice that your training plan’s Solo Ride still has wattage/RPE targets and instructions on how to ride so that you can maintain the same goals as your scheduled workout. How do you know which training plan and schedule is best for me? We do a deep analysis of all of your data to intelligently recommend how much volume, intensity, and recovery you need. Where are Masters plans? Masters plans are training plans with one less day of intensity per week. You can adjust how many intense days per week your training schedule has. To do this open the Settings panel to change between 2- and 3-days of intensity per week. Masters should use 2-intense workout plans. Can I adjust the total amount of workouts per week? You can adjust how many workouts per week your training schedule has. To do this open the Settings panel to change between 2-6 workouts per week. We highly suggest using our customized training schedule recommendation, though. How can I make a plan for maintaining fitness? When you start building a plan, you will be asked if you want to build a plan for an event or fitness goals. If you would like to build a plan to maintain fitness, select fitness goals, then select your discipline and choose “Maintaining Fitness” as your goal. This will build a plan focused on maintaining your specific level of fitness. Can I make workouts too long or too short? If you edit your plan in a way that would be detrimental to your fitness goals, or ability to complete the plan, you’ll see a Warning banner on the page. This means your plan schedule is not recommended. Changing workout durations to be shorter than the initial recommendation, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you may be able to handle more than you think! I'm not trying to win races, but I do want to get into better shape. Is there a plan for that? Yes! Plan Builder can build plans structured around your primary discipline and goals. How does the PBv2 work for athletes who don’t have a target event? Plan Builder can build plans structured around your primary discipline and goals. How do I balance my strength training and other activities with my TrainerRoad Plan? Does Plan Builder consider strength training or cross-training? If you don’t have Activity Sync set up with TrainerRoad, we recommend getting that set up so that all of your training, strength training included, is imported to TrainerRoad. If you do anything that would lead to long-term burnout, TrainerRoad AI will adjust your TrainerRoad workouts down or prescribe a Rest Day. Will my current training plan change with the update? You’ll see the option to optimize your current custom plan if you have one added to your Calendar. You can always update your Training Approach and Training Schedule by clicking on the plan name or plan annotation from your Calendar. How can I update my plan if my goals or schedule change? You’ll see the option to optimize your current custom plan if you have one. You can always update your Training Approach and Training Schedule by clicking on the plan name or plan annotation from your Calendar. Where can I use the new Plan Builder? You can use the new Plan Builder on the TrainerRoad website! Can I use Plan Builder if I have limited time to train? Yes! You can even make plans with only 2 workouts per week. You can adjust the duration of any workout to be shorter if you want. Will Plan Builder re-build the plan if I add new events after the plan has started? Yes! Plan Builder will adjust around any event added to your Calendar. Can I still choose specific training phases (Base, Build, Specialty) manually? Yes! You can still add individual training phases to your Calendar. To add individual Training phases to your Calendar select Training Phases at the Training Plans page. I'm training for an event but I don't know the exact dates yet. What should I do? If you aren’t sure what the exact dates of your priority events are you have a couple of options! Add the event to your plan with an approximate date of when it may be. Once you know the date, update the event date on your Calendar and we’ll ask to update your plan to peak your fitness for your event. Build a plan without an event, selecting the event’s discipline and your personal goal. Once you know the date, add the event to your Calendar and we’ll update your plan to peak your fitness for your event. Are Triathlon plans supported? You can build a training plan with Plan Builder! There are some differences in the steps when you build a triathlon plan with Plan Builder instead of a cycling plan. Can I make a Polarized plan with the new Plan Builder? Currently you cannot build a Polarized Plan Builder plan. The good news is that this is something we are hoping to implement in the future.

Plan Builder • Last updated on Jul 21, 2026

Plan Builder Overview for Triathlon

Plan Builder is a tool that creates custom plans tailored to you and your goals. Building a custom plan with Plan Builder for your triathlon is easy– and once built, your plan will automatically be applied to your calendar so that you can begin training and your plan can start adapting to you. Plan Builder Walk Through for Triathlon Plan Builder takes you through a series of steps to build you a fully tailored custom training plan for you. In Plan Builder, you add a start date, set goals and events for your schedule, and customize your plan schedule. After Plan Builder builds your plan you’ll have the option to review it before adding your new plan to you Calendar. Customizing your triathlon plan is super easy, so let’s jump into it! Step 1: Sync Your Training History TrainerRoad can pull runs, swims, and cycling activities from your Strava or Garmin Connect acccount to TrainerRoad. To ensure all of your activities are in one place during training You can sync your activity history from Garmin Connect or Strava. How to Sync All of Your Garmin Connect Activities 1. Log into TrainerRoad to access your Account Profile. 2. Select “Activity Sync” from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. 3. Click the option to “Connect with Garmin.” 4. Authorize TrainerRoad to access your Garmin Connect account by selecting “Agree & Connect.” 5. In Garmin Connect, authorize TrainerRoad to access your Garmin Connect account and data. If you would like a more detailed walkthrough, check out this article: Garmin Connect How to Sync All of Your Strava Activities 1. Log into TrainerRoad to access your Account Profile. 2. Select "Activity Sync" from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. 3. Under Strava, click "Connect." 4. Read through how the TrainerRoad-Strava integration works and click "Agree & Connect." 5. Enter your Strava login credentials. 6. Authorize TR to connect with your Strava account. If you would like a more detailed walkthrough, check out this article: Strava Step 2: Choose your Goal and Start Date First you will need to let Plan Builder know if you are training to prepare for a specific event or if you would like a training plan to train for a general fitness goal. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 3.55.34 PM.png Once you have done this you will be prompted to choose the start date of your plan. You can start a plan at any time in the future, as long as plans do not have overlapping start/end dates with other plans. Screen Shot 2024-09-12 at 3.56.44 PM.png Step 3: Add Events or Goals Once you have chosen your start date you'll be adding your events or choosing your main goal and discipline! Select the options below for more information on adding events or choosing a goal and discipline. To Prepare for an Event This is where you will add your goal events! These can be added at these three different priority levels: - A Events are your most important events of the season. Your training plan is designed to have you at your best for these events. As such, you can only have a few A events in a year. These events have a full taper before the event and recovery week after. A events should be ideally 12 weeks apart in order to be in peak form for both. - B Events can be seasonal objectives in their own right. They allow you to try different race prep and strategies to see what works for you and your body. B events receive a taper in the week of the event. - C Events are great practice and experience, but the outcome of these races should carry little value. C events will not change your plan. You can treat them like a hard workout. Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.27.17 PM.png If you are unsure what races you are doing or what your final schedule is this upcoming season, no worries. You can always add events to your Calendar after your plan has been built and your plan will automatically adapt around the new additions. With that said we do recommend adding at least 1 “A” priority event to your plan, when you build your initial training plan! Unsure of how to prioritize your races? Check out this blog article for more information. General Fitness Goals If you've chosen General Fitness Goals first you will be prompted to choose the length of your plan. You can choose between a 1 month, 2 month, and 3 month plan or opt for another duration! Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 12.40.43 PM.png Once you have done this you will prompted to choose your plans main focus by selecting your primary training discipline and your training plans primary goal: Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.30.49 PM.png Step 4: Plan Volume Next you will choose your training plan volume! There are three options; Low Volume, Mid Volume, and High Volume. We recommend choosing the plan volume that you know you can consistently maintain. Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.27.08 PM.png Step 5: Schedule Here in the schedule step, you will have the opportunity to customize your schedule! You can customize your training schedule in these five ways: 1. Dragging and dropping workouts: You can drag and drop workouts in the weekly schedule to the days of the week that you would prefer to complete them! Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.27.48 PM.png Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.47.38 PM.png 2. Changing the duration: You can change the duration of your planned cycling workouts using the time drop down for each workout Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.49.03 PM.png 3. Changing the workout type: You can change your indoor structured workouts to TrainerRoad Outside Workouts, Group Rides or Solo Rides from the drop-down menu Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.52.38 PM.png 4. Make it a Masters Plan You can make your plan a masters plan by toggling the switch to green in the Masters Plan. Masters plans are for any athlete who might a bit of extra recovery in their training plan! Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.54.20 PM.png If you like to tinker you can also reduce the duration of workouts, or change how many intense days you have per week to get your Step 6: Name your plan and Review! Finally you can go ahead and give your training plan a name, and take the plan to review! Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.28.14 PM.png You will see a breakdown of your custom training plan with details of your schedule and an overview of your plan phases and when they start, before you add the plan to your Calendar Screen Shot 2024-09-16 at 2.28.28 PM.png Your plan will be composed of these three different phases: - Base Training Phase is where it all begins. It's the foundation of cycling and triathlon success, developing resilient aerobic fitness and laying the groundwork for higher-intensity, discipline-specific training later on. The Importance of base training can't be overstated. - Build Training Phase builds discipline-specific fitness on your aerobic foundation, pushing you out of your comfort zone to Increase your sustainable workload and make you faster. - Specialty Training Phase Focuses your training on the specific demands of your goals and/or events. This is a demanding discipline-specific final block of training.

Plan Builder • Last updated on Aug 20, 2026

What are Masters Plans?

Masters plans are an alternate version offered for most TrainerRoad training plans. These alternate plans are designed to prioritize recovery with no more than two days of higher-intensity workouts per week. These plans are designed for any athlete seeking additional recovery in their training. How do Masters Plans Work? Masters Plans cycling are based on the standard non-masters TrainerRoad training plans. They utilize the standard plans' structure and volume. Opposed to their counterparts which have three intense workouts per week they have no more than two days of higher-intensity workouts each week. Tuesday and Saturday workouts will typically remain unchanged in the masters plan in comparison to the non-master versions. In some cases, however, these days might be slightly rearranged to prioritize the most important stimulus. This helps ensure that the workouts are structured to achieve the plan’s goal. How Can I Get a Masters Plan? Masters Plans are available for most cycling and triathlon Base, Build, and Specialty plans. You can opt to make your entire training plan a Masters Plan when you build out your custom plan with plan Builder or you can add individual phases as Masters phases directly to your Calendar. You can do this on the website as well as the TR app. To do this follow these steps: How to get a Masters Plan through Plan Builder Step One: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu. Step Two: Choose Plan Builder. Step Three: Follow Plan Builders steps until you reach the Training Schedule Step Step Four: Select the Settings Icon in the upper right corner of the weekly schedule. Screenshot 2026-07-21 at 12.20.26 PM.png Step Five: Under intense days per week opt for 2 days (Masters Athletes) and select Apply. Screenshot 2026-07-21 at 12.22.54 PM.png Step Six: Finish building out your training plan with Plan Builder and add it to your Calendar. How to Add Individual Masters Phases Step One: Select the Training Plans tab from the left-hand navigation menu and select View Phases in Training Phases. Screenshot 2026-07-21 at 11.50.52 AM.png Step Two: In the Individual Training Phases section choose your desired phase type (Base, Build, or Specialty) Step Three: In the phase type you have selected, switch on the Masters Plan option in the upper right hand corner to view all the training phases as Masters phases. Screenshot 2026-07-21 at 12.14.33 PM.png Step Four: Select your Desired phase, select Schedule Plan and add the plan with your desired schedule and daily settings to finish. Note: In the final step before scheduling, you can toggle the Masters Plans option on and off to view the difference between the Masters plan and the standard plan. FAQ What standard TrainerRoad plans don't have Masters versions? Master plans are not available for Maintenance plans, Time Crunch plans, Polarized plans, or Traditional Base plans. How will I know if my plan is a Masters Plan? You will know that you are on a masters plan because you will only have two intense workouts scheduled per week. If you have any more than two, this means you are on a standard TrainerRoad plan. Why can't I change my plan to a Masters Plan? If you aren't able to swap your training plan to a Masters plan or add a Masters plan to your Calendar you might be trying to add a phase that doesn't have a Masters alternative. Master plans are not available for Maintenance plans, Time Crunch plans, Polarized plans, or Traditional Base plans.

Choosing Your Training Plan • Last updated on Jul 21, 2026

Choosing the Right Discipline For Your Events

TrainerRoad builds your plan around your A event's selected discipline or type. This guide is here to help you understand what each discipline trains and how to choose a match for your event. Why Event Type Matters Your event type influences: - Which training phases you get (for example, a plan that emphasizes sustained power vs short, punchy power) - Which training zones and workout profiles are emphasized - What fitness you are most prepared to express on event day No discipline is “better” than any others. Each discipline simply trains your body in a different way to prepare for different event demands. The Simple Way to Choose In many cases, the event’s advertised label is enough: - Criterium → Criterium - Time Trial → Time Trial - Cyclocross → Cyclocross - XCO, XCM, Short Track → the matching MTB discipline - Triathlon Event → the matching triathlon discipline It gets trickier when the event label is broad, like Road Race, Gravel, or Gran Fondo. When that happens, use these four factors to identify the dominant effort type your event will demand: 1. Advertised discipline 2. How long you will ride (duration) 3. Climbing profile (how many climbs, how long, how steep) 4. Your goal (race for results vs ride for a steady finish or target time) A helpful reminder: distance alone is not a reliable guide. The same distance can mean very different effort types depending on terrain, surface, and speed. Duration tells you much more about pacing demands. A quick Decision Guide For More Ambiguous Road & Gravel Events Road races: Rolling Road Race vs Climbing Road Race Start here if your event is a mass start road race and you are unsure which road discipline fits. - Rolling Road Race is usually best when the decisive moments are repeated surges, attacks, and short climbs. Think punchy efforts and frequent changes in pace. - Climbing Road Race is usually best when long, sustained climbs are the defining feature. Think sustained climbing power and longer efforts. Helpful shortcut: - If the key climbs are short and punchy, lean Rolling. - If the key climbs are long and sustained, lean Climbing. If you are not sure, pick the discipline that best matches where you expect the hardest efforts to happen. On some courses, long climbs early do not decide the race, and the event can still be ridden like a Rolling Road Race. Long Road Events: Gran Fondo Gran Fondo is the best fit for events where the dominant demand is steady pacing and endurance. - Typical match: long road events where your goal is to finish strong, ride a steady pace, or hit a target time. - Terrain can be flat or mountainous. For most riders, the pacing challenge is still the main limiter once the duration is long enough. Gravel Events Gravel events can be very different, so the best match depends on duration and how the event is raced. - If your event is primarily a long, steady endurance day where pacing is the priority, Gravel is usually the best fit. - If your event is shorter and raced aggressively with frequent surges, you may also consider Rolling Road Race, Climbing Road Race, or Cross Country Marathon, depending on terrain and surface. Helpful shortcut: - Over about 4 hours: Gravel is usually the best starting point because pacing and endurance are critical for most athletes. - Under about 4 hours: Gravel still works well, but a more race-focused discipline(Rolling/Climbing Road Race) can be a good option if the event is punchy and you are racing for position. Time Trials Time Trial discipline is built around steady, controlled efforts against the clock. - Best fit: most TTs, especially flatter courses or those where pacing is steady and continuous - If your TT is unusually punchy or very climb-heavy, Climbing Road Race can be a reasonable alternative, depending on how the effort actually feels on the day. Hill Climbs There is no dedicated hill climb discipline, so match based on climb duration: - Over about 20 to 30 minutes: Time Trial - About 2 to 30 minutes: Climbing Road Race - Under about 2 minutes: Rolling Road Race or Climbing Road Race (choose based on whether the effort is more punchy or more sustained) If you are doing a season of mixed hill climbs, Climbing Road Race is usually the most well-rounded option. Stage Races Stage races are their own category because day-to-day recovery becomes part of the performance demand. Choose the discipline that matches the stage race type you are doing. If your stage race includes mixed stages, pick the discipline that best represents the dominant demands across the event. Off-Road Event Types in TrainerRoad Off-road events vary significantly. The easiest way to pick the right TrainerRoad event type is to match the discipline to the effort you will repeat most often: short surges, sustained hard laps, or long pacing with hard climbs late. Short Track Cross Country (STXC) Pick STXC if your event is: - About 20 to 30 minutes - Very fast and intense with constant accelerations This plan builds repeatable high-intensity efforts and quick recovery between surges. Cross Country Olympic (XCO) Pick XCO if your event is: - About 60 to 100 minutes - Lap-based with repeated climbs and technical features This plan builds the ability to repeat hard efforts near and above threshold across a full race-length effort. Cross Country Marathon (XCM) Pick XCM if your event is: - About 3 to 8 hours - Off-road with meaningful climbing and repeated hard sections This plan builds long endurance and fatigue resistance, while still preparing you for surges and hard climbs late in the race. Cyclocross (CX) Pick Cyclocross if your event is: - About 45 to 70 minutes - Constantly changing pace with repeated bursts, corners, and short run-ups This plan builds repeatable high-intensity efforts and recovery for one-hour racing. Off-Road Triathlon Many off-road tri formats align closely with Olympic distance demands on the bike, even if the bike leg is shorter, because the terrain is more demanding. - Best starting point: Off-Road Triathlon - Only choose Sprint, Half, or Full if the event distances truly match those formats Quick Tie-Breakers - XCO vs XCM: around an hour and very intense, choose XCO. Multi-hour pacing with hard climbs late, choose XCM. - XCM vs Gravel: if it feels like an off-road race with frequent punchy efforts, choose XCM. If it is more about steady pacing for a long day on mixed surface, choose Gravel. Common Exceptions: When A Different Event Might Help You If there is more than one good option, that is normal. Look at your event’s advertised type, expected finish time, and whether you are racing for results or pacing for a finish or target time. Long events where you are racing for results If the event is long but your goal is explicitly competitive and the race is likely to be decided by surges, attacks, and climbs, you may choose a discipline that places more emphasis on variability and intensity. That can be a good choice, but there is a trade-off: - More emphasis on punchy and race-like fitness - Less emphasis on the deepest steady endurance compared to Gran Fondo or Gravel If your main goal is to pace steadily and finish strong, Gran Fondo or Gravel is still usually the best match. longer climbing events or stage races where you will ride a steady pace In these cases It can be smart to pick a Gran Fondo or Gravel plan, to train for smooth steady efforts instead of training to chase and make breaks up a climb. Mixed terrain/discipline race like a stage race or mixed surface event In those cases, pick the discipline that best matches: - The effort type you will spend the most time doing - Will you be holding a steady pace, or chasing and making breaks? - The effort type you most want to improve for your goal An example could be a longer event where you ride Road, Gravel, & Single Track with plenty of elevation gain: - If you intend to hold a steady pace, Gravel would be a good choice. - If you are going to race it, Climbing Road Race or Cross Country Marathon would better fit that intent for most athletes. Between those you would want to pick what you want to improve. Have More Than One A event? A events should be planned at least 8 weeks apart. TrainerRoad will focus the plan around your A events, in order. After each A event, the plan can shift focus toward the next A event. After the final A event, the plan uses your last B event discipline, or your last C event discipline if there is no B event. A events are the strongest drivers of plan focus. Changing Your Event Type In many cases, you can change an event’s discipline. When you do, TrainerRoad may prompt you to update your plan so training matches the new discipline. There are a few situations where changing discipline requires deleting and recreating the event instead, such as switching between cycling and triathlon categories, or switching between stage race and single-day event categories. FAQs How do I Build a Custom Training Plan? You can use the resources below to learn how to build a custom plan and to dig deeper into their structure: - TrainerRoad Plan Builder Over View & Walk Through - Understand the structure & science behind TrainerRoad Plans. How to Choose Which Event to Make My A Event? In most cases, you want your A event to be your primary event for the season. You can learn more here: - How to Add A, B, & C Events to Your Calendar - How to Prioritize Your Races and Build a Seasonal Race Plan I'm not Training For an Event, What can I do? TrainerRoad has many goal-based plan options as well. You can learn about them here. How Should I Choose the Event Intensity? It's helpful to think of the intensity rating of the event as the aspirational pace you want to ride it. Every athlete is different but here is a bit of general guidance: - Recovery - Tempo could be an all-day or repeated-day effort(rest day or easy day during a stage race). - Tempo - Hard could be a race level effort for 3-8 hours. - Hard - All out efforts would be a max level effort for shorter events(1-3 hours)

Choosing Your Training Plan • Last updated on Feb 13, 2026

Ramp Test FAQs

The Ramp Test is our preferred method for getting an effective estimate of Functional Threshold Power: a measure of cycling performance and the metric used to guide all TrainerRoad workouts. To learn more about FTP testing and the Ramp Test, click here. Ramp Test - Frequently Asked Questions How does TrainerRoad calculate my FTP from the Ramp Test? We take 75% of your best one-minute power. If you are above target for the final minute, the app will reduce your result by a small amount. It’s important to follow the target power closely as you progress through your test. How hard should I go during the ramp test? For the most accurate results, give the ramp test everything you've got. At the end of the testing section, you should have nothing left in the tank. I didn’t immediately stop pedaling immediately after I failed the test. Does this affect my FTP calculation? Nope! Your FTP is based on your best one-minute power, not your last one-minute power. So, soft-pedaling or grinding gears after finishing the ramped section will not affect your FTP score in any way. What if I think my score is too high? If you score slightly higher than you expect, we recommend you still keep the Ramp Test result and see how training goes. You might surprise yourself with how much you're able to handle. Our workouts are designed to be pretty challenging, but doable. If you are able to successfully complete the first several workouts using your Ramp Test FTP, you'll know that you're using the correct FTP. That said, if you find that you are unable to complete many of your prescribed workouts, you can go ahead and decrease your FTP in 2-5% increments as needed. What if I think my score is too low? If you score slightly lower than you expect we recommend you still take the Ramp Test result and see how training goes. In particular, pay attention to how you're able to handle threshold work or any VO2 max efforts. If you feel that typically very hard workouts are just too easy, you can always manually adjust your FTP on your Account page. We recommend adjusting in 2-5% increments as needed. If you think your FTP result is much lower than it should be we recommend to check the following: - Did you REALLY dig deep and go hard? - Do you have excessive fatigue going into the test? - Did you have a major power dropout during your Ramp Test? - Were you able to achieve a level of performance similar to recent PRs? - Did you follow the target power closely? - Remember, the app will reduce your result by a small amount if you are above target for the final minute I’m a steady-state athlete (TT or triathlon). Should I do the Ramp Test or is the 20-minute test a better assessment for me? We recommend the Ramp test. Even though the intensity of the effort required during the final steps of a Ramp Test is well above the intensity required during a longer, lower-intensity effort, the information gleaned from the ramp protocol is more accurate than an FTP estimate based on a poorly paced 8- or 20-minute test. With a sufficient level of commitment and freshness, this format leaves little room for error in cyclists of all disciplines. I went into the test fatigued and got a low score. I thought the new test is less dependent on fatigue? While the new test may take less time and may exact a smaller physiological toll on the athlete, it is not any easier. You need to be reasonably recovered and prepared for any assessment workout in order to obtain usable results. Can/should I do the Ramp Test more often than the 8/20 minute tests? We still recommend assessing every 4-6 weeks. If you’ve taken more than 3-4 weeks off from training, resume training following an FTP assessment. Do you still have the old 8 and 20-minute tests? Yes! The 8 minute and 20-minute tests aren’t going anywhere, and you can still use them if you prefer them. Can I increase the warmup? We don't recommend increasing the warmup, but it can be done if necessary. Due to the very low-intensity nature of the warmup and the fact that it’s scaled to your previous or predicted FTP, this assessment incorporates a sufficient warm-up period that will adequately prepare riders for the higher-intensity steps that will close the ramp assessment. If, however, you’d prefer to add a few extra minutes of warmup time prior to beginning the Ramp Test, do so every time you perform a Ramp Test in order to keep the results and protocol consistent. Should I do this test in ERG mode? If you have a smart trainer we recommend that you do the test in ERG mode (default). A smart trainer is not required and those doing the test in ERG mode do not have an advantage over individuals on a traditional trainer. What is a good ride to do after the Ramp test to keep my TSS® in line with the 8/20 minute tests? It’s not required to do a workout after the Ramp Test. But for riders who want to get a little work in, we recommend actively recovering for 10-15 minutes followed by one of these workouts: - Carter - Birch - West Vidette - Pettit - Homers Nose - Bald Knob Why can't I find the Ramp Test in the app? Make sure that your app is up to date. The Ramp Test is not available on some older versions of the TrainerRoad. If it's still not showing up, check to see if there are filters enabled that might be hiding the app from your workouts list. Note: The Ramp Test is not available in our Legacy app. Legacy users will need to continue using the 8- and 20-minute FTP tests. If you have any questions about this, please contact our support team at [email protected].

General Usage FAQs • Last updated on Aug 13, 2026