You can fine tune how conservative or aggressive TrainerRoad AI is with it's adjustments to your training and rest in your Training Approach settings. Make changes to TrainerRoad AI's entire training approach or get specific about your training with adjustments to each training zone's training demand.
How to Adjust Overall Training Approach
If you would like to set one training approach for your entire training plan you can set your approach when you build a custom training plan or edit your plans training approach through the TrainerRoad Calendar.
New Plan:
Step One: Login to your TrainerRoad account on the TrainerRoad website.
Step Two: Select the Training Plans tab and begin building a custom training plan.
Step Three: When you reach the Training Approach page opt for the training approach you would like for your entire training plan.
Step Four: Finish building out your training plan. Your training approach will be set!
Existing Plan:
Step One: Login to your TrainerRoad account on the TrainerRoad website.
Step Two: Select the Calendar tab from the navigation menu.
Step Three: Select your training approach in the upper right hand corner of the screen or find the nearest training approach annotation on your Calendar and select that.
Step Four: Select the pencil at the bottom of the current training approach menu.
Step Five: Adjust the sliding bar to your desired training approach.
Step Five: Hit Save!
How to Adjust Training Approach by Zone
You can tailor adjustments to the training approach of individual zones in your training approach settings or when you set up your training plan with Plan Builder.
New Plan:
Step One: Login to your TrainerRoad account on the TrainerRoad website.
Step Two: Select the Training Plans tab and begin building a custom training plan.
Step Three: When you reach the Approach step select the box that says Customize by Zone
Step Four: Adjust each scale to the training approach you would like to target for that zone. Each zone will progress independently based on the settings you select.
Step Five: Select Generate Plan to finish building out your plan!
Existing Plan:
Step One: Login to your TrainerRoad account on the TrainerRoad website.
Step Two: Select the Calendar tab from the navigation menu.
Step Three: Select your training approach in the upper right hand corner of the screen or find the nearest training approach annotation on your Calendar and select that.
Step Four: Select the pencil at the bottom of the current training approach menu and select Customize by Zone
Step Five: Adjust each scale to the training approach you would like to target for that zone. Each zone will progress independently based on the settings you select.
Step Six: Select Save to save your updated settings!
What Training Approach Should I Choose?
For most athletes, a more balanced approach will be the best fit! The balanced approach doesn’t place extra emphasis on intensity or recovery making it a good fit for most athletes. If you are unsure what setting is right for you we recommend starting with the balanced approach and only making incremental adjustments based on how this approach works for you.
If you are looking to prioritize recovery in all zones (or a few in particular) then a more conservative approach might be the best setting for you. Choosing a more conservative setting is a good fit if you are someone who has trouble getting quality sleep, is managing a lot of additional stressors outside of your training, or needs extra time to recover from hard training sessions.
If you are looking to prioritize intensity and know that you can manage potential burnout then the aggressive setting might be a good fit for you. It is important to note that you are at higher risk of burning out if you choose the overall more aggressive Training Approach or change several zones to be more aggressive. For this reason, we only recommend choosing the aggressive setting if you are an experienced cyclist who manages recovery well and has the time and knowledge to stay on top of nutrition, rest, and sleep.