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Progression Levels

Progression Levels are a dynamic, real-time representation of your fitness and ability to express your FTP across each training zone. They are measured on a scale from 1-10 to track your progress.

As you complete rides, Adaptive Training analyzes and adjusts these levels based on the relative difficulty of your workouts in each zone, as well as how successful you were in completing them.

Progression Levels can help you select workouts that are appropriate for your current capabilities. They also guide Adaptive Training to make more specific plan adjustments based on your individual performance.

Where are Progression Levels displayed?

Career

With the addition of Adaptive Training and its suite of features, we've revamped the Career page on the website (as well as added this tab to the mobile and desktop applications).

Your Progression Levels (as well as other important training stats and dates) can be found here.

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Progression Levels are displayed alongside your TSS chart and current training plan details.

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On the Desktop app

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On the Mobile app

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Workouts that result in individual Progression Level changes will display the resulting change along the bottom of the completed ride's thumbnail, alongside its Difficulty Level.

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Ride Analysis

Additionally, drilling into this ride reveals a new Progressions section on the Ride Analysis page. It shows your relevant Progression Level at the time of the workout, your Progression Level after completing the workout, and the specific change in Level resulting from the workout's completion.

In some cases, workouts will have you riding in multiple complementary power zones. For these, you may also see a Secondary Progression here displaying the additional changes to your Progression Levels.

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FAQs

Why did my Progression Levels change? 

  • Completing Workouts 

    Progression Levels are determined by the level of recent workouts an athlete has completed in that power zone and how successfully they completed these workouts.

    If your performance warrants an adjustment to your Progression Level, this will happen once the ride is completed and saved.
  • FTP Increase 

    Progression Levels automatically adjust downwards after an FTP increase. This is because two factors affect the difficulty of a workout: your FTP and the Workout Level. If either of these factors increases, the scheduled workout gets harder and vice versa.

    By reducing your Progression Levels (and in turn, upcoming Workout Levels) we can offset the sudden increase in workout difficulty traditionally associated with FTP increases. As a result, we can more accurately serve you the right workouts for your current capabilities, to keep your training on track and ramp the difficulty of your workouts at a sustainable rate.
  • Time Off 

    Your capabilities decline when you take time off the bike or don't train specific skills for extended periods. To reflect this, your Progression Levels gradually adjust after time off, or after long periods without completed workouts in any individual training zone. The magnitude of these time-related adjustments varies from Level-to-Level because changes in different types of fitness occur at different rates.

My FTP went down, but my Progression Levels stayed the same - why? 

Your FTP decreasing will result in easier workouts in itself since the power targets will be reduced. That means your Progression Levels will not be reduced unless you continue to struggle with workouts at your new FTP.

If you think you're capable of a higher Workout Level than what's scheduled, you can use Workout Alternates to find a more difficult workout. Adaptive Training will adjust your future training based on your performance.

I just completed a workout, and my Progression Level didn’t change - why? 

If you complete a workout below your current level, you won't see a Progression Level change.
If you find a workout particularly challenging, Adaptive Training will analyze this when updating your Progression Levels so that future workouts are more productive and keep you on track for your goals.
If it seems Progression Levels aren't updating properly, please contact support@trainerroad.com.

Is the Progressions graph similar to a power profile? 

It’s related but distinct. Power Profiles can put athletes into boxes and limit their perception of their own ability to change and improve. Progression Levels simply reflect your current relative abilities at your current FTP.

As you progress within a training plan, your Progression Levels can go up and down, depending on which abilities you address in training. Think of it as a snapshot of your current fitness rather than your “destiny” as a cyclist.

How do Progression Levels differ from Workout Levels? 

Progression Levels are unique to you and can change in response to your training. On the other hand, Workout Levels are specific to a workout and will not change.

What happens when you max out a particular level? 

Reaching a level 10 in any of your Progression Levels is a strong indication that you’ve improved your FTP. In practice, if your FTP is set correctly and you take regular Ramp Tests, it’s fairly unusual to reach Level 10 before the last week or two of your training plan. If you find this happening, we recommend taking a Ramp Test.
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