Zwift Race Training: Best Workouts & Training Plan
ZWIFT COMMUNITY | on October 20, 2022 by Zwift
When the days are getting shorter and the air is getting cooler, that can only mean one thing. It’s time for Zwift Racing to heat up! This fall, we want to get you ready for winter racing on Zwift.
How Do I Train For Zwift Races?
Zwift Racing is tough and demands more than just easy riding. To train for this, focus on shorter and more intense sessions that push you above your usual riding pace and help you recover quickly. This will sharpen your top-end fitness so you can stay in the group and finish strong.
Why Zwift Racing Needs Specific Training
Zwift Races start fast, so you’ll need to produce big efforts early and recover quickly.
There will be surges and attacks with only a little recovery. Then, you’ll need to make explosive efforts to win the race on tired legs!
We’ve collected some structured workouts that can help you train for these efforts. Try them out to boost your fitness and mental strength. Then enjoy racing with your newfound gains!
Zwift Race Workout Glossary
FTP: Your FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the power you can hold for one hour, a key measure of aerobic fitness. You can find out your FTP by doing an FTP test. Thankfully you don’t need to ride as hard as you can for an hour! There are shorter and easier ways to measure your cycling fitness.
Threshold: Threshold training involves 8–30 minute intense efforts that prepare you for Zwift Racing.
HIIT: Consists of repeated hard efforts followed by periods of rest. The efforts are usually done above your ‘threshold’, and train the body to recover in short time periods. It’s a time-efficient way of building your overall fitness too.
Sweetspot: Sweetspot, just below threshold, is less demanding but highly effective at building endurance.
ERG Mode: ERG mode essentially means the trainer automatically adjusts resistance per interval. It removes the need to remember intervals. For intense sessions, it can be a good idea to turn ERG mode off, so that the hard efforts will feel more natural and your trainer won’t struggle to keep up with short bursts of power.
Best Zwift Workouts Tailored To Racing
Warm-Up Workouts For Zwift Racing
Name: Race Day!
Length: 20-minutes
Effort: 1.5/5
A 20-minute warmup to do right before a Zwift Race. This warm up features a ramped start, which gradually gets your legs turning. Then it’s time for four lots of eight second hard efforts.
This structured warm-up readies you to race without overreaching. Leave 5 minutes between warming up and the race start.
Workouts For Starting Your Zwift Race Strong
Name: 40/20’s #1
Length: 50-minutes
Effort: 2.5/5
High intensity interval training (HIIT), is a classic way to build your race sharpness. This session consists of three blocks of 40-second efforts, followed by 20-seconds of rest.
Short recoveries above threshold are just like race starts.
Name: Race Ready
Length: 31-minutes
Effort: 3.5/5
Led by three-time Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong, this workout features short, hard efforts followed by longer, sustained efforts. The aim is to get you used to recovering whilst still putting out a high power.
It includes four 4-minute efforts at threshold, each starting with an intense burst above it. It will help you get used to the fast starts. It’s a short one, but it’s not easy!
Zwift Workouts For Maintaining Pace and Staying in the Group
Name: SST (Short)
Length: 50-minutes
Effort: 3.5/5
Sweet Spot Training at 86–95% FTP builds aerobic fitness without over-fatiguing the legs. You’ll spend a lot of time near this power level in Zwift Races! Especially when you’re trying to hold the pace of the group.
Name: Devedeset
Length: 60-minutes
Effort: 2.5/5
The perfect workout for training your Time Trial form. Devedeset is a steady sweetspot workout at 90% of your FTP.
After a thorough warm-up you’ll complete three blocks of 10-minute efforts at just below your FTP. But fear not. The efforts will be broken down so that you’ll work at different cadences (pedalling speeds). Cadence changes mimic racing and prevent monotony.
Zwift Racing Workouts For Attacking and Following
Name: Fun is Staying Cool
Length: 41-minutes
Effort: 4/5
Over/unders will help you be able to surge repeatedly without getting a full recovery. It’s a great workout for looking to improve your FTP.
The workout includes two blocks of efforts. The first, is five lots of 1-minute on, 1-minute off. Then after a period of rest, the next block includes ten lots of 30-seconds on, 30 seconds off. It’s a demanding workout that will test your ability to surge and recover.
Name: The Carapaz
Length: 52-minutes
Effort: 3/5
Inspired by pro cyclist Richard Carapaz, this workout will help you make and recover from attacks while the pressure is high. It’s primarily a climbing workout that will get you used to having to dig deep on climbs. However it’s a great workout for building all types of race fitness, including sprint races, time trials, and team time trials.
Workouts For Finishing Zwift Races Strong
Name: Anna van der Breggen – Road Race
Length: 39-minutes
Effort: 4/5
Inspired by Anna van der Breggen, this workout will help build your anaerobic capacity for race-winning attacks and sprints. By steadily increasing the effort duration, from 2-minutes, to 1-minute, to 15-seconds, you’re training your body across multiple effort lengths. This is perfect training for the demands of both racing indoors on the trainer, and outdoors on the road.
Name: 2 by 2
Length: 30-minutes
Effort: 3.5/5
A short workout with repeated 2-minute efforts that start hard and get harder. The progression from tough to even tougher, matches the demands of Zwift Racing. Whether you’re preparing for the final sprint, or the last steep climb, riding these hard efforts will give you a good start. The session is just 30-minutes, so it’s good if you want a hard but time-efficient session.
Workouts For Recovering from Zwift Racing
Name: Recovery Spin
Length: 48-minutes
Effort: 1/5
Active recovery can help you feel better between intense workouts, but don’t overdo it! This brief workout features easy spinning and some fast cadence work.
How to find Zwift workouts?
All of the workouts can be found in the Zwift App and on the Zwift Companion App.
If you’re in the game, head to the workouts tab from the homepage. You can find the workouts in this article by heading to workouts and browsing by name from A-Z. You can also select a workout mid-ride by navigating to the menu.
If you’re in the Zwift Companion App simply head to ‘more’, then select ‘workouts’. Here you can see all of the workouts and add your favourites to your list.
Zwift Racing Training Plan (6 weeks)
If you have 6 weeks and a solid base of training to build on, check out the Zwift Racing Training Plan designed by Shayne Gaffney, a USA Cycling Level 1 Certified Coach and founder of GC Coaching.
It features a mix of race simulations and focused interval workouts to help get you ready for the specific demands of racing on Zwift.
This intermediate-level plan calls for 4 to 5 workouts per week. It includes a rest week in the middle and a taper week at the end to prime you for your first big race event.
Learn more about Zwift Cycling Training Plans.
Top 5 Tips for Success In Your Next Zwift Race
Racing isn’t all about fitness though. Here are our 5 tips for maximising your next performance:
- Warm Up Properly
As mentioned earlier, conducting a proper warm up like the ‘Race Day!’ will ensure your body is ready for the intense demands of racing indoors. A proper warm-up prevents injury and boosts performance, especially at the start.
- Stay Cool and Hydrated
Indoor racing is hot, so staying cool and hydrated is essential. Make sure you have enough water to last your race, two bottles is a good idea. Plus it’s recommended to set up your trainer near an open window, or if you’ve got a fan, point it at you whilst you race.
- Use Your Powerups
Just like any other video game, tactics will go a long way when racing on Zwift. You might receive “powerups” whilst you race. These will give you a momentary edge. Whether that’s becoming light as a feather, or getting you super aero.
You can use a powerup by clicking the icon on your computer, using the Zwift Companion App, or hitting your Click Controller if you have Zwift Cog and Click.
- Shelter in the peloton
The group of riders, also known as the peloton, will offer shelter from the virtual wind. This means when you ride behind other riders, you won’t need to put out as much power as the riders at the front of the group. Just like out on the road.
- Save some for the sprint
Many races are decided in the final kilometre. If you’ve survived the fast start, sheltered in the peloton, and survived any climbs, then it’s all down to the sprint.
This is where you give it your all and race for the finish line. If you’re able to save any energy for the final meters, this is where you can bid for glory.
Feeling ready to take on a race? Browse events on Zwift, sign up, and get ready to ride.