Indoor cycling on Zwift is one of the most effective ways to improve fitness and hit your cycling goals. If you follow a cycling plan to the letter it’s practically impossible to emerge from the other side without having accrued more power. And the more power you have, the faster you will go – and Fun, as we say, is FAST!

This doesn’t happen by mistake. Each of Zwift’s training plans and individual sessions are  meticulously curated by World-Class coaches with a view to making you a fitter, healthier and happier cyclist.

New to indoor cycling? Try Zwift FREE for 14 days and ride into a world of fun, fitness, and friendly faces — no experience needed, just a bike and a goal!

Indoor Cycling Training Terminology

One size doesn’t necessarily fit all, though, and that’s why we have a whole bank of workouts and training plans to choose from that will cater for your desired outcome. 

But before we break down some of the sessions and training plans let’s take a look at some of the terminology you’ll likely become acquainted with while pedalling the virtual path to real results. 

FTP (Functional Threshold Power): This is the maximum power you can hold for about an hour. Don’t worry though – we won’t be asking you to do this! It’s a key barometer used by many cyclists and a great indicator of your current level of cycling fitness.

FTP Test Indoor Cycling

While it’s not an obligatory part of proceedings it’s a good idea to undertake one of these tests in order to gauge where you are. Accurate training zones can then be extrapolated from the test and there’ll be no time wasted in grey areas. There are several ways to test. The two most common types can be found in the FTP Tests Folder in Zwift’s workout library:, the most common of which come in the form of:

• The Ramp Test: Starting at a low power that incrementally rises every minute until you can no longer pedal, this is the quickest and ‘easiest’ way of ascertaining your FTP.
• The 20-minute all out effort: As suggested, ride for your life for 20 minutes – it’s hard, it hurts but it’s also one of the most satisfying experiences you’ll have on an indoor trainer. Embrace the pain, harness the hurt. Your 20-minute power will then be divided by 95% to unveil a true FTP. 

Training Zones

Upon settling on a training plan or workout you’ll be prescribed ‘zones’ to ride in for specific durations. These are as follows:

• Zone 1: Light pedalling, legs and lungs should be untroubled. Also known as the recovery zone.
• Zone 2: Pressing a little harder on the pedals now, your heart rate will be elevated but holding a conversation should still be possible, if a little laboured.
• Zone 3 (Tempo). Moving into the realms of hard work now, Zone 3 represents a transition where lactate build-up becomes harder to shift. At this stage you’ll be able to communicate in terse sentences, your height rate will be high and you’ll be huffing and puffing.
• Zone 4 (Threshold): Threshold sums this up. You’re teetering on the edge of physiological breakdown but the human body – being as amazing as it is – can hold you here for an hour or more. This is a zone where a strong head can be as effective as a strong pair of legs. Grit your teeth and stay in the zone!
• Zone 5: Top-end endurance, this is where the masochists come to play – and for good reason too. Making friends with Zone 5 – or V02 Max – sessions will add the finishing touches to your fitness. Intervals here generally last for between 1-5 minutes. 
• Zone 6: Anaerobic work. Anaerobic means ‘without oxygen’ and such is an energy system that relies on ATP and anaerobic glycolysis which the body is only able to provide for short intervals. Essentially you’re sprinting here.

We have Zwift off! 

If you’re new to indoor training on Zwift you’ll likely be prompted to take an FTP test. This is so we can prepare bespoke workouts that will give you the best bang for your buck. We’d recommend the Zwift Ramp Test Lite for first-timers. This is a slightly truncated version of the standard test and will get you on the Zwift’s pixelated pavement in no time at all. After that, the world, or rather Watopia becomes your oyster. 

If you want a short and spicy session – a baptism of virtual fire –choose one of Zwift’s 30 Minutes to Burn sessions. These are one-off workouts rather than being part of a structured plan – great for those who struggled for time and want to weave a revitalising ride into their working day. You’ll work up a sweat at lunch and be back at the desk in time for the 2pm meeting. “Brisk Burn’, for example, is a 16-minute session that alternates Zone 2 with Zones 3,4 and 6. Riders are given minimal recovery in Zone 2 before tackling the other intensities, which increase as the session progresses. Trust us, you’ll have earned your lunch. 

The fun doesn’t stop there for one-off workouts. Zwift hosts over 2,500 of them, ranging from super-sweaty anaerobic affairs to long Zone 2 endurance spins. Each has been designed to play a specific role, add another quiver to your bow on the bicycle. Nothing on Zwift has been designed by mistake. 

Cycling Plans

Zwift’s six-week FTP Builder is the perfect place to start laying the foundations for a solid base level of fitness. The FTP Builder does what it says on the tin, raises your functional threshold power. You’ll notice as you become more acquainted with Zwift that all roads eventually lead to FTP. It is, after all, the greatest barometer of cycling fitness. After an initial FTP Test – don’t worry, they are not THAT bad – you’ll then begin following the programme which comprises some four to five hours of workouts a week. Don’t be daunted, much of this training plan takes place in Zone 2. This is the zone where you accumulate the most mitochondria and increase cardiovascular endurance. Also included in this indoor training plan are some top-end efforts.

Very occasionally you’ll be required to delve into the red zones of 5 and 6, and there’s a fairly liberal smattering of Tempo and Threshold throughout, but for the most part you’ll be imperceptibly building up that aerobic engine in Zone 2. Trust the process and enjoy it! The proof of this training plan will be in the pudding, a pudding which comes in the shape of… you guessed it – an FTP Test. If you’ve followed the programme you’ll likely be rewarded with a significant bump – particularly if you’re brand new to indoor training. 

Testament to this are the training plans featured in the workout library. Unlike the single sessions these are programmes that ideally need to be followed from start to finish in order to systematically gain fitness – either to simply make you a faster cyclist or peak for an event. 

For those concentrating on training for specific events, Zwift also has you covered with a gamut of training plans for different disciplines within the sport, From mountain biking and gravel events, to time trials and criteriums, Zwift has all the angles taken care of. 

The Gravel Grinder will not only spend just over three months preparing you for riding or racing on the rough stuff but it will make you ridiculously fit in the process. Thirteen weeks may seem like a long time, but you’ll arrive at your next gravel outing ready for anything and everything it throws at you. The training plan focuses on the three pillars of gravel racing: strength, stamina and speed. Strength sessions come in the form of, among other similar sessions, ‘Low cadence seated sprints’. You can feel yourself getting stronger, your quivering quads crying out for more oxygen. Stamina comes via a selection of long endurance sessions. These Zone 2 workouts often include time spent in Zones 3 and 4 to add that extra stimulus. Your aerobic system will be in tip-top shape at the end of this plan. Speed is a little harder to come by but those pesky Vo2 Max sessions are necessary to add the finishing touches to what should already be a pretty formidable fitness base. 

Whichever of these session or training plans you choose, know that with every pedal stroke you are firmly on course to becoming the best possible version of yourself on two wheels. So grab a towel, fill up your bottle and RIDE ON!

Try Zwift FREE for 14 days and ride into a world of fun, fitness, and friendly faces — no experience needed, just a bike and a goal!