Get in Shape with Rouvy

The new year has started, and you probably have eaten some tasty things over the holidays.

Now you want to start or get back to a healthy lifestyle and improve your current fitness.

At least that is where I am now.

Since Rouvy introduced the new workout mode and the new career, we have the right tools and have the incentive - in gaining coins and leveling up - for our endeavor. But how can we get the most out of it?

First lets start with evaluating how much time we have out our hands to invest into our fitness. This is a very important step and should be done with care.

New Year Resolutions

Imaging you are very motivated, maybe you bought a new smart trainer for your bike for Christmas, maybe you said to yourself I will run an Ironman in the summer and train every day. The first and second week you train like a pro. You follow Jan Frodenos training plan. But in week three work starts piling up or a new movie comes out, and you skip a training session or two. But let's face it you also felt like riding a bike is more like a duty than a joy, since your whole body hurts and screams STOP IT!. So your motivation breaks, and you call your training plan off.

Sound familiar? At least my last few new year resolutions gone kaput in the first weeks of the new year similarly. So how can we try to make it better?

Be Realistic

We need to be realistic with our time, our current fitness level, and our goals.

So I would suggest start with a training plan with a lower volume. If you succeed in following it, and feel you could invest more time, start the next one with more volume. Additionally, you can add extra training session to your linking, if you have more spare time.

To evaluate your current fitness level you should do an FTP test. I am recommending the following.

This will be the base we use to evaluate how we progress in the following month. Do not forget to update your FTP in your Rouvy settings.

At least for me an event is a great goal. At best, you can already register, so you have some kind of obligation. I registered for a sprint triathlon (400 m swim, 20 km ride, 5 km run).

Choosing a Training Plan

Now we come to the hard part, which training plan should we follow. I have done the search on Google and checked some training plans, but most of them did not fit my time schedule. Most of the time the volume was too high. So I decided to freestyle it and monitor my progress by riding the triathlon bike route every month.

So here is how a week in my training plan is structured:

• Day 1: Structured Workout
• Day 2: Nothing
• Day 3: Structured Workout
• Day 4: Nothing
• Day 5: Nothing
• Day 6: 20 - 30 km Virtual Route
• Day 7: Nothing

Each session is about one hour long, and I am trying to do three each week.

Most of the time I am searching for workouts under one hour on https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts, convert them to an erg file and upload them to Rouvy. I wrote a blog post, Zwift Workouts in Rouvy, about this process, if you want to do that as well.

Currently, I am following the ZwiftOff Workouts, which are five workouts designed for weight loss. Much needed after the holidays.

In the coming month I will use more intense workouts to be in a good shape for the triathlon event.

Final Thoughts

1. Do not stress yourself with training plans. The most important part is to be consistent. Start with low volume and if you feel like it add another session.

2. Do not stress yourself with the time/FTP of others. Look at your progress and be proud of yourself if you gained some FTPs over the last month.

3. Have fun. Ignore the data from time to time and just ride. Maybe join a group ride. Or chat with a friend over discord while riding.

If you are interested in my way to the triathlon, you can read my weekly report. Starting with Week 01.