Which Cycling Training App is Best? Should you chose Zwift vs Sufferfest vs TrainerRoad?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- This is a quick review of pros and cons. of training apps. I am not paid or sponsored by anyone, its just my opinion. I asked them all but only Sufferfest offered a code. TR and Zwift did not reply. Here I review their science | price | features.
TRAINERROAD Q&A DATABASE
fft.tips/trpodcast
FFT COACHING
fft.tips/onlinecoaching
/ fastfitnesscoaching
SOCIAL MEDIA
Strava club: fft.tips/strava
Patreon: fft.tips/patreon
Instagram fft.tips/instagram
Facebook fft.tips/facebook
Twitter fft.tips/twitter
Group fft.tips/group
TH-cam fft.tips/youtube
Zwift team fft.tips/team - กีฬา
![[UNCUT] ฝันรักห้วงนิทรา | EP.9 (3/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ikd1tEhXbp8/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for the review. There's some confusion about TrainerRoad in your review that I'd like to address.
1. TrainerRoad focuses on a Base, Build, Speciality progression for plans. We start with general fitness then get very specific depending on the rider’s A race. You can peak for Gravel, Road Racing, Fondos, Crits, Triathlon, Time Trials, MTB racing, Cyclocross, etc.
With our new Plan Builder you can put in your A/B/C events and we’ll dynamically make a plan for you that is customized to your volume and training experience. Riders need to address different energy systems based on their target event(s) and we address this for them.
With Plan Builder riders can choose the day of the week and if they want to train indoors or outdoors. You can even say that early in the plan you want to do all indoors then when it starts to get warmer you can switch some or all days to outside workouts. These workouts will then be directly sent to your Garmin or Wahoo head unit to execute outdoors. Once they are done they will get sent back to TR and you can analyze your workout with our tools and the workout gets checked off the plan.
The 99% comment on our marketing site is about picking sweet spot base vs traditional base. Unless you are a high-level rider with lots and lots of time we suggest starting your training progression with sweet spot base.
2. Those studies were not about "proving" TR works. They were from a long time ago and were supposed to be a comparison between "just riding outside" and "interval training". We think that most people believe in interval training and those studies are being removed today. Sorry if they were misrepresenting us.
Lots of companies just like to say that they are the best at making people faster, or that their method is superior. We think the best way to see who's faster is to just listen to the users. Here's a 1,000+ post forum thread about people's FTP improvements with TrainerRoad: forum.trainerroad.com/t/your-ftp-improvements/862
3. Of the apps you reviewed, we are the only one with a training calendar (which I think is best in class; and lots of users agree) and analytics. These replace the need for other platforms (and $$$) but you don’t mention these features in your review. Outside workouts (which is a huge plus for people) is also glossed over. We're the only ones who do this today from those you reviewed.
4. You didn't mention that our yearly plan comes out to $15/month which is the same as Zwift. Since we have outside workouts and you can execute your customized training plan either indoors or outdoors a yearly plan makes a lot of sense for our users.
If you ever have any questions or want to give it a shot for a review, email us at press@trainerroad.com
The analytics and calendar add a ton of value for me. I was able to drop my Strava Premium and TrainingPeaks. That saved me $20 a month. Trainerroad is all encompassing for training indoor/outdoors, reviewing rides and trends and of course training plans. I used TrainingPeaks for a while but go sick of trying to find training plans and workouts. For me Trainerroad is the best value, but so many people only think of it as just a program to ride indoors with.
The Sufferfest has jusr added a calendar as well!
@@leedorney haha that's me...reading my figures all the time...I think that is important when you get more serious in training though.
@@leedorney I live for numbers.... give me ALL of them!
Switched from TR to Xert. More comprehensive with Smart adaptive workouts. And if you like stats, Xert has TR beat by a mile
Appreciate the positive comments on Xert, Alex! Left wanting more. :-)
Just tried Xert, really loved it. It's now my main cycling fitness platform !
Thanks so much for the TranerRoad podcast catalogue! I've been a big fan since I started training and definitely should re-listen to some of the discussions in there.
It's nice to get a simple thank you. It's at fft.tips/trpodcast and is free to use.
@@Fastfitnesstips Is it just me or did you find that over 2019 the podcast became more about what ride everyone was doing and less about training, nutrition or some other related topic. I stopped listening about mid year after I found myself fast forwarding 3/4 every time.
I'm a Sufferfet user for a few years now. Yes, the OLD video files are 'not in sync' however these are considered as classics. Look for example at the video 'Team Scream' - well played, in sync TTT with the perfect soundtrack. The App includes Yoga for cyclists, strength & mental training. A custom training plan is available on-demand and just now they've added built-in training calendar.
A word about social, while the platform is considered non-social I found their community on social networks to fizzy and supportive.
I'm new to cycling and will soon be getting into indoor training too next month. Thanks very much for your views of each app, really interesting stuff!! 👍 👍
Why the focus on price? We're riding £3-10k bikes and people are spending $400 on 5 watt saving aero bars, TR seeming pretty good value in that context.
A bit like a gym membership....if it works for you then its good value whatever the price, if it doesnt then it's bad value even if its dirt cheap
@@UltimateTuner10 are you aware of the difference between coaching and a training app?
Cleanneon98 which specific plan in zwift sufferfest or xert did I mention? None. Yet they exist! I said that they each had about 100 plans (including suboptions). The only reason I mentioned SSB was because of the 99% recommendation, which I will only believe if there is evidence to show it; but I am always willing to be corrected by strong evidence
Switched from TR to Xert. More comprehensive with Smart Adaptive workouts. And if you like stats, Xert has TR beat by a mile
My iPhone is tiny. How can I use Xert if it’s not on Windows 10?
You really missed the mark on TR. Sorry man.
99% right 1% wrong
@@Fastfitnesstips The part of TR that nothing else can touch is the customized plans. My A race is the state crit this year and I have chosen Sweet Spot Base, then Short Power Build, then Crit Specialty plans. Each one is flexible depending on your available hours and days of the week. Last year I did the General Build and Rolling Road Race Specialty instead. You usually can't get customized plans like that without paying for an expensive coach. The main thing you criticized is actually where they excel among their competitors. There is even a new plan builder that takes your events and dates and goals and builds EVERYTHING to suit your CUSTOM needs.
@@davidmartin2766 not to mention you can also use it outdoors
@@davidmartin2766 ah ok...if they have an automated plan builder that's doesnt just put everyone in the same plan maybe they have already taken care of my criticism. Hopefully someone will do a video review of this soon
@@Fastfitnesstips The full prescribed plan for anyone is 1 base 1 build then 1 specialty. There are 6 base plans, 7 build plans, and 17 specialty plans, and every single one of them has 3 volume options. That's hundreds of options. There's a very simply laid out STEP 1, STEP 2, STEP 3 when you go to training plans on the site. I'm not sure where you thought that sweet spot base was all they have to offer and all that they think 90% of people should do...
Your comments on TrainerRoad suggest you’ve not actually looked at any of their plans! Like their 6 different base plans with 3 volume options in each! Need more homework!
I looked at their website, their plans, their published workouts, their feedback in their own site, the feedback on other forums, I listened to every podcast episode, i reviewed the public data of riders actual workouts from 1000 trainer road users, and I read all the website reviews. Shoddy I know....next time I'll take it more seriously!
@@Fastfitnesstips You "reviewed" 1,000 TR user profiles? Who have at least 10+ you workouts each, no one has to be Stephen Hawking to see this is an immense amount of time.... Almost unbelievable
@@benelliott3168 would you like the spreadsheet?
@@Fastfitnesstips I call BS. You wouldn't have miss categorized their plans so much if you did. Or you have an ulterior motive.
@@Fastfitnesstips Yes I would
I find Sufferfest motivating. That is 90% of the battle.
So, you’re not very familiar with Trainerroad I’m guessing?
They recommend SSB for most riders because (as the title of the plan suggests) it’s BASE TRAINING. Sweet Spot BASE. Fundamentals and drills and shoring up the foundations of fitness. Had you bothered to research more, you’d have seen that SSB is followed by build and specialty plans that are tailored to many different riders. So your “99%. of riders into one box” criticism is speaking from ignorance.
He obviously is familiar enough. I love Trainerroad but Alex has a lot of good points here....
Yes, completely misrepresenting TR's suggestion that most riders START at Sweet Spot Base (of which there are 3 different volume options), and ignoring the multitude of Build and Specialty paths you have to choose from after that. The criticism that they don't have polarized plans is valid, but it's because they don't philosophically believe in the relative effectiveness and/or efficiency of such plans. At least they're true to their philosophy.
I'll accept your point mark if you can point to any study or data where a large group of riders of widely mixed ability and experience and time available did a variety of base training methods and 99% were superior in "sweetspot" vs let's say HVLI , HIIT, thresthold, pyramidal, Polarized, yet alone combinations of these. Otherwise it's just guesswork. Even 70:30 would be a great win for one training method...but 99:1 would be astonishing. Unless you randomized to a forced choice that was ludicrously unsuitable of course.
@@Fastfitnesstips "Sweetspot Base" is just the name of one of their base programs and includes a mix of almost everything you mentioned. Every plan is flexible and can be tailored. Do your research next time.
@@JTMarlin8 oh I see. SSB isnt really anything, its everything, whatever you want! It's kindof like Santa prescribed your training! Let's run with this, I assume " Traditional base" is inflexible and cannot be tailored...is that why only 1% do as well on it in your opinion?
I went from TR to Xert. Loving the FTP approach and not having to do FTP tests. And the dynamic workout approach is second to none. The races in Swift are good for variation, and I like the humor in Sufferfest.
Golden Cheetah works. Most of the time at least. And it's free software. No company stealing your data, no matter how useless it's still your data.
My Tacx vortex has a proprietary only ant-connection (which I don't even use). So I don't use any software (not even the Tacx tts4 software). I just do my LSD (zone 1-2) rides on the trainer in the winter. I don't need software for that (Usually I don't even bother to wear my HRM). I might throw in some polarized stuff later on and I could use an erg mode for that probably (I'd still rather do that outside). I don't like or need zwift (which doesn't feel social to me at all even when I compare it with a proper group ride with a bunch of strangers). And If I want to watch a video I'll go to youtube (or netflix or whatever)
I have a tacx vortex and i cant use my samsung s8 to connect ant+ to it directly (out of the box, no dongle needed) and can have it follow my training program that way. i could use bluetooth as well but since i connect the tacx vortex, my HR band and cadence sensor...ant+ is better at handling multiple connections
Me too. The environment on a trainer is mmm not condusive to hard work for me. Testing my ftp on a trainer is pointless when i have 5 years of data ammassed somewhere in there.
A good group ride when i have time in the week has everything as far as intensity is concerned in the winter.
And i dont need to work at vo2max in december thanks.
Comment on the Zwift workouts/plans. If you`re somewhat knowledgeable you should be able to use the wast amount of rides and races to construct a trainingplan.
Very true....you should be able to build a custom plan on any platform.
Agreed. They should make it easier to import workouts from elsewhere, though.
Great video. Trainerroad user here but it is way too expensive now. I will say you missed the mark at 9:30 though. They have lots of plans. They are saying to start their base phase with sweet spot base. Then they have low medium and high volumes. Then they have a build phase and speciality with loads of plans
Never mentioned Rouvy. Who uses. I’m quite a fan.
I'll see you on there! When my trainer arrives it has a free trial of rouvy. Zwift is a no go for me since they dont offer multiple profiles under one membership. Im not paying $15 more per month for my wife to use it. Rouvy is cheaper and up to 3 profiles I read.
S CC rouvy came as a shock the realism
Rouvy is fantastic.
@trainerroad
Sufferfest has around 50 cycling workouts. Not 1000.
MaximumTrainer has retired.
Thanks for that valuable info....I am going to count them up when I get 5mins because they have claimed many more than that!
Probably around 100 if you count the non video workouts as well and consider warmups and such as workouts.
We currently have close to 100 individual workouts in our library, but with the ability to adjust the intensity of a session by individual 4DP metrics you can create entirely new fitness outcomes for each one. Arguably, it's the quality of the workouts that matters, not the quantity. Oh, and did we mention strength training, yoga, and mental toughness that can be integrated into your training plans?
Maximumtrainer really missed the opportunity to be a big player, I loved that simple little software.
Awesome video, excellent review of the major apps, I wish you had done the smaller ones too however. In my opinion most expensive (ie trainerroad) does not always mean best. It depends on your riding style, your motivation and training pattern.
Kudos for not holding back your opinions! I like the value for the money you take in your videos. Not many people have the guts to point out that the emperor is naked! I was a little surprised that you didn’t really mention TrainingPeaks in this video.
Xert for me it's brilliant! And a good price.
I think you said all in one phrase if you use the app then it is worth the money. The majority of cyclists will improve no matter what
I guess I am on the opposite scale in that I hate zwift for two reasons.
The whole social aspect is more annoyance than benefit and I believe is having a massive impact on a loss of rider skills. The fact that you can just push forward and every other rider just gets out of the way has resulted in a loss of awareness by riders out on the road. This is seen at its worst in major events such as the Amy Grand Fondo this year which left me to scared to go back as this was like the past 6-7 years ( after missing 2018) combined in the first have of the ride. At every rest stop I watch riders shift from the left (fully closed roads) to the right with the last 10 meters before the rest stop where as in the past they would position on the right a couple of km beforehand. Now when you look at the behavior of riders in the bunches it was obvious they had no idea how to manage changes in the road and even saw a mate brought down because someone thought it was ok to just surge in between them.
The second is the miss connection with training sessions and the road. I would constantly find myself riding uphill in a recovery and down hill during the interval, this just did my head in.
Personally I like the Sufferfest as at least I get something to watch and the yoga sessions are a good ad on.
Trainer road for the past 2 years. Used zwift for about 2 months, just seem flimsy and cheap. The Sims for cyclist.
Fantastic video, start to finish. I can't believe you created that podcast catalog - so useful and amazing!! Thanks, mate
You are most welcome Andrethetiny!
Nice video Alex! I've used Zwift and TR, now I'm working with a coach so looking for a free OR near-to application with a simple workout builder and metrics displayed. Any you can recommend out of the twenty or so you mentioned?
Xert currently syncing with Strava :-D
Of the ones I reviewed I say try a few on a free trial. Unfortunately TR is pay upfront and reclaim if unhappy...but there is a referral code option.
@@Fastfitnesstips you can get a week free from any current user.
golden cheetah is completely free. The train mode is very similar to TR. There is a good workout builder, And you can import workouts from ergbd. And if you want to analyse your data, your up for a treat
You can use Final surge. You can create workouts in their workout builder for Zwift, Garmin. It is also free.
So you can read specs from a website... Good for you...
Don't tell anyone but I need specs 👓 to read those specs!
Why are you sitting in a fireplace?
To keep warm...its winter in the uk
@@Fastfitnesstips Don't burn your best bits!
Great review
Here is our video response to the hate mail and abusive comments I got from some TR users afer I posted this video:: th-cam.com/video/BZ_QwwKv_Bg/w-d-xo.html. Summary: I asked all apps for a free code, only Sufferfest responded. I took no money from any app. All opinions were my own. All the evidence for and against sweetspot is here: medium.com/fastfitnesstips/sweetspot-or-sourspot-ba596ea718ed?source=collection_home---4------2-----------------------
This guy is the real deal. He is on par with GPlama, DC rainmaker & Dylan Johnson.
TR works for many but I can’t stand it. What you enjoy more is going to get you improving more IMHO.
Thanks for including SUF in this overview, Alex. I would encourage your viewers to check out The Sufferfest and experience for themselves how much more effective 4DP-optimised workouts are than FTP-based sessions. We have the best sports scientists in the business creating our workouts and training plans, including Coach Neal Henderson, the man behind 48 world and national championships, Olympic medals, Grand Tour stage wins, and two World Hour Records. The Sufferfest is also the most comprehensive training app available, with strength training for cyclists, yoga for cyclists, and mental toughness training included with every subscription.
Also, to be fair I would like to add that the videos may be passive. But it's not like just watching a TH-cam video. For example, take 'Team scream'. When you are at the front during the TTT you have to put out an effort which is over your FTP, then you do the rotation, your power target drops. You have to surge to catch the wheel of your mate then hold on steady while slip streaming and then sprint out of a corner etc. So it's not as passive as described in the video.
Fix the video part he mentioned and iam in 😜
Sufferfest still offers a better training metric for accurate power zones.
No other app offers 4DP profiling. We all want to know what our max power zones for different durations for the most effective training.We are all different.
I have to agree with Alex ultimately.
Trainer road is also lacking an accurate power zone metric too.
Zwift does not give you accurate power zones which also correlate with heart rate zones.
Adding the data onto Training peaks shows how inaccurate the TSS is also.
It’s a good platform for virtual cycling but not precise for training.
Sufferfest all the way for me.
Group rides for being social on Zwift is okay but a zone 1/2 ride is different for every rider.
Their podcasts are kind of annoying. All over the place and strongly based on their opinions. I'm a flexible person and I feel that I can write my own plans so at $20/mth I'm out in April. People cite all the variety, but if you're focused on one kind of racing (CX or crits) then its basically sweet spot for base, general for build, and 1 for specialty; with 3 levels of volume. And it follows the 4 week laddering structure like every other plan. With coronavirus this season isnt even likely to happen so I'll experiment with what I've learned from coaches like Dylan Johnson and see how CX goes.
Appreciate your feedback but iI wonder why you watch videos you dont like? Re plans if you have the knowledge to write your own plans then it's great you dont need us!
@@Fastfitnesstips I liked the video. And the whole reason I feel confident in writing a half decent training plan is because of videos like yours and dylans
First !
You talk too much !
Agreed! ....just curious, how much do you talk?
You clearly have no idea what TrainerRoad offers. Why would you make a video review then? Because you are being paid by Sufferfest? Gotcha.
You are clearly being paid in chinese bitcoin by onelap to make this comment
Sufferfest is almost half price. Why pay 20 and listen to the same 3 pretend experts agreeing with each other
@@damon123jones This is almost as clown show as the video. Congratulations!
Trainer Road:Ask a cycling coach podcast is free on spotify and can be summed up as... "All we ever talk about is sweet spot base". It's annoying to listen to once you notice that.
You could always pose a better questions because they are only answering questions from viewers and it absolutely isnt true.
Clearly you don't actually listen
I'm a SUfferfest user but listen to the TR podcasts. If that is all that you are getting out of those sessions then you are completely missing a lot of useful information.