Today, TrainerRoad announced their integration with Zwift’s Training API, making it easier than ever to execute TrainerRoad workouts directly in Zwift.
TrainerRoad tops the list of training platform integrations Zwifters have been requesting ever since the Training API was announced months ago. It’s no mystery why: TrainerRoad is the leader in structured workouts and training programs for cyclists, with an estimated 150-350k subscribers. (That’s why we published a post on how to run TrainerRoad and Zwift side-by-side, a hacky solution that Zwifters have been doing since Zwift’s early days.)
Read on to learn more about what TrainerRoad offers, how to connect your TrainerRoad and Zwift accounts, what it’s like to execute TrainerRoad workouts in Zwift, and more…
About TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad launched in 2011, before Zwift was even a glimmer in creator Jon Mayfield’s eye. And TrainerRoad has continued to innovate and grow even as the indoor training landscape radically changed beneath them.
Today, TrainerRoad is regarded by many as the top source of effective, personalized structured training plans. Backed by the power of AI, TrainerRoad’s “adaptive training” features continually modify your training calendar based on your indoor and outdoor sessions. You also get access to their entire library of proven workouts (over 4800 as of February 2025), which you can execute at any time without setting up a full training plan.
To date, over 30 million TrainerRoad workouts have been completed, and they have achieved a 4.9-star rating from over 25,000 app reviews. Impressive. And if that doesn’t convince you, give a listen to the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast and learn about the minds and experience behind TrainerRoad’s training plans!
Pricing
You’ll need to pay for TrainerRoad in order to access their training plans. Cost is $21.99/month, or 209.99/year. Signup includes a 30-day money back guarantee. Sign up here >
Connecting TrainerRoad + Zwift
Although TrainerRoad has an app, connecting your account is done via the Trainer Road website (trainerroad.com). Visit the site, create or log into your account, then connect it to Zwift under Account/Connections: Zwift. I actually got a Zwift-related popup when I signed into my account, which made it easy:
Using TrainerRoad in Zwift
Once you’ve connected your TrainerRoad account to Zwift, your scheduled TrainerRoad workouts will automatically show up on your home screen’s “For You” carousel:
You can also find TrainerRoad workouts under Workouts>Custom>TrainerRoad:
One tip: if you’re like me and you like to read the details of your workouts before starting them, be sure to click the description text above the “Start Ride” button for the full text. Here’s an example of what you may say see when you do that:
Start the workout like any other workout, and execute it from within Zwift. Once you save your session, your data is automatically sent back to TrainerRoad so their system can recommend training plan adaptations.
If you’ve done many workouts in Zwift, you may notice two new features Zwift is rolling out with this TrainerRoad integration: precise power targets and an RPE Scale survey.
Precise Power Targets
Zwift has always rounded power targets in workouts to the closest 5 watts. (For example, if you had a 200W FTP and a 102% power target, the workout would give you a target of 205W instead of 204W). Workouts from TrainerRoad will use precise power targets, rounded to the nearest 1 watt.
RPE Scale
When you finish your TrainerRoad workout within Zwift, a quick survey will pop up, asking you to rate “How did this workout feel?” on a scale of 1-10:
This data is passed back to TrainerRoad to inform their systems and allow for training calendar adaptations.
Which FTP?
One common question when it comes to these Training API integrations is, “Which FTP setting is used for my workouts?” Zwift lets you set your FTP in their system, while partners (like TrainerRoad) maintain their own separate FTP setting.
This is actually an option in Zwift’s Training API: partners can choose to use Zwift’s FTP settings, or the partner’s FTP setting. So far, we’re seeing partners elect to use their own FTP setting, for obvious reasons. That is true for TrainerRoad as well.
This means that as TrainerRoad automatically detects and updates your FTP (you’ll get an email from them when that happens), that new FTP will automatically be used to determine workout targets for TrainerRoad sessions executed within Zwift.
A Few Extra Notes
The in-game TrainerRoad kit will be added to your garage the first time you connect your TrainerRoad account to Zwift:
There is a TrainerRoad Club on Zwift, which you can join here.
There is a launch ride scheduled with Zwift CEO Eric Min and TrainerRoad CEO Nate Pearson February 15, 2025, at 4pm UTC/11am ET/8am PT). This ride is open to everyone regardless of whether you have a TrainerRoad account and will be held on one lap of Watopia’s Spiral into the Volcano route (55.8km, 355m elevation). It is an open-paced ride. Sign up here >
Complete List of Training API Partners
TrainerRoad is just the latest to be added to the growing list of Training API partners at Zwift. Here’s the complete list, which will be updated as new partners are added:
- TrainerRoad
- TrainingPeaks (using legacy API)
- TriDot
- Vekta
- Velodapt
- Wahoo SYSTM
- XERT
Questions or Comments?
Check out today’s video from GPLama covering this new integration:
You may also want to read TrainerRoad’s blog entry about getting started with TR+Zwift, or their support post.
Got questions or comments about Zwift’s TrainerRoad integration? Share them below…
I’d love it if you can get out of Zwift on how exactly TR can create zwo workout files that maintain precise power targets, while zwo workout files created right in Zwift itself, cannot be created this way and lead to the game app rounding the values. Sounds like the difference is simply the coding of the actual workout file?
“Zwift has always rounded power targets in workouts to the closest 5 watts. (For example, if you had a 200W FTP and a 102% power target, the workout would give you a target of 205W instead of 204W)”
The rounding didn’t start until approximately January 2022.
Will the elimination of the rounding apply to all workouts or only imported ones?
Hmmm… I don’t think so. It’s always done that for me, as long as I can remember.
Browsing Youtube videos of people doing Zwift workouts, it looks like it’s been doing it for at least 6 years. Here’s one from 2018 where it’s definitely rounding to 5W: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsgFxNrgebw
hmm right from the beginning, it’s not rounded
Please see the beginning of this thread: https://forums.zwift.com/t/bring-back-the-exact-watt-goals-for-workouts-stop-the-rounding/571155
Did you get an explanation about why this is only for TR workouts and not for all workouts?
I thought this was only a visual, as I believe on the companion app it shows your exact target
This is clearly a bug introduced in January 2022, so it’s three years old and Zwift pretty much doesn’t do anything about it. There was never a rounding before that date given on my system (Win10/11)
A niche within a niche – Integration sounds great for a route based workout, but doesn’t sound like it will it work an events? Races with long climbs like ventop are great paired with TR threshold workouts!
For those that haven’t used TR before, it is magic – it has an uncanny ability (well, machine learning) to set intervals at just the right level, challenging to the second. Well recommended!!
Are you really admitting to and promoting the use of ERG mode in race events? That is straight up cheating and if true you should be banned.
I’m not sure I’d call ERG mode “cheating” in a race. I think it would be a terrible choice, and a big disadvantage, in everything except perhaps a TT. And even then…?
Really? Not having to deal with incline variations and shifting is not an advantage? Regulating effort and tamping power spikes is not an advantage? Setting it to 700w ceiling then sprinting for 60 seconds easily is not an advantage? It is openly discussed as a way to win and sandbag without consequence. It is blatant cheating as you are manipulating your Race effort via third party software. It’s 100% impossible to do if you are just using Zwift. Ask Rich at FRR what he thinks about it.
I would be interested in watching a racer advantageously use ERG mode in a Zwift scratch race… it would be a fascinating approach you’d have to take. Got any YouTube videos of it?
How do you deal with staying in the pack when things surge? How do you deal with timing that final sprint?
Sorry, just not seeing how it would be anything but a disadvantage. But I’m always happy to be proved wrong…
Use your watch or whatever to switch between free ride and ERG where it would be advantageous to regulate your power as the original poster stated by just pressing a button. The Alpe is stupid easy to manage if you slowly up your ERG power bit by bit and you pass so many people in the corners who naturally slow due to the gradient change but you don’t just like a bot. Surges are a none issue in freeride mode, try it out yourself in a big spin ride. Either way it’s being used to game the game and that’s not cool.
You can just set your trainer difficulty to 0 in zwift, doesn’t that get you pretty much what you are describing?
Absolutely, same as freeride and no issues with surges etc. The difference is that you can’t control your power output with trainer difficulty. Capping your effort and riding without variation is what you enable with ERG and anyone who doubts it only has to try it to see for themselves. ERG does far more than scripted workouts if you are creative or nefarious. Next time someone pulls an amazing 1000m final effort with almost perfect power pacing and cadence you’ll know why. Short sprints died last year for more than just tactical reasons. Is ERG allowed in top level racing, No. Is using third party software to manipulate your physical output allowed? No. Maybe there’s an argument for using a blender next to your trainer, seems that it’s should be ok if this is, it’s also modulating trainer output without you. Stick to race series that ban this behaviour and don’t turn a blind eye if you want to be closer to reality. ERG On!
I don’t understand this point about setting a ceiling and that being an advantage?
Again,. genuinely curious. If it stops you being able to produce more than that, then it’s a disadvantage…and it doesn’t ‘give’ you free watts to make up to the ceiling, it’ll make you put the effort in or grind to a halt?
I can’t help but think this is a nothing compared to people using trainers or power pedals that offer things like ‘scaling’
It’s an interesting perspective – and to be clear, I’m not ‘promoting’ anything:)
Power source is still the trainer (neo 2t btw, so try doing anything nefarious to that…) and there is no artificial gain… It does help me even out the effort, but as others have said, stick trainer difficulty to 0 and have a bike with a big gear range…
I’m not aware of any normal races that disallow it, so no, I wouldn’t accept that it’s cheating.
As Eric said, it’s great fun debating whether to forgo a rest interval to stay with a pack and fumbling with FTP bias 1% at a time 🙂
It is disallowed, ZRL rulebook 8.1.3(h) forbids the use of mechanical or electronic devices to control resistance. FRR race director reminds the field every series it’s not allowed. Zwift disallows it by default by TOS.
Cool, but I’m not in the ZRL races…
Out of interest, have you read the Zwift TOS and confirmed it’s actually stated in there, Vs left to race organiser discretion?
Lol, yes. Why don’t you read it and the EULA for yourself since you don’t want to believe. You may also want to consider this para:
“vii.Use our Platform other than for its intended purpose and in any manner that could interfere with, disrupt, negatively affect or inhibit other users from fully enjoying our Platform…”
Done with this topic, ride on.
An integration no one asked for or wants. I’ve been on TR from the start, the fact Zwift is always referred to as a “game” is pass for me. I do own the Zwift Ride, its a great bike to eliminate wear and tear on my road bikes and it’s quiet and smooth, the buttons don’t work in TR but I’m good with that.
Wait… are you saying no one asked for TR integration with Zwift?
On the issue that the incline/descending and steering buttons don’t work (on Kikcr bike also) – with this be addressed in future?
A huge amount of people have asked for exactly this for many years now.
The only reason why I’m not super excited is the $42/month price point.
Out of curiosity: what are you doing on ZwiftInsider if you’re not even using the platform?
Then don’t use it. I would love to add TR if they ever come up with some sort of package pricing. Heaven forbid you add a few fun game elements to your indoor workouts
Now, lets just get a zwift+trainerroad discount bundle! Over 40 bucks a month is a bit to steep for me at least 😅
yeah i’m not paying full price for both, but i can’t see how either would want to give up anything unless they are banking on a lot of new users who don’t use either. if Rouvvy had a bigger rider to steal from, they might have tried a package deal
When are they going to add an power average for each lap like they do on TR?
NOT interested in the slightlest – go waste your money!
LOL. Thanks for your permission, Dan. 😀
If a TR workout has coaching instructions during a workout, will the text appear on the Zwift screen?
Yup!
Ps. I find this very funny, a lot of users have multiple accounts as they like both platforms. It was a pain to log xp in Zwift when doing a trainerroad training. Now the nice people of trainerroad and Zwift made it happen that they can talk to each other and the pain went away….
And what do we? We start to demand a discount, because in a sudden 2 subscriptions are too expensive.