Today, we take a look at what could be done to make Zwift Academy a more engaging offering for the everyday Zwifter.
Zwift Academy Basics
Zwift Academy began in April 2016 with the goal of recruiting one female Zwifter for the 2017 Canyon//SRAM women’s pro racing team. Leah Thorvilson won that inaugural contract (read our interview with Leah), and after another women’s-only Academy in 2017, the 2018 Zwift Academy chose both a men’s and women’s winner.
While Zwift has held Academies for triathletes and runners, it’s the cycling academies that have always been the most popular. Zwift has held one every year since 2016, making 2024’s Academy the 9th in the series.
To graduate from Zwift Academy, riders typically have to finish a set of workouts and possibly a race or two within a stated time window. Zwift Academy has always been very popular with the community, even though the vast majority of riders aren’t in a position to vie for a professional cycling contract. Over 108,000 riders participated in Zwift Academy 2023!
But there’s always been a tension between Zwift Academy as a talent ID program and Zwift Academy as a training program for the everyday Zwifter. Each year Zwift has tweaked the program to try to maintain the difficult balance between giving community riders an introduction to structured training, while providing the kind of fitness testing needed to identify the world’s top riders.
Zwift Academy 2024, which just kicked off last week, sees Zwift moving noticeably toward the talent ID side of the program. They’ve done away with the shorter (easier) workouts and made the workouts available on-demand only. The completion window is much larger so more riders can tackle the program at peak fitness. And the 6 required workouts are clearly fitness tests, not a training program of any sort:
While some community members are lamenting the loss of the community side of Zwift Academy, I can’t fault Zwift for wanting to push the talent ID aspect of the program. And the truth is, to focus on talent ID, you really have to walk away from the community training side of years past.
Because highly talented racers don’t need to go through any sort of Zwift training program to be identified. (And on the flip side, community riders don’t really benefit from completing a series of one-off pro-level fitness tests.)
As I’ve pondered the evolution of Zwift Academy, what I’ve settled on is this: it needs to become two programs. One program is the annual talent ID competition. The other is a community-friendly training program that any rider can follow to build fitness, learn training fundamentals, and learn about Zwift as a training platform.
For the purpose of this post, we’ll say the Talent ID competition keeps the Zwift Academy name. Let’s call the community-friendly program I’m proposing “Zwift Community College”, or ZCC for short. (It’s a working title.)
Zwift Community College Basics
Off the top of my head, I can think of several ways the ZCC program could be structured to offer a better training opportunity to the Zwift community than Zwift Academy currently offers. But let’s focus on my favorite approach: a year-round, progressive training program made up of 13 four-week blocks. Here’s how it could work:
- Each four-week block would be its own training unit. Completing a unit would earn a badge or other achievement, similar to finishing a college class.
- Each week would consist of 2-3 difficult workouts interspersed with 2-3 optional recovery workouts. Even an occasional race could be required.
- To ensure a safe fitness progression, riders would be required to complete key workouts in a particular order for each unit. Some workouts (especially the recovery rides) would be optional for unit completion.
- In keeping with standard training practices, the fourth week of each unit would be a recovery week consisting of fewer, less difficult workouts.
- Training blocks would be planned for the full year with thought given to overall fitness progression. That is, you might feature a lot of base work in December/January, progressing riders to race-ready fitness by May/June.
- Workouts would be available on-demand or as group events.
- Workouts would be well-documented, so riders could know the purpose and plan of each workout before loading into the game.
The idea here isn’t to replace a high-quality training program that a seasoned cyclist may have set up with an expert coach. Rather, ZCC would be a year-round training program that would help the average non-coached rider build fitness and learn about training, all in the context of Zwift’s amazing worldwide community.
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Fun For All
How can ZCC be fun for everyone? This is an important question to answer when it comes to any Zwift feature, because Zwift needs to remain an inclusive platform where everyone can find motivation and fun, regardless of fitness level.
First, it’s important to mention that structured workouts on Zwift are based on each rider’s FTP. To pull an example out of thin air: one rider may have to hold 350 watts for 5 minutes in a VO2 max interval, while another rider only has to hold 150 watts. For both riders, that interval is 115% of their FTP, which means the relative level of difficulty is approximately the same for each rider. So while everyone is doing the “same” workouts each week of each ZCC unit, in a very real sense they’re not doing the “same” workout. And that’s a good thing.
The community aspect of ZCC is important, as we tend to push ourselves harder and stick to plans better when training with others. On Zwift, group workouts run in keep-together mode, so everyone stays together regardless of what watts they’re pushing. (Plus, good news: keep-together mode was improved a few months back, so riders move at much more realistic speeds!)
Leaderboards and other competitions could be used to further engage the community around the ZCC concept. Which riders have completed the most units? Which Clubs have completed the most ZCC workouts? Where do your key fitness metrics place you in relation to other riders in your gender/age/weight group/country?
Workout of the Week Replacement
Zwift’s Workout of the Week series doesn’t seem to follow any sort of progressive training plan. Perhaps the WoW workouts could instead be pulled from that week’s ZCC workouts, allowing riders who aren’t enrolled in ZCC to experience the program and learn more about how it works.
A Progression of Progressive Training Plans
It may be a lot for Zwift to roll out a full year’s ZCC program. What if they rolled out three four-week units instead, perhaps a base training program that begins in early December?
The kinks could be worked out, then a full-year plan could come next.
Why ZCC?
Why would Zwift want to bring something like ZCC to the platform?
- Training purpose and community: Zwift’s current approach to training basically offers two options: “choose your own adventure” (via the Training Plan library) or try a one-off workout that doesn’t necessarily fit into an overall plan. The first option doesn’t include a community element, and the second doesn’t help riders progress over weeks and months in a structured manner. ZCC would fill those holes.
- Zwift Academy clarity: removing the community aspect of Zwift Academy allows that program to clearly function as a talent ID program.
- More achievements: many Zwifters like to chase achievement badges and unlocks. ZCC would provide another way to do this as riders earn an achievement upon completing each 4-week unit.
- A new way to train: as far as I know, a concept like ZCC hasn’t been implemented on any virtual cycling platform. Could you imagine 100,000 riders all taking part in the same year-round training program? What sort of cool stuff could be done with a community like that, and what sort of training movement would that create in the worldwide cycling community?
Required Game Changes
What would Zwift need to implement in order to make ZCC a reality? It could happen in a basic way today, with a little planning. Zwift could simply create/choose the workouts for each unit, set up events for those workouts, and make those workouts available in your on-demand folders.
That would be a very basic implementation, though. To really do it as I’ve described above, Zwift would need to do some additional work:
- High-Quality Workout Library: Zwift already hosts many workouts, some of which are better than others. Chances are, a good number of new workouts would need to be created to fill a full year’s progressive training program with sessions that follow best training practices.
- Completion Logic: Zwift would need a way to mark certain key workouts as required so riders have to finish them before going on to the next week.
- Scheduling Logic: the game would need to present upcoming workouts in a way that makes it easy for riders to choose what to do next.
- Achievement Assets: if riders will be unlocking badges or other assets at the end of each unit, those assets will need to be created by Zwift’s art team.
- Leaderboards: fun stuff like fitness leaderboards would need to be built to bring an additional level of community interaction and competition into ZCC.
Your Thoughts
What do you think – does Zwift Academy need to become two programs? Would you attend Zwift Community College? Share below!
There are tons of options through the year for the “community” side of the platform, arguably too much for some. I’m ok with an annual “talent ID” program. For the higher A/Bs it gives them a cool perspective on what it takes to make it to the show.
I think this idea is phenomenal! I have been cycling all of my life but what draws me to Zwift is the same part of my brain that got obsessed with games like Destiny and World of Warcraft. While I have cycled enough that I would think I am in better shape than the average person in my area, I have never done any sort of organized training nor do I have much of an interest in pursuing it. If this type of thing was combined with what I enjoy about Zwift and I could work with a training plan with very little work and also getting the dopamine hits from unlocks that drives my love of Zwift I would probably be even happier with my time in Watopia. I would also probably become a much stronger cyclist as the year progressed. As it stands now, Zwift Academy doesn’t hold much allure for me so that’s a giant banner in the program that I will be ignoring until the event is over.
Couldn’t agree more with this. Zwift offers some short, discreet, training programmes but if you want to train long-term you either have to stitch those together or look elsewhere. Workouts seem to focus on “feeling the burn” rather than any long-term benefit.
I don’t see why ZA can’t have shorter versions of their workouts – it worked for me last year. I really enjoyed completing them with others too, and probably won’t complete them on demand this year.
They still have all the shorter versions available
Not in ZA 2024 they don’t.
There are 4 years of shorter version available, and other short workouts similar to them. Structured workouts are pretty formulaic so we don’t need as much variety as there is already. You can also make any workout you want in the editor.
I think it’s ok for it to be it’s own thing.
Could structured training be better in general? Yes. The feature I miss most from Trainerroad being the calendar of TSS and plan vs actual
I follow different adaptive training plans with an indoor training plan for winter, Zwift Academy had really great workouts, not sure how I feel about tests since but I do want the kit 🤣 how about 6-8 weeks specialty masterclasses with tips/tricks/instructions from the pro. I just purchased a masterclass from Mark Cavendish, already did a sprint training plan created with and tips/instructions from Fabio Jakobsen.
Well, you only need to do one workout (test) to get the kit, so go for it.
They were onto the right idea when they had the baseline assessment at the start, and then a finish assessment at the end (although the execution of that didn’t quite go to plan !). The cornerstone of any community level training programme should be about 1) showing the individual rider where they can improve and asking e.g do you want to improve your climbing ? 2) giving them the workouts in a sensible order to achieve that 3) at the end, show them how much they improved, and what they could sign up for to improve further.
One thing I see in the future is more synergy with Wahoo Fitness. The Sufferfest is still going and there are quite a few science based training programs there that maybe moving over to Zwift. Also, more plans can be built out of what Zwift already has and some might prove to be very beneficial. Adding a “game” will add to the level of excitement.
As an average cyclist with no chance at a pro contract, I don’t mind doing the Zwift Academy workouts if Zwift would provide a feedback analysis of them. Most users without a coach or some type of guide won’t be able to interpret the workout results. Without a means to review and learn from the results, I think the ZA workouts in their current form are useless to most people.
Came here to say exactly this.
I’ve done the first two workouts, flipping hard!, but have no feedback, no idea if I have done ok or anything.
A community based, year long, structured program sounds brilliant!
Although, it needs to be available differently for the different hemispheres.
The Antipodeans don’t want to be doing base training in December/January.
There are so many more things Zwift should be concentrating on than this, there’s nearly a decade’s worth of unmet user requests, issues which if done would improve everyone’s experience.External apps, coaches etc are always going to be better than an internal zwift one, as cycle training rarely occurs purely on zwift, with gym sessions, club rides, races needing to be taken into account when planning long term goals and that’s not including multi sport training.
The 2016 program was three months of workouts.
Bring that back for August-October, then have testing in November.
The Academy needs transparency, even more than years ago.
(Especially after what happened with the men’s academy last year.)
Also, maybe a workout program for weight loss. Oh wait, someone already did that.
Zwiftoff group rides were some of the best times on Zwift.
Love it! Academy isn’t what it once was. Kinda meh. I miss the old ones
I completed the 2nd workout today and while it was a good workout, it wasn’t anything special. Especially since I’m a D rider and was riding alone. I’ll complete the Academy but probably won’t do anymore as they are this year. Next year call it ZA TIP! 🙂
Brilliant. The lack of THIS conceptually out there if not coached well or being an unusual autodidact or getting group guidance from club/squad is what is most frustrating for newer riders after about a year they are strong sometimes and miserable other times and don’t know or only hear pieces of this periodization big picture.
You know i enjoy the Strava leaderboard things you created but the going hard for segments most rides effect is a guaranteed zone 3 stale rut plateau outcome even as Zwift’s language on splash screens and other hints encourage it. Its a steange secret and strange it SEEMS to be a secret one has to spend more time going easier to become ultimately stronger and faster.its not people ignoring guidance. That guidance as you nicely outlined doesn’t really exist and is far more important than which interval workout one chooses to do on which day sort of thing.
I’m not a coach but there’s a bit of a joke amongst a few friends about what i would likely say in response to some training discussion some one else says ‘Bike Links will say ‘do more sone 2.’Given the seeming advice and natural tendency to go too hard to often and stagnate it appears i’m a ‘broken record’ on that. Seems like safe advice whilst riding amongst the endless segments!
I also like the idea of the shorter workouts. I work 10 hours a day and have a small hobby farm so I am busy. Having more routes/workouts that are at that 5 miles would be great.
Ah the problem you’ve got is that Zwift’s workouts are a bizarre mix of sessions that seem to be designed more for entertainment than any real training purpose, some very functional workouts and rides that just haven’t been thought through. Today I did Zone 2 no.1, with on-screen instructions repeating over and over how important it is to STAY in Zone 2. This after a 4-minutre block in Zone 3 as part of the “warm up”.
So yes, it would be great to have a functional one-year program (maybe get John Wakefield involved), but right now the people they’ve got designing Zwift training plans just aren’t up to it.
I definitely agree Zwift should put on something like Zwift Community College separately. Most likely I wouldn’t take part in it, personally. I’m experienced at structured training. Zwift’s existing workouts are almost always too little stimulus in the training zone I want.
Zwift would need to create workouts that can challenge real beginners and fitter riders who just haven’t done structured training. I think they had normal and long versions of each workout last year in Zwift Academy.
I guess Zwift actually listened to us and started offering group workouts for this year’s Academy. Not sure why they thought it would be a good idea to do away with the group workouts, in the first place.
I just noticed that yesterday. I will do the last two workouts with a group. The first four were kinda boring.
For ZA I would love to see those who complete each workout be given a score. Like do you hit all the #’s and what does your Free Ride say about you compared to the top level riders. Give a score for each “workout” and make age groups so you only compete against your own aged riders.
And for those who finish all the workouts and races there needs to be a special “tiny bit faster” set of wheels or frame set. If you want the average rider to do these then there needs to be a decent incentive to do so.