Last week, Zwift launched two summer mini challenges named “Cardio Crusher” and “Heat Check”. Each consists of 5 workouts, and completing them earns you an XP bonus.
Cardio Crusher Workouts
“Get ready to sweat! Cardio Crusher is your ticket to staying fit, fast, and fired up all season. With five targeted workouts built to boost endurance, power, and speed, this challenge keeps your summer training locked in—so you show up stronger for every ride, indoors or out.”
Heat Check Workouts
“Summer’s here—are you ready to bring the heat? Heat Check is all about staying sharp, fast, and race-ready, even when outdoor riding is in full swing. With structured workouts designed to maximize your time and build power, this challenge proves that the smartest riders don’t just ride more—they ride better.”
Joining a Challenge
To sign up for one of these Challenges, just click its card on the home screen under “Challenges”, pick a workout, and go!
Mini challenges are typically available for 3 months. These two challenges both expire on August 12.
Challenge Rewards
Your reward for completing all five workouts in one of these challenges? Boosted fitness, of course. B
But you’ll also earn a total of 2000XP as you progress through the 5 workouts.
Tip: do one of these workouts each week on the Route of the Week to earn a 500XP bonus!
When does the work-out count? Only when clicked in the challenge? Or can they be combined with the route-of-the-week for the extra XP
Extension to this question: can you start the workout from within an activity and have it still count? For example if I wanted to do my workout on climb portal to grind banner xp
For past challenges, you needed to click the challenge banner in order to be “registered” for the challenge. Then after that, you could enter the workouts from within game (eg, after starting the portal) and still get credit for them in the challenge.
Haven’t confirmed that it works that way for these two challenges. But I assume it will. Try it and find out and report back!
I can confirm it works. I did the Cadence Pyramid selected from the Challenge Banner on the Start page…then selected the Endurance Escalator from the Workout menu after I finished the first workout. Got credit for both.
I started a cardio crusher workout from the challenge page, then when the first workout ended I stopped and chose another of those workouts from the normal workout page, so keeping on the same ride/route. I was credited with both, although I’m not sure whether I got the 250XP for the second workout.
But it not easy to find the workouts when in the activity, so I think if I’m doing that in future I will try to add them to “my list” which I am hoping would make them easier to find.
Today I combine route of the week (starting this one) and workout (selecting it from menu) and I got credited for both.
I tried it but found it really hard to find the right challenge work-outs. As the companion app has the ability to have a list of all work-outs I ended up in the Zwift-App searching (sub)folders for the work-out with ZwiftInsider on my mobile for the right names. How did you manage to find it while already clicked the weekly-route?
Is 2000 XP the cumulative amount of XP earned for the 5 workouts? Or is there XP earned from each of the 5 workouts plus a 2000 XP bonus?
The latter. 2000XP is all bonus XP. Not sure how they split it up for these challenges (400XP per workout completed?) but you’ll get 2000XP extra, plus whatever XP you earn for doing the actual workouts.
Assume it would be like past challenges, 250XP each for the first four completed and then 1000XP for the last.
Yes, the cardio crusher seems to be working that way
This is exactly how it works, just as you wrote.
After each training session you complete, you will receive 250XP and after the last fifth training session you will receive 1000XP.
Of course, for each block/interval/ramp within a given workout you are charged XP according to the ‘tariff’ 😉
I just completed the cardio crusher challenge—all five workouts. I received 1,000 xp upon completion (not 2,000 xp). I’m wondering if I picked up 200 xp after each individual workout—for a total of 2,000 xp.
A workout for Crit City Downtown Dolphin, and you can’t select to ride it in Crit City.
I guess that makes sense as long as you DON’T think about it…
Probably not a bad thing, as the chances of the hard intervals actually aligning with the selection points on the course are slim?
“Instant Inferno” is a very dramatic name for an 18 minute workout that only very briefly goes very slightly above FTP. 😂
It’s a shame they included Wave Runner in this. The bonus XP almost makes up for the ramp intervals still giving half XP.
Just did workout 5 strength n rotations / cardio crusher no credit after starting ride and selecting workout from my L’Etape training plan few years back , I have also selected workout 4 during a ride and received credit , all I can confirm workout 4 is an existing workout in the zwift workouts , whereas I imported , copy n paste , L’Etape training plan into my zwift workout folders .
When does this challenge end?
Could Zwift give is Mission/Challenge badges for completing these, as well as the XP ?
Just for a bit of incentive, I’m at level 100 and don’t need the XP