FAQs - training plans
What is a TrainingPeaks training plan?
TrainingPeaks is an online training platform designed for athletes looking to track and optimise their performance. A TrainingPeaks training plan is a programme tailored to an individual's specific fitness goals and needs. It includes a comprehensive overview of workouts, as well as metrics such as pace, distance, heart rate and power output.
The plan can be followed in real-time using the app or web platform, allowing you to measure your progress and adjust the plan accordingly over time. With its highly customisable interface, TrainingPeaks provides an effective way for athletes to reach their performance goals.
How can I find a training plan for my next event?
Review our comprehensive list of training plans here and on the TrainingPeaks platform. You can also use TrainingPeaks’ built-in filter system to run a more detailed search.
How do I use a TrainingPeaks training plan?
Follow the step by step process of buying and applying a TrainingPeaks plan to your account here.
Using a TrainingPeaks training plan is simple and intuitive. You’ll be able to set your individual settings on the website and receive daily prompts for the workouts of the day. You can also customise the plan’s starting date.
If you have any other questions on a plan you’ve bought from us, don’t hesitate to contact us directly.
What if I want to be coached?
If you find that you need more guidance after you’ve been following one of our training plans, you can upgrade to a personal coaching plan. Find out more here and contact us to discuss your needs.
What’s the difference between a training plan and coaching?
When you purchase a TMR Coaching plan, you’re getting a highly specific programme to prepare for your chosen goal. However, this plan doesn’t adjust after you’ve applied it to your account, and it won’t account for any unforeseen events like missed sessions or needing to change workouts around. Whilst you can make adjustments to your plan yourself, if you’re in doubt about how to better personalise your plan, you’ll appreciate an individual coaching contract instead.
As a coached athlete, you’ll also be able to communicate with us freely, ask us additional questions, and conduct regular reviews of your progress. These then enable us to personalise your plan even more.
Finally, if you’re a coached athlete, you’ll also benefit from specific race prep such as timing and nutrition advice, race specific workout sessions, and more. Learn about our coaching services here.
FAQs - coaching
What happens if I miss a session?
Firstly, don’t panic! Life happens, and we can always adapt your plan in response. Please get in touch about your missed session, either by commenting on the missed workout in TrainingPeaks or letting us know ahead of time (ideally).
We’ll then look at what adjustments need to be made to make up for the missed session. Don’t just try and do that workout on top of what’s planned in for the next day. We’ll make sure the changes make sense and fit your scheduled and needs.
Should I comment before a workout?
TrainingPeaks has a functionality whereby you can add a pre-activity comment. You can use this if you plan to communicate something ahead of the session (e.g., you’ll do a bike session on the mountain bike instead of the usual road bike, or you’ve left your heart rate monitor at home so will be running to feel).
However, most often, the post-workout comments can include your pre-session thoughts, too. It’s really up to you. But, if there’s something crucial you want to tell us, or if you have any urgent questions before you start your session, contact us directly to ensure you get a quick enough answer.
Why add comments after I complete a session?
All the metrics in TrainingPeaks give us great insight into how you do on every workout. However, there’s a lot of value in your subjective feedback, too. This ensures we can adapt and improve your plan as you go through each session. It can also highlight any issues (like a slight niggle, or feeling too fatigued).
It’s also important to rate your perceived exertion consistently after every workout. We can then correlate that data with other metrics. This helps us catch trends like a risk of overtraining ahead of time, and it’s great information for us to know you better as an athlete and person. At the end of the day, this all contributes to you getting the most from our performance coaching services.