With athletes spending more time inside than normal (#socialdistancing, are we right?), online training apps have seen an exponential increase in both popularity and use. But there are so many out there - so how do you know which ones are the most fun, affordable and effective for training? The team here at Mach has compiled a list of our top five favorite triathlon training apps to keep you motivated and progressing during the 2020 season and beyond.
TrainerRoad is an online, power-based training platform. It provides both indoor and outdoor workouts all based off of power data you can acquire from unique threshold tests provided through the platform. Additionally, with its subscription, it also provides a Plan Builder within which you can build a structured plan for your season and give you the ability to measure your improvement and adjust as you go.
TrainerRoad provides two options for subscription - an annual subscription costing $189 upfront (which breaks down to $15.75/month) or monthly billing at a cost of $19.95/ month. Either way, TrainerRoad is probably the most comprehensive and data-driven platform on the market right now.
If you are interested in trying out TrainerRoad for free, purchase one of our kits and get a free one-month trial! Nothing like a new kit and training app for some good training motivation!
Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to ride in Paris or London? Look no further - Zwift is your opportunity to ride around the world with friends and teammates without the spendy travel costs. And it’s like a video game, but for athletes! All you need is a computer, a bike and a trainer to participate (though a Smart Trainer enhances the experience as it adapts your resistance in conjunction with the course you are riding).
Zwift is a subscription-based platform, running at $14.99/month for unlimited use. Based off of most reviews, Zwift is the most popular training app on the internet for cyclists and triathletes alike and provides a healthy outlet for competition when race season is feeling uncertain.
SufferFest is similar to both Zwift and TrainerRoad, but provides a few unique features, including strength training, yoga and mental toughness videos specifically for cyclists. With the workouts, you ride through some of the most popular races on the pro cycling circuit and have the ability to stream their complete library of workouts offline. The workouts are crafted by some of the leading cycling coaches in the world and, much like TrainerRoad, the platform provides personalized performance targets based on prior power data.
SufferFest also provides two options for subscription - an annual plan for $129 upfront or a monthly plan costing $14.99 per month.
Think of Strava as the Facebook or Instagram of the athletic world. With smartwatches virtually ubiquitous for endurance athletes, it is incredibly simple to upload each and every workout to the Strava platform. You and your friends can follow each other, track each other’s progress, give ‘kudos’ on workouts, and strive for breaking some KOMs on your local roads. The best part? The basic app is free!
However, they did recently launch a ‘premium’ plan option for the app, costing $5/month, which provides additional analysis capabilities for workout performance and fitness progression.
TrainingPeaks is the most popular online platform for coaches to program their athletes’ workouts and for athletes to view, log and edit their training plans. They provide simple analysis of workout performance and progression, including fatigue, fitness, intensity factor and form measurements, as well as peak performances for both pace and heart rate.
TrainingPeaks’ basic plan is free for athletes and has the option to upgrade to a Premium plan costing $9.92/month. For coaches, the Basic plan costs $19/month with a $99 upfront initiation fee, and the Premium plan costs $49/month with the same initiation fee.
All in all, each of the training applications available on the market today provide their own unique offerings and benefits - the choice really comes down to your goals as an athlete. If you are looking for a fun, social training platform, Zwift or Strava might be right for you, while TrainingPeaks, TrainerRoad or SufferFest might be more ideal if you are looking for structured, power-based and analytics-enabled training plans.
But, no matter what you choose, we know you will be out there prepping to break barriers once racing returns!
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