Program Type refers to the general method in which workouts are recommended for you by the Xert Adaptive Training Advisor. Traditionally, Xert only offered the option to train for a particular event using the Target Event Date program type. However, Xert has also introduced 2 new types of program types.
The intent behind Xert’s new program types is to provide some additional motivation for athletes. Many Xerters might not have specific target events so we added Continuous Improvement and Challenge. Continuous Improvement doesn’t have an end date. It will will help you see, relative to your Athlete Type and Improvement Rate, where you were 6 weeks ago and where you’ll be 6 weeks from now if you maintain your selected Improvement Rate. Focus is on your Athlete Type but not as specific as you would get in the Build & Peak phases with a Target Event Date training program. With Challenge, you have an “target event date” set to 30 days from the start of the challenge. This is more to give you a target and to create some discipline around meeting that target. The challenge would be to maintain the improvement rate for the 30 days. Focus is like Continuous Improvement – it is on your Athlete Type but not as specific as the Build phase of the Target Event training program.
You can find the various Program Types within the ‘Goals‘ tab. Changing your selected Program Type will help XATA recommend the best workouts for your needs. You can find a general description of the program types below, along with a link to further details for each program type.
Target Event Date
Select Target Event when you would like to optimize your training for an event within the next 120 days. Your Training Program will have 3 phases – Base, Build, Peak – with a 1 week Taper at the very end. Your training will be periodized (based on the Program Phases) leading into the target event date with the resulting Focus type equal to your selected Athlete Type.
From the ‘Training’ Tab, you can track your progress through the 120 day program and it’s associated training phases.
Continuous Improvement
This option is an excellent option for athletes who may not be training for a particular event, but may instead ride for fun, for general fitness, or to push themselves to their personal limits. With Continuous Improvement selected, Xert’s Adaptive Training Advisor will recommend the training needed to maintain your selected Improvement Rate with a general Focus on your selected Athlete Type. You can change your athlete type or improvement rate at any time.
From the ‘Training’ Tab, you can quickly view your progression over the last 6 weeks, which is color-coded as follows:
- Improvement Rate above 7: Red
- Improvement Rate between 0 and 7: Green
- Improvement Rate below 0: Blue
Challenge
Select this when you are not training with a specific target event but wish to challenge yourself to meet a particular improvement rate, or a particular Threshold Power (or Athlete Type Power) over the next 30 days. Your starting Athlete Type fitness will be recorded and you can aim to improve this value by maintaining your set Improvement Rate over the 30 days. We recommend finishing the 30-Day Challenge with a Breakthrough activity to see how well you did!
From the ‘Training‘ Tab, you can see how far you’ve progressed through the 30-day challenge and weather you’re ahead (green) or behind (red) of your targeted improvement.