Zwift News
Thinking about a smart trainer? Zwift recently launched its own trainer, the Zwift Hub. At $499, it significantly undercuts other trainers without sacrificing functionality. The reviews are excellent, checkoutDC Rainmaker
Zwift Tip of The Week
Included with your Zwift subscription are Workout Training Plans. Designed by coaches, they are a great way to get back to fitness or to increase your fitness/performance.
Start Zwift, select WORKOUT ANYTIME, scroll all the way to the right, select Training Plans then pick your Plan.
Zwift News (Jan 27, 2023)
$50 off Zwift Hub smart trainer This would bring the cost down to $449. To get the discount, you have to join the challenge before Jan 29. Only requirement is you ride 25 km. Easy! This new trainer continues to get good reviews.
The Tour De Zwift is well under way, currently on Stage 7 of 8. The routes include plenty of good hill training.
Going up any hill is mostly about your power/weight ratio (w/kg). Riding, weight training, good nutrition and sleep recovery all help increase power. Weight, well we all know about that one...
There aren't many tricks to make combating gravity easier. Make sure to keep those feather power ups for steep grades where you have a chance to catch that group in front! This power up will reduce your weight by 10% for 15 seconds. Another trick, just like riding outdoors is to get some speed on a preceding downhill or flat and Zwift will effectively give you virtual momentum to help launch you up the hill.
Going downhill, you'll want to ride in a group. Just as in real life, the Zwift peloton affect will give you at least 25% aerodynamic drag reduction which translates to higher speed and finishing sooner!
Remember, Stage 8 will feature the new Scotland route.
Zwift Tip of The Week - Improving Your Riding Form for More Power
Zwift is a great way to check and improve your riding form and even break some bad habits. These changes will benefit your outdoor rides too.
When you're riding on the road, you can't easily determine how changes in riding style affect your performance. By watching your power in Zwift you can see in real time how a form change impacts it. In simple terms, the power your leg muscles generate is what allows you to counteract those annoying retarding forces that want to keep you at rest, hills, friction in your drive train, road/tire friction and moving you and your bike through the air (aerodynamic drag). Producing more power translates to higher speed. The power you are generating (in watts) is shown in the top left of your Zwift display. Your power fluctuates a lot compared say to your heart rate or cadence. Zwift shows your power continuously averaged over a 3 second period to smooth it out.
Riding miles, lifting weights, good nutrition and cardio efficiency can all improve the power of your 'engine' to generate more watts to get you up hills and ride longer/faster. Improving your form is an easy way to improve your power output 🙂.
Try these simple things next time you're Zwifting:
Pedal Circles. How many times have you heard this! You achieve it by putting more emphasis on pulling up on the pedals to distribute the load more evenly between your quads and hamstring/calf muscles. In Zwift, when you're on a flat section or going up a steady gradient, emphasize pulling up on the pedals and watch your power increase, this in turn will increase your cadence and hence speed. Saving your quads can also help improve endurance by enabling your other leg muscles to contribute more.
Position on the Seat. This can help you get to the top of a hill in less time! In general terms, you can move forward and backward by an inch or so on the seat to give your quad/hamstring muscles a break by using more of your glute muscles. Next time you're grimacing your way up a long Zwift climb, watch what happens to your power as you slide back and make your glutes do more work.
Cadence (RPM). Some smart trainers measure this directly. If yours doesn't, you'll need a separate cadence device attached to your crank arm (about $30). For most of us, our best efficiency is 80 RPM. Sure, there's debate about higher versus lower for highly trained pro riders versus the average amateur rider. If you're spinning at less than 80 RPM, check if your power increases as you up your cadence (hint, it likely will!). Yes, your heart rate will increase with cadence but heart muscle recovers faster than leg muscle. In Zwift, if you're avatar is out of the seat when climbing, there's a good chance your grinding in too big a gear!
Upper Body Angle. On a flat road section, experiment with changing the angle of your back or moving from the hoods to the drops and see what it does to your power. Riding with your upper body more horizontal changes your hip angle which in turn increases the engagement of your glutes resulting in more power. In real life, there's a significant aerodynamic advantage to being more horizontal that unfortunately you don't generally get on Zwift. The exception being if you're riding on a Zwift time trial bike.
Shoulder Position. You should ride with your shoulders lowered versus up around your ears! If your forearm is locked at the elbow, then your shoulders will be elevated. Locked arms and elevated shoulders are a common source of neck and back pain during and after a ride. Check your shoulder position often when Zwifting to get in the habit of keeping them down.
Lastly, don't underestimate the power of distraction. Listening to your favorite music while Zwifting hard can help you dig deeper. A big smile when you're deep in the red can also keep those watts coming 🥵