Hey everyone, new to the whole Trainerroad experience and so far I love it and I think I’ll stick to it for a very long time. I have a question though, about what is the best way to use the platform in my case. Apologies if this has already been answered numerous times. Here is my case in a nutshell: I am a so-called hybrid trainer, as I spend about 6 hours weekly on the bike and about 4-5 hours at the gym on strength training. With regards to cycling, I don’t train for competitions, I don’t even ride outdoors. My goal is to be as fit as I can be for as long as I can be, which translates to improving my FTP, VO2 max, aerobic base, etc… When I signed up for TR I initially thought I’ll be training mainly with the Trainnow function, but then I started hesitating if using the Train Now will take into account the big picture, i.e. that I will need periods where I have to reduce volume and intensity in order to make gains in the long run. That’s why I went with a custom training plan. I was asked to give an ending date of the plan. In my case there is none, so I randomly chose a date in about 3-4 months, with the idea of repeating the same process indefinitely when that end date comes. My question is was that the best approach or should I have used the Trainnow function, or should have I done something else instead. Thanks in advance!
Im rushing into a meeting so apologies if this is short.
TN gets you the best work out for you on a day based on your previous history, where as a plan will build you up to a specific end goal. IMO you’d be better building a plan to as you say some random end date, its what I did this year .
Hey there and welcome to the TR community! 
As @HLaB mentioned, TrainNow suggests workouts based on your recent training history so that you can quickly select a workout that matches the duration and workout type you’d like to do on a given day.
TrainNow is great for when you’re not following a training plan, or you’re looking for a workout to fill a day you planned to take off.
I think going with a custom Plan Builder plan is the right move for a longer-term focus. It will feature more structure and help you move towards your goals of improving FTP and your aerobic fitness a bit more effectively than doing TrainNow on its own might.
Setting up a plan that lasts for a few months and then reassessing is a good approach as well. Keep in mind that a “traditional” training cycle of Base → Build → Specialty takes about 28 weeks or roughly 6 months – at the end of that much training, we recommend taking some time off to rest, recover, and get back at it refreshed!
Hope that info helps guide your decision. Feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions!
Thank you very much for your reply! In that case, does it make more sense to put a 28-week end date of the custom plan? Can I go further than that, say one year?
Much appreciated, thank you for your reply!
For sure! No right or wrong way to approach things in this case. Some athletes prefer keeping their plans shorter so they can focus on different aspects of their fitness over shorter periods of time, while others prefer to build out longer plans, often with a narrower focus on one part of their fitness they really want to dial in (e.g., long climbs, repeated surges, time trials).
Personally, I’ve liked the 28-week cycles the best so I can get in a full cycle of training, then assess what might need improvement.
This article has a bit more info on training periodization for cycling/endurance sports that might be useful:
It does a good job going over how training plans work for building aerobic fitness (you may already know some of that info – but it helps put training phases/plans into context). It might help you out in determining what direction you’d like to take your own training.
Baxter 4x per week with AI FTP would do it.