TrainingPeaks Coaches can use a Dynamic Training Plan to efficiently add workouts to many TrainingPeaks athlete calendars using the same plan.
Standard Vs Dynamic Training Plans
TrainingPeaks offers two different forms of training plan - Standard and Dynamic.
In a Standard Training Plan, coaches add workouts to generalized days (not associated with a specific date) organized by default into numbered weeks. See the above screenshot on the left for a depiction of a standard training plan.
Once a coach finishes adding workouts to the training plan, the coach can apply or share the training plan to a TrainingPeaks athlete's calendar. The coach/athlete specifies when to apply the standard training plan, either choosing to apply the plan starting or ending on a particular date.
In a Dynamic Training Plan, coaches add workouts to a live calendar (associated with a specific date) which in turn pushes those workouts to any athletes to whom the training plan is applied**. See the above screenshot on the right for a depiction of a dynamic training plan.
*Assuming that the standard training plan creator does not specify that the training plan ends on a specific date.
**Workouts added to a dynamic training plan will only appear on athletes' calendars if the workout is added to the current date or a date in the future - not past dates.
Why Use a Dynamic Training Plan?
Dynamic training plans enable coaches to efficiently share workouts with several athletes all performing the same workouts.
Once the coach applies the dynamic training plan to a group of athletes, they only have to add a workout to the dynamic training plan to add the workout to every athlete's TrainingPeaks calendar - they don't need to add a workout to every athletes' TrainingPeaks calendar individually. In this way, a coach can add a workout to the dynamic training plan once and have the workout added to tens or hundreds (there isn't a limit) of athletes' calendars at once.
How to Create A Dynamic Training Plan
- From the Calendar View, click the third icon down on the left-hand side of your browser window. That icon represents the Training Plan Library.
- A pane will open.
- Click the 'New' button on the top of the Training Plan Library and select 'Training Plan'.
- Name your Training Plan. Click the button 'Make Plan Dynamic'. If you do not select this button, you will not create a dynamic plan, you will create a Standard Training Plan.
- Choose the folder in which you'd like to save the plan.
- Click 'Create'.
- Start adding workouts to the dynamic plan*.
*Please note that only workouts you add to the current day or a day in the future will appear on the calendar of an athlete to whom you apply the dynamic plan.
How to apply A Dynamic Training Plan to an Athlete
- From the Calendar View, click the third icon down on the left-hand side of your browser window. That icon represents the Training Plan Library.
- Find the dynamic plan within the training plan library and click on it.
- A pane will open. In the 'Apply Plan' section, click on the drop-down menu. Pick an athlete to whom you'd like to apply the plan.
- Select them, then click 'apply'.
- If successful, confirmation of the application will appear on your screen and require you to click 'OK'.
- If you load the athlete's calendar to whom you just applied the dynamic plan, you should see all workouts planned today and into the future to be added to their calendar.
How to Unapply a Dynamic Plan from an Athlete
- From the Calendar View, click the third icon down on the left-hand side of your browser window. That icon represents the Training Plan Library.
- Click the Dynamic Plan currently applied to the athlete to whom you'd like to unapply.
- A pane will appear. You will see all the athletes to whom the plan is applied listed.
- Click the blue hyperlinked 'unapply' button next to the athlete for who you'd like to unapply the dynamic plan.
- Confirm the dynamic training plan removal by clicking 'yes'.