Structured Workout Builder

The TrainingPeaks Workout Builder allows athletes and coaches to quickly and easily create structured workouts based on distance or duration and intensity using power, heart rate, pace, or perceived exertion.

Please note, this article discusses how to build a structured workout. For detailed instructions on how to export a structured workout to a device or virtual training platform, read the Structured Workout Export article.

Building a Structured Workout

1. Add a new workout to the calendar or to a workout library and click on "Build Workout"  to open the Workout Builder 
2. Using the left drop-down menu, select if you would like the workout to be based on Duration or Distance (if Distance is selected you will then be able to choose Miles, Meters, Kilometers, or Yards)
3. Using the middle drop-down menu select how the intensity of the workout will be determined
   1. % Functional Threshold Power
   2. % Maximum Heart Rate
   3. % of Threshold Heart Rate
   4. % Threshold Speed (Pace)
   5. Rating of Perceived Exertion (0-10 scale)
4. Use the right drop-down to select a single intensity target or an intensity range. Selecting Target or Range will set every step in the workout to that mode by default, but individual steps can be toggled between Target and Range within the same workout.
5. Begin building your workout by dragging the pre-made workout block templates from the upper part of the window to the Workout Builder Preview Pane.  The are 8 blocks available
   1.  Warm up - a steady state block of moderate intensity
   2. Active - similar to Warm up but with a higher default intensity
   3. Recovery - a shorter, low-intensity block meant to be used between interval sets
   4. Cool down - a low-intensity block meant to be used at the end of the workout
   5. Two Step Repeats
   6. Three Step Repeats
   7. Ramp Up
   8. Ramp Down 
6. Once a block is added to the preview, its duration or distance can be adjusted by clicking on the right edge of the block and dragging it horizontally in either direction. Duration and distance can also be set in the Workout Details Editor
7.  Set the structure of the workout (number of steps, repeats, etc)
   1. The number of repeats can be adjusted by clicking the "+" or "-" button in the upper right corner of each block
   2.  While only two- and three-step repeat blocks are available as starting blocks, you can add and remove steps by using the "+ Add step" and "X Remove step" options under at the bottom of each block in the workout details editor.
   3. For multi-step repeat blocks - adjusting an interval within a block will adjust all of the corresponding intervals in that block
   4. An entire block can be duplicated within the workout by clicking the double rectangle icon in the upper right corner of a block and dragging it to somewhere else in the workout
8. For intensity types that have corresponding zones setting (pace, HR, power) you can quickly set the intensity range for each step using the Zone selection dropdown in each step in the Workout Details Editor
   1. RPE based workout have no corresponding zones and need to be set manually
   2. Single target value steps can be adjusted by dragging the top of the step up or down in the visual editor
   3. All intensity targets can be manually adjusted in the Workout Details Editor
9. The details of each block can also be viewed and manually edited below the preview pane in the "Workout Details Editor" section.  In this section, the name of each block, as well as notes for each interval or block, can also be added.
10. You can also set specific cadence targets for certain sport types for each block in the workout editor (Bike, MTB, Run, Walk).  Cadence targets will transfer to 3rd party devices and programs that support cadence targets (Zwift currently and Wahoo Elemnt and Garmin devices in the future)
11. You can also set specific steps to “End on Lap button”, which will allow that step to continue on a compatible device until the lap button is pressed to advance to the next step.

A workout built with the Workout Builder can also be converted from one type of intensity to another.  Please note, changing the type of intensity will update the current workout.  If multiple workouts with the same structure need to be created for each intensity type, create a copy of the workout first, rename the workout and then change the prescribed intensity type.