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Training Outdoors: What Good Workout Files Look Like and How to Achieve Them

When you think of structured training do you automatically assume you must ride the trainer or Zwift to get the intervals in? While sometimes this is the most efficient way, it is not necessary to ride indoors to achieve a quality workout! There is a time and place for indoor training such as limited time, bad weather, poor road access or unsafe roads, etc. There is no shame in indoor training but if possible, don’t be afraid to take your training outside!

I see a lot of athletes either avoiding training outside when they have intervals or skipping their intervals because they are riding outside. This blog is going to outline:

1) WHY outdoor training is beneficial

2) What GOOD workout files look like from outdoor training

3) HOW to execute a good workout outside

WHY train outside?

There are many reasons to take your structured workouts outside and the biggest one is 99% of you are going to be racing outside. Other benefits include:

-bike handling skills (balance, coordination, terrain and road surface changes, confidence at speed, descending)

-power, cadence, position changes (riding in and out of the saddle, changes gears as gradient shifts, maintaining optimal cadence and gaining a feel for fatigue at different cadences)

-race decision making (when do you push, when do you pull back, use the terrain to your strengths etc.)

-cognitive performance/endurance (can you focus on the target when the trainer isn’t controlling it for you, can you keep track of your sets, all skills that improve mental fortitude in races), and many other reasons!

Let’s look at examples of GOOD outdoor workout files. If you have ever wondered what your coach is looking at when analyzing your workouts, this is it!

This workout is a basic tempo workout. The key element to highlight is that heart rate and power are distinguishable for each effort compared to the rest of the ride. You should be able to obviously see your intervals within the workout file. Some key notes, this workout is done on a flat to rolling road. It is not a perfectly flat line and you can see pauses for stoplights but it is still distinctly higher effort than the rest of the ride.

The goal is time in zone, not a perfect file.

Don’t let perfect get in the way of good enough, one stoplight doesn't mean the workout gets thrown out the window, just keep pushing power and it will still count.

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Here is the same work out but just looking at power. Not perfectly flat but you can see the work being put in.

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This next file is Threshold over/under workout. This was done outside on a climb with varying grades (Flagstaff Rd for those who live on the Front Range).

The recovery between efforts is riding back down the climb and rolling around at the bottom. Climbs are ideal for harder efforts but the key is to turn around for the long recovery (you don’t need to find a climb long enough for the entire workout, just long enough for 1 block at a time). Plus you get descending practice during the recovery, something that can be a big part of race performance that we definitely don’t get on Zwift.

This workout really highlights how precise you can be outside if you commit to the efforts, even if the climb isn’t perfectly controlled. I actually prefer a bit of an inconsistent climb because it forces you to ride the power at different cadences and different positions (standing vs. seated unless your workout specifies), which is realistic to what will be required in a race.

Despite this workout being complex with the under/overs, it is still VERY clear where the intervals are. That is the goal.

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This next file shows what intervals look like in the middle of an endurance workout. Even though the rider was pushing hard endurance, you can still see where she executed her intervals within the ride because of her consistency of power for the efforts.

I’d also like to point out that these intervals were done by a 16 year old girl solo…. Yes, if she can make it work outside, so can you!

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The final example here highlights cadence, power, and heart rate. I see way too often athletes skipping the cadence prescription of workouts especially outside. It is possible if you have the right gradient and/or gear (not always possible depending on where you live but remember to use your gears) to achieve low cadence outside.

This file also highlights how heart rate is measuring the body’s response to the work, not the objective output. This is why many coaches suggest training with power over heart rate because power will be more consistent while heart rate might take awhile to reflect the effort and then continue to rise. That is normal and to be expected when pushing at high intensities.

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Finally HOW do you actually execute these workouts outside?

The biggest thing is finding an appropriate road or climb for the type of effort that you have. This is the tricky part and maybe difficult depending on where you live and what you have access to. That is why Zwift can be super helpful and maybe necessary for some of you.

A flat road for tempo/sweet spot is ideal while a climb is perfect for anything more intense. It is possible to ride threshold and above on flat but just make sure you have your gearing set up so that you are not spinning out OR utilize a headwind to add some resistance.

I tend to have a favorite road or climb for each type of workout so that I reduce the amount of variables from workout to workout. It is also fun to see your progress. For example, my 3 minute intervals used to get me to a specific parking lot of Flagstaff Road and now they get about 20s further up the road. It is encouraging to have a physical target not just a power target.

Consistency is important with outdoor training so finding a section of road or climb and repeating it for each interval is much better than training to fit intervals into a big route. Save the fun routes and adventure rides for endurance days and keep the intervals to a concise section of road or climb. Use the descent (or turn around if flat) for your recovery between efforts. Keep it simple and repeatable.

-Anna Hicks, Boundless Coach

October 1, 2026