Structured workouts on your watch: benefits and how to use them
Why train with the session loaded on your watch: steps, targets and alerts. How to write good structured workouts.
A structured workout is a session split into steps, each with its duration and target: warm-up, intervals, recoveries and cool-down. Loaded on your watch, it guides you step by step.
Benefits
- Nothing to remember: the watch tells you when to change.
- It alerts you if you're above or below target.
- Splits are kept separate, so analysis is instant.
- Planned and completed work can be compared step by step.
How to write a good session
- Use ranges, not exact values: "between 4:10 and 4:20" rather than "4:15".
- For intervals, use pace or power; for recoveries, time and an easy target.
- Group intervals in a repeat block instead of writing them one by one.
- Add a short note: what the session is for.
If you have a coach
Ideally the session reaches your watch on its own as soon as it's scheduled. No copying by hand and no old versions. In Traincontrol the coach writes the session on the calendar and, if it's changed or moved to another day, it's sent again automatically.