Why Couch to Conch works
Eight weeks, three rides a week, none over an hour. Here is what every ride is for, and the research behind it.
Start the plan →Mostly easy, sometimes hard
The 80/20 idea
Roughly four rides in five are easy and the rest are properly hard. Skipping the middle, the "kind of hard" pace most of us ride by default, is what lets you recover between hard days and still improve.
What is FTP?
Functional Threshold Power is the power you could hold for about an hour. Every target in a workout is a percentage of it, so the same plan fits a beginner and a seasoned rider. Take the in-game FTP test, or the plan's final ride, to set yours.
The training zones
What each ride is for
The strip on each card is the actual workout, warm-up to cool-down.
The eight weeks
Hard days never land back to back. Week 4 eases off; week 8 tapers.
Single workouts
Not on the plan? Ride any of these from the Training section.
The sources
The studies the plan is built on, and what each one found.
This is general fitness information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition or any doubt about hard exercise, check with a doctor before you start.