80/20 Workout Library

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How does this free 80/20 Workout Library compare to other options?

Q: What do these downloads do?

A: On devices compatible with the Garmin .FIT file format, you can load these workouts and have them prompt you step-by-step through the activity. It’s like having a personal coach at your side.

Q: How do I load these workouts onto my device?

A: Each manufacturer and device has different methods for loading a .FIT file workout, and you’ll want to review your device’s documentation for details. For Garmin devices, we have provided a set of instructions.

Q: I already have a TrainingPeaks structured workout 80/20 plan that lets me export bike and run workouts to my device. What is the difference between my plan and these workouts?

A: Please note that this library is not necessary for workouts if you have already purchased an 80/20 structured workout plan on TrainingPeaks, as a workout file is already included for export to your device with each daily workout. Those exported workouts are virtually identical to the workouts in this library, but with two major differences. First, the structured workouts from TrainingPeaks also export custom zones based on your individual thresholds, which then display on your device. The .FIT workouts in this library do not include any individual threshold data (although can can still set alarms on your device to help you stay in or out of certain 80/20 zones). Second, the structured workout plans can sync your workouts automatically to your device with the automatic daily sync feature, while this workout library requires each workout to be loaded manually and individually onto your device.

Q: Can I upload these workouts into Garmin Connect, Zwift, Final Surge or TrainingPeaks?

A: First, let’s distinguish between a planned workout and a completed activity. The workouts on the 80/20 Workout Library are planned workouts intended to load directly into your compatible device. Once you perform the planned workout, it becomes a completed activity. As planned workouts, these 80/20 Workout Library raw .FIT files can be imported directly into your compatible device to walk you through the workout. Regrettably, these raw .FIT planned workouts cannot be uploaded directly into Garmin Connect, Zwift, Final Surge nor TrainingPeaks for future planning purposes. This is a limitation of those platforms. You can, however, upload your completed activity into these platforms like any other activity that you complete.

Workouts can be synced from TrainingPeaks into Garmin Connect,  Zwift and other platforms as well as automatically to your device if a) the workouts are in the TrainingPeaks Structured Workout format and b) using third-party syncing such as the Garmin Connect AutoSync integration (each platform will have their own sync process to and from TrainingPeaks). The entire 80/20 Workout Library is made available to you in TrainingPeaks’ Structured Workout format with an 80/20 Subscription, which meets these two criteria. Our individual 80/20 electronic plans include workouts in the Structured Workout format and the ability to automatically sync your daily planned workouts to both your device and Garmin Connect, Zwift, and other devices and platforms.

Q: I loaded a workout on my device. It works great, and prompts me thorough each step in the workout, but it did not tell me the intensity zone for the workout step.

A: These .FIT files include a note for each step on which intensity zone to use for that step. While it will not provide a custom value like the TrainingPeaks structured workout 80/20 plans will, it can display the actual zone (i.e. displaying a base “Zone 2” vs. “145-157 bpm”). On some devices, this note is not displayed. For example, on a Garmin 920xt the step will provide the duration and the intensity zone (i.e “Zone 2”), but on a Garmin Edge 520, it will only display the duration of the step. This is regrettably a limitation of each device on whether it displays the notes field.

Q: Can I get a copy of the Workout Library in TrainingPeaks?

A: Yes, the 80/20 Workout Library is also available directly in TrainingPeaks through an 80/20 Subscription. Managing 80/20 workouts directly in TrainingPeaks via an 80/20 subscription provide significant advantages over the free 80/20 Workout Library, including dragging and dropping directly to your calendar, workouts delivering your custom intensity zones to your compatible device, and even automatic daily sync of the workout to your compatible device.

Q: Why do you offer the swim workouts in 25m, 25y, and 50m versions?

A: Your Garmin device needs to know the pool size to accurately calculate your laps and completed distance. You can therefore choose the right swim workout for your pool. You can download all three versions of the same workout to use when you swim in pools of different sizes.

Q: I swim in a 33m pool. Is there a way I can use these swim workouts?

A: Although our workouts are provided in 25m, 25y, and 50m versions, on some Garmin devices you can override the pool length before the workout begins. For example, on a 920xt, load an 80/20 swim workout, choose Do Workout, and you’ll receive a notice that the pool length has been set to 50m (or 25m/y based on what you exported). Hit Continue, then press and hold the bottom left button and you can override the pool length to 33m. In fact, this process works to switch a swim workout from 25m to 50m without having to download the 50m workout. However, because many 80/20 swim workouts have intervals in sections of 25 or 50m/y, those workouts are not fully compatible with a 33m pool. 80/20 swim workouts that use only segments of 100m/y will work in a 33m pool using the steps above.

Q: What do the workout codes, like RAn3 or SMI2 mean?

A: See the bottom of the documents Understanding Your 80/20 Run or Triathlon Plan for a glossary of workout codes.

Q: Do the numbers on the workouts codes mean anything? Are the higher numbers always harder?

A: The number included with each workout code represents the order in which the workout was created and does not necessarily represent the difficulty. The success and growth of the 80/20 plans required us to continually add new workouts to the library. In order to maintain consistency across the significant distribution of 80/20 workouts in print and electronic formats, we never change or re-order the workout codes as new workouts are added.

Q: Why are the workouts in the 80/20 Workout Library different than some of the workouts of a similar name from the book 80/20 Running?

While the current workout library was inspired by the original run workouts in 80/20 Running, the two sources are considered different series and evolved separately. For example, while it is normal to assume that the Speed Play Run 4 workout from the book should be the same as the RSP4 in the library, the two workouts are not identical. You may be able to find another workout in the 80/20 workout library that is identical to a workout published in 80/20 Running. For example, the workout library RSP5 can be used in place of the book’s Speed Play Run 4.

If you are using a training plan from the 80/20 Running book, follow the workout structure from the book, or find a workout match in the workout library. If you are using an updated 80/20 run plan from this site, the workouts are identical to those in the 80/20 workout library. Additionally, the workouts in the book 80/20 Triathlon and triathlon plans on this site are also identical to those in the 80/20 workout library.

Q: Where are the 80/20 Brick workouts?

A: At this time, Garmin does not support the creation of a multi-sport .FIT file.

Q: Do you offer any other formats, like .ERG and .ZWO?

A: The 80/20 structured workout plans offered on the TrainingPeaks platform can be exported in a wide variety of file formats, including .ERG, .ZWO and more. However, this complimentary workout library only includes .FIT files as an option at this time. Each of the 600+ workouts in this library had to be created individually, and expanding to other platforms is currently prohibitive. There may be methods to convert a .FIT file to other formats, but we have not tested these options (if you have success at this, let us know, we’ll add it here).

Q: I think I found an error in one of the workouts.

A: Contact us with the workout in question and we can get that fixed. With 600+ workouts created manually, we expect a few errors.