The treadmill has a terrible reputation among runners, who hate the times spent looking at the clock. However, there are several advantages to jogging inside on one of the finest treadmills: the surface is gentler on your joints, and you have total control over your surroundings, including, most significantly, the weather. Treadmill running, like much exercise technology, has gotten an upgrade in recent years, with a variety of top running apps meant to make those inside miles more fun. Zwift is one such app, in which you can race & train against others in a virtual environment from your treadmill.
What will you see here?
Set Up and Pairing: zwift app
One odd feature of the app is that you do have to start a ride to alter ANY of your settings even ridiculous ones like hair color and then you have to erase that ride, lest you clutter your Strava feed with 45 zero-mile trips. The welcoming page displays your user name and a button to change users and is accompanied by music that the b-side to the lost KC and the Sunshine Band obey to Boogie Shoes. When you click on the user name, the pairing procedure begins. This technique is really simple if you have a Kickr with such a cadence gadget.
Users of the Apple Watch may download the Zwift app and use it as a heart rate monitor. Strava may also be linked to your Zwift activities. It exports the data from each run to the app and even displays a map of your simulated run.
Zwift also supports all heart monitors on the market which connect via ANT+ or Bluetooth &, when attached, display your heart rate on your home screen during your run. Pairing an external heart rate monitor was as simple as pressing Menu in the bottom left corner on your screen and now the Bluetooth Icon on the right. This displayed all of the linked Devices that are accessible for connection, including a pulse rate box. Click on that, then press “Let’s Go,” and your monitor will connect to the game, displaying your Heart Rate and the words “IN-GAME” in green.
Group runs and community:
To join a group run, simply click the “join” button in the lower-left corner of the screen, and you’ll be whisked away to the start position, where you’ll queue among other virtual runners. When you’re ready, simply hit the start button and you’re off. The software instructs you to tune the treadmills to certain speeds while you run. There were other persons in the group run, as the interface on the right. On the upper left of the UI, there was also a widget that indicated how much time was left on the run.
The run itself included a 0.40km warm-up followed by a route around Central Park with a nice winding road and views of the New York skyline. While it was fun to be accompanied by other virtual runners from across the world, you can also train alone with the built-in speed workouts, tempo runs, 400m repeats, and hill workouts. Zwift has also incorporated training plans, such as a quick 5K plan (six to eight weeks), a 10K plan, and a three-day-per-week half marathon plan. The programs might also help you train to meet a certain time target. To achieve this, run a mile at your fastest possible speed so that Zwift will automatically compute your 5K, 10K, half marathon, & full marathon pace.
Interface:
After you start the Zwift app and establish an account, you’ll be prompted to connect your foot pod or Bluetooth-enabled treadmill to the app. You’ll have to do this every time you launch Zwift, which is a little annoying. Once you’ve attached the foot pod, you’ll need to adjust it so that it accurately measures your speed. You’ll need to do this again each time you join a session. If you’re using the app on a bike, you’ll need to manually link that to the turbo trainer and calibrate this each time you ride. However, if you’re quick, you may complete this entire setup in a matter of minutes.
Once you’ve completed the setup, you’ll be sent to the main menu, where you may choose which run you wish to undertake and where. After a fast first-timer lesson and a trial run, As you go farther and achieve levels, you’ll unlock additional equipment and be able to modify your jogging, running sunglasses, hairdo, socks, and headgear. A wonderful motivation to get those miles in. Running awards you badges and accomplishments, which is useful if you’re a competitive runner.
The interface also contains a lot of information to process. A widget on the upper left displays your heart rate, pace, and calorie, as well as stats about the run itself. A map of your local surroundings may be found in the upper right corner. On the edges of the displays, you can also see a breakdown of your splits for each mile/kilometer and a list of all your running mates who have joined you on the run. These runners come from all around the world.
Price and availability:
Zwift subscription prices are $14.99 per month, but you may cancel or suspend it at any moment. Zwift also provides a free eight trial that allows you to run 15.5 kilometers before committing.
If you don’t have your own treadmill, you’ll most likely need to purchase a foot pod to record your runs at the gym. This gadget connects to your running shoes & measures your speed and rhythm in the Zwift game. Finding a pod is simple; there are plenty on the market. the $46.50 option recommended by Zwift on their website. Although there are cheaper pods available. Once connected, you’ll need to pair your Run Pod with the app through Bluetooth before you can use it.
Can you use Zwift for free?
What is the price of Zwift? It is initially free, but unfortunately not in the long run. If you sign up for a Zwift online account, you can receive a free seven-day trial, but after that, it costs £12.99 / $14.99 a month to continue using it.
Is Zwift good for beginners?
Zwift is ideal for novices, but it is also utilized by professional cyclists who train and race. Zwift is the cycling app equivalent of a Swiss army knife. There are several ways to utilize it, and there are bikers of various skill levels using the app anytime you log in.
Can a family share a Zwift app account?
There is no family plan available from Zwift. It only allows one account per user and one profile per account. This implies that numerous family members use the same Zwift account at the same time. You must have one paid account for each family member that intends to use Zwift.
Conclusion
Overall, the app is a fun way to liven up your indoor training sessions. It has a number of tools to help your train for your objectives, stay inspired, and feel like you’re part of a bigger community. However, if you want more traditional coaching. You can get a similar community vibe on the Peloton app, which also has some really great coaching. Overall, if you consider indoor jogging boring, this is a decent running app to try. However, the youtube clip running platform is not for everyone.
