The Stryd Adaptive Training is a great tool for anyone who is in between race plans or anyone who wants to mix up their training without a strict plan.
Adaptive Training will work best if the athlete has an accurate Critical Power. If you do not have an accurate Critical Power, the system will help you get one by scheduling a single-run CP Estimate.
If you currently have a Stryd Training plan or import a training plan from Training Peaks, you will want to pause that plan before you start using the Stryd Adaptive Training. If you have a race scheduled, wait until you have completed the race to begin a Stryd Adaptive Training Plan.
Getting Started with Stryd Adaptive Training
Before you add the Adaptive Training plan to your account, please make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of the Stryd mobile app installed. Once installed, you are ready to take your training to the next level!
You can opt in to Stryd Adaptive Training by following the instructions below:
Open the Stryd mobile app.
Select “Set Goal” in the green Train smarter tab.
You will be asked how you want to train. Select Adaptive.
Train with purpose! You will be asked if you have a specific A event that you are training for. Choosing an event will optimize your Adaptive Training as you prepare for the race.
If you do not have a race coming up, that's ok! You can choose a race distance or a maintenance training plan. Adaptive Training will still optimize your training plan.
You will have the opportunity to customize your training. You can choose how many days per week you want to run and what the maximum number of minutes you would run during the Peak week.
Tell us about your recent training consistency! You will also be asked what your injury status is. If you have been running and training healthily for the last 4 weeks, you should select "Yes - I've been running injury-free". If not, please select "No".
This section is important because it helps the system know if you are ready to start doing workouts soon or if you need more time to work on training consistency again.
Adaptive Training will only work correctly if you have an accurate Critical Power. If your Critical Power (CP) is not correct, the system will help you get an accurate CP with a single run CP Estimate. If you have not done a CP test in the last 2 weeks, the Stryd team suggests that you select "No" and complete the Critical Power Estimation.
Start training on? Please select a date that you want to begin training. You can start as early as today!!!
Plan Review: You will then be shown your Adaptive Training overview. This overview shows you what phase you will be in depending on the week. The workouts recommended for you will depend on the current training phase.
Start Plan!!!
At the start of each phase, you will have the opportunity to customize your weekly structure. This can be extremely useful if other responsibilities in your life change.
Removing or editing the Adaptive Training
If you want to stop using the Adaptive Training or if you're going to edit your Adaptive Training weekly structure, you can do so by following the instructions below:
Open the Stryd Mobile App.
Select the green Adaptive Training button.
Select “End Plan” to remove the Adaptive Training from your account.
Or select “Edit” to change the Weekly Structure of the Adaptive Training Plan.
CP Updates based on RPE Post-Run Insights
Now the Stryd system will recognize your RPE post-run reports and compare them to your CP and suggest adjustments accordingly.
This smart CP system will ensure that your Adaptive Training Plan is always tailored to your exact needs.
Here's how you can get started:
Open the Stryd mobile app
Select the Calendar icon
Select the Run Report icon on the activity you want to add RPE to
Fill out the Post-Run report and be sure to include your RPE
For more information about Post-Run Reporting and Run Tagging, please see this support article: Post-Run Reporting and Run Tagging
Pause and Reactivate your Adaptive Training
Sometimes there are unexpected changes during a training cycle. Illness, Injury, and travel have the potential to derail your progress in any training block. Luckily, with Adaptive Training from Stryd, you never have to worry about missing runs or trying to do the math of rescheduling your important sessions.
Whenever you know that you are going to miss training sessions, you can pause your Adaptive Training plan.
Stryd’s Adaptive Training intelligently adjusts your plan when you take a break. The system calculates the "Day Gap" (time since your last activity or since you became inactive) and provides a specific recommendation based on research-backed fitness loss thresholds.
Here are the 4 categories of Adaptive Training Pause Logic:
Inactive 0-7 days: Skip Missing Days
Breaks up to a week have no meaningful impact on fitness.
Inactive 8-14 days: Restart Current Phase
Minor fitness loss begins to creep in; restarting the phase ensures a solid foundation.
Inactive 15-28 days: Start From Aerobic Phase
Noticeable fitness loss occurs; rebuilding the aerobic base is required before intensity.
Inactive for over 28 days: Start From Recovery Phase
Significant loss of fitness and muscle strength; a full recovery ramp-up is recommended.
Special Cases and the Handling Logic:
Injury Status: If a user sets their status as "Injured," the system overrides the time-based logic and always suggests Starting From Recovery to ensure a safe return to running.
Race-Targeted Plans:
If the target race date has already passed, the system suggests Starting From Recovery.
If the race is still in the future, it suggests Skipping Missing Days to prioritize reaching the start line on the original schedule.
Safety Default: If the system cannot determine exactly when a user became inactive, it defaults to Skip Missing Days to keep the user moving forward.
Inactivity: If a user doesn’t open the Stryd app for a while, the next time they open the app, they will be asked if they would like to continue using the Adaptive Training plan.
Here's how you can get started:
Open the Stryd mobile app
Select Adaptive Training
Select "Pause" at the bottom of your Training Parameters
When you are ready to reactivate, you can select "Reactivate."
Now, if you need to pause your training plan due to travel, illness, or injury, you can! Then, when you are ready to jump back in, you can reactivate your Adaptive Training Plan. The Adaptive Training plan will take into consideration how much time you took off and give you an appropriate ramp back into normal training!
Adaptive Training Phases
At the start of a new training phase, Adaptive Training will allow you to adjust your weekly running schedule. You may also have the opportunity to add more training days depending on your current fitness level. If you feel it is necessary, you can also choose fewer training days than the previous phase.
Here are the definitions of each phase in the Adaptive Training plan:
Base
Foundation: "Build your initial aerobic base and adapt to consistent training." Starting phase for the return to running for people.
Aerobic: "Further develop your aerobic capacity with a mix of easy and moderate efforts." This is the starting phase for everyone.
Power: "Enhance neuromuscular power and running economy through targeted high-intensity work." Help the user to adjust to the high-intensity training that you will do during peak.
In between the base and peak phases, there will be an opportunity to run a testing week. This is how the system updates as your fitness improves.
Peak
Prep: "Consolidate your fitness and sharpen speed with race-pace intervals."
RaceSpecific: "Fine-tune your fitness with workouts that mimic the demands of your target race."
Test
Estimate: "Perform a specific workout to get an updated estimate of your current fitness."
Test: "Complete a formal testing protocol to accurately assess your current critical power."
Recovery
Recovery: "Allow your body to rest, adapt, and prepare for the next block of training."
Maintain
Maintain: "The intensities are intended to maintain your fitness without adding stress."
Peak Weekly Duration
Your peak weekly duration will be based on your selected number of runs per week and the duration that you select.
The duration that you select during onboarding will be the peak duration for your adaptive training plan. This means that there will be some weeks of training where you run less, and the peak weeks of training will be the selected peak duration.
The system will gradually increase or decrease the intensity depending on the phase. You will also have the opportunity to add more runs to your training week, depending on the phase.
Stryd Training plans and Adaptive Training plans
The Stryd system will only allow you to do one training plan at a time. This means that you can not use a Stryd Training plan at the same time as an Adaptive Training plan.
When should I use the Adaptive Training plan?
Stryd Adaptive Training plans can be used:
In place of the Traditional Stryd Training Plan
After a Stryd race plan
Before a Stryd race plan
In place of the Stryd Build and Maintain Fitness Plan
Whenever you want some variety in your training!
If using an Adaptive Training plan sounds like a good fit, but you are currently using a Stryd plan, you can pause this plan by following the steps in the support article “How to use Stryd Training Plans”.
If you are currently in a Stryd race plan and are scheduled to complete a race at the end of the plan, the Stryd team recommends waiting until after your race to start using the Adaptive Training plan.
Do you have Feedback for the Stryd Team?
The Stryd team would love your feedback on Adaptive Training, what you like, what you don't like, and what you would change if you could. Follow this LINK to our Survey.