How To Increase Power On Zwift

If you practice a custom workout with a smart trainer in Zwift, y'all may have the option to use ERG style. ERG style allows Zwift to take command of your trainer'due south resistance and adjust it to help you reach your target watts regardless of your cadence and course terrain. In this mail service, I volition walk you through how to enable ERG way and some things y'all need to pay attention to when using certain smart trainers.

HOW TO ENABLE ERG MODE

To enable ERG mode in Zwift, the first affair y'all demand to do is pair your smart trainer as a controllable trainer in Zwift PAIRED DEVICES menu. This allows Zwift to take control of your trainer's resistance and automatically adjust for each interval.

POWER Match

Earlier we go any further, let'south get over a fiddling feature referred to every bit "Ability Match". Ane of the best features of smart trainers is their ability to provide power numbers. Just what if you accept your own power meter and you prefer to use your power meter instead?

Power lucifer is when the software y'all are using – in this case Zwift – read data from your power meter rather than the smart trainer and adjust resistance based on the data it's receiving from your power meter.

To enable power match, all you need to do is pair your ability meter as the power source in Zwift'due south PAIRED DEVICES carte as you run across in the screenshot below. That's it!

WORKOUT MODE

If ERG fashion is available for your type of trainer, you will see the ERG Mode option in the workout selection screen. Brand sure that box is checked before starting your workout.

WHEN IN ERG Fashion:

Yous will no longer feel course gradient changes. This is of import to sympathize. When in ERG way, Zwift will ignore whatever changes in course gradients. It will simply adjust resistance according to your intervals. However, information technology will withal summate your speed based on your power and take course terrain into account.
Your trainer will automatically adjust the resistance to reach your target watts. If the interval calls for 200 watts, the trainer will increase resistance until you reach 200 watts regardless if you pedal at 120 rpm or 50 rpm. The slower your cadence the higher the resistance.
No need to shift gears.

ADJUSTING Workout INTENSITY

Zwift allows you to suit workout intensity when in ERG way. If y'all are having trouble hitting your intervals you can lower the intensity by up -10%. If y'all are having a bye, and the intervals feel besides like shooting fish in a barrel, you can increase intensity past up to +10%.

Adjust Workout Intensity Using Zwift Companion App

Use Zwift Companion app. When in conditioning way, you lot volition see a defended Workout screen every bit y'all meet below.
When ERG is ON, you can use the BIAS push to suit intensity. You lot tin increment or decrease it by +/-10%.
Yous an as well skip a certain block only swipping left or right and tap the "SKIP" button.

Yous can also control the intensity with the following:

On iPad/iPhone, tap the screen and a menu will appear from the bottom of the screen. You will run across upwards/down arrows that y'all tin utilize to adjust conditioning intensity.
On Apple Television, using the remote control, swipe upward and a card will appear from the bottom of the screen. You lot will meet up/downward arrows that you can use to accommodate workout intensity.
On a PC, click the arrow upwards button on your keyboard to bring up the bottom carte. You volition run across up/downward arrows that you can employ to accommodate workout intensity.

HOW TO DISABLE ERG Way IN ZWIFT

You can use Zwift Companion app to enable or disable ERG way. Just tap the ERG ON button and it will switch to INCLINE style or resistance mode. You can adjust resistance by pressing the up or downwardly pointer or only changing your bicycle gear only like you practice when yous ride exterior.

On APPLE TV: Using the Apple Tv set remote, swipe up on the touchpad to bring up the bottom card and tap the ERG ON push button and Zwift will disable ERG mode. You can turn ERG mode back on past bringing the lesser card support and borer the ERG OFF button to enable ERG fashion.
On iPhone/iPad:But tap the screen to bring up the lesser carte and tap the ERG ON button and Zwift will disable ERG mode. You tin turn ERG mode back on by bringing the bottom menu back upwardly and tapping the ERG OFF push button to enable ERG fashion.
Using a Computer:Press the pointer up button bring upwards the lesser menu and printing the ERG ON push and Zwift will disable ERG style. Y'all can turn ERG manner back on by bringing the bottom bill of fare support again and pressing the ERG OFF push button to enable ERG fashion.

ERG Style vs RESISTANCE Style

When ERG mode is disabled or if ERG mode isn't available for your type of trainer, Zwift will switch to resistance mode. In resistance way, you have full control over resistance. Yous tin arrange resistance past either shifting gears, or conform resistance by using the same arrows in Zwift Companion app or the bottom menu. Simply, tap the up and down arrows and that will adjust the trainer resistance without having to shift your bicycle gear.

ERG MODE WHEN FTP TESTING

If you lot are doing an FTP exam and you have ERG mode enabled, Zwift will enable ERG fashion during the warmup and cooldown parts only. When you enter the twenty-minutes interval, Zwift volition disable ERG style and turn on resistance manner "incline mode" and allows you to manually conform resistance. The whole idea of FTP testing is to discover your power to sustain the highest possible power yous can sustain during a fix period and using ERG style can be problematic.

If you find yourself running out of gear during the 20-minute test segment, you lot can use the upwardly/down arrows in the Zwift Companion App to adapt your smart trainer resistance.

FTP Testing TIP:I prefer to turn ERG mode off from the beginning of the examination during warm-up just so I can observe the right gearing and "INCLINE" setting. That way when I enter the 20-minutes test section, I am using the correct gearing and resisntance setting.

ERG MODE AND TACX NEO

I unique feature the Tacx NEO has is road feel. This allows the Tacx NEO to simulate different roads such as dirt, cobblestone, gravel, wooden boards, etc. You tin can enable this feature in Zwift in the settings carte du jour.

When the Tacx NEO is in ERG style, Zwift volition disable the road experience feature altogether. Still, if you are in conditioning mode and have ERG mode disabled, Zwift will enable road feel – if you have route feel enabled in settings – and you will feel the resistance increase if you hit a asphalt department for case. This tin be problematic if you are FTP testing or holding on dearest life during the last few minutes of a hard interval and yous suddenly feel the resistance increase.

If yous make up one's mind to disable ERG mode, yous might want to as well disable Yous can disable road feel. You can admission route feel setting in Zwift's carte du jour under settings.

POWER SMOOTHING

Some trainers such as Wahoo KICKR and SNAP offer power smoothing. If enabled, information technology will make the reported ability very shine and doesn't testify the modest inconsistencies with a user's pedal stroke. This functionality will not impact the manner the trainer work or effect ERG mode in any way. Information technology's only a brandish function.

Power smoothing is on below. Annotation how shine the power graph is:

Power smoothing is off here. Y'all can see little variances in the power graph below:

ERG way is my personal favorite. Set my desire target watts and let the trainer suit to keep me honest during training.

Thank you for reading!