How Optimize makes you faster

Our new Optimize technology helps you match your training to your recovery, so you can maximize both your workouts and the resulting improvements. Our proprietary algorithm does the heavy lifting so you can focus on your training.

How much training did you do, and how much recovery did you achieve?

We combine your exercise data with your recovery data to display the relationship between the two in an easy-to-understand red, green, yellow visualization.

To measure how much training you have done, Optimize pulls data from your power meter. This is displayed as your Optimized Training Score, or OTS.

To measure how much recovery you’ve achieved, Optimize pulls sleep and HRV data from your wearable.

The Optimize needle shows you the balance between the your training and your recovery.

If you train too much or you don't get enough recovery, your Optimize needle will be in the red. If you haven't trained enough and you've had plenty of recovery, your needle will be in the yellow. If you achieve the right amount of training and recovery, you’ll be in the green — Optimized!

All our training plans are crafted to balance a progressive load with recovery. But we realize that a training plan doesn't know how much you are sleeping or what other life stresses you have - but your wearable does! And this is one reason why Optimize is a great tool. Is also works very well for athletes who are training but aren't always following a specific training plan.

Your training-to-recovery balance is important because it leads to your best fitness outcomes. We help you avoid both overtraining and undertraining, and help you make sense of your wearable data.

What the colors mean

What should you do when you are in the red? Red means rest. By rest, we mean not exercising, getting a good night’s sleep, and striving for a higher HRV.

If you are following one of our training plans, it is likely that you will conveniently have a rest day already when you are in the red. That’s because we are able to predict when you’ll be tired from the training we prescribe. A red Optimize score is common on Friday and Monday mornings, which are rest days in our training plans.

If you are following your own plan, using our workouts or using Optimize for your unique training schedule, rest on your red days.

When you achieve a green Optimize score, keep moving forward with your training.

When you are in the green, green means go. As in, go ahead and follow your plan with confidence and motivation. If you are following one of our training plans, you should be in the green on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings, as these will be your hardest workouts.

When you are in the yellow, this means you haven't been training to your full capacity.

What to do when you're not in the green

Wake up one morning and see red when you expected to see green? Don't panic!

If you have a workout that day, go ahead and try to execute the workout. You may surprise yourself. Your body is incredibly resilient. However, if the workout does not go well, then you know why!

Keep focusing on your recovery and following the plan - generally, your recovery will bounce back quickly and you can keep moving forward.

First, focus on your recovery by trying to get more sleep, drink an ounce of water per pound of body weight, and achieve higher HRV’s.

•  Related reading: What your HRV means & nine ways to increase it

How to achieve your Optimal Training Load

Overtraining and poor performance occur when you train too much and do not recover enough. You can and should make adjustments to achieve your Optimal Training Load - the perfect amount of training stress that your body can absorb given your recent training and your recovery. Optimize makes this analysis and adjustment easy.

For example, if you are following an intermediate level plan with 8-12 hours of weekly training, and you find yourself frequently in the red on Monday and Friday mornings, then you can switch to the basic level plan with 4-8 hours. Doing this, you will ride less and give your body the opportunity to match its recovery with your training.

When you match your training to your recovery, that’s when you’ll be your best!

This example applies for the advanced plan, too: If you cannot achieve enough recovery to match your training, switch to the intermediate. Then verify over the next few weeks that you are achieving more days in the green and ask yourself, “am I feeling better on the bike, are my workouts improving?”

Optimize helps you match your training to your recovery. When you balance the two, magic will start to happen and you’ll feel better and better on the bike with your training.

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