Detailed Test Instructions

‍Swim Instructions

1. Begin with a 200er easy warm-up swim
2. Followed by 4 medium speed repetitions with some rest in between to increase blood circulation and prepare your body for the test.
3. Then get prepared for the 1^st test-section in the PREPARATION PAUSE!‍
4. Swim the 1^st TEST-section of 400.  Focus on maintaining a consistent but maximum effort throughout the distance, pacing yourself to avoid burning out too quickly.‍
5. Completely rest for a few minutes and then do an easy swim for 100 to properly recover for the 2^nd part of the test.
6. Then get prepared for the 2^nd test-section in another PREPARATION PAUSE!‍
7. Swim the 2^nd TEST-section of 200. Focus on maintaining a consistent but maximum effort throughout the distance, pacing yourself to avoid burning out too quickly.
8. Afterwards swim easy for 200 to cool down.

☝🏽 TIPs:
- Set your pool length correctly within the TRIQ app and double-check if the syncing with the watch was done properly.
- Try to choose a lane where you are not interrupted by other swimmers during your 400 and 200 test-sections.
- Remember one more time; always press the LAP-Button at the end of a section (not each single lane) to switch into resting modus and start the next section by pressing the LAP-button again. Also see Swimming with TRIQ.
- take the chance and look at our swim guiding video to learn how swim workouts are handled on the Garmin smart watch.

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Bike Instructions

1. Start with a steady 10-minute warm-up at an easy pace
2. Followed by a short & hard 2-minute effort to increase blood circulation.
3. Again, ride for 10 minutes to recover from the short hard effort.
4. Then prepared yourself for the test in the PREPARATION PAUSE!
   
5. Star the 20min Test. Ride as hard as you can sustain for 20 minutes. It’s crucial to pace yourself to maintain a consistent effort throughout the duration.
   We recommend 80 RPM as cadence. ‍
6. Cool down with an easy 5-minute ride to help your body recover
   

special indoor Information (bike)

The workout structure for the indoor bike test is exactly the same like for the outdoor version so please see the workout structure above. However, conducting a performance test indoors on a smart trainer (or any type of trainer) differs from testing outdoors on the road. Therefore, we explain the setup and how to execute it, to ensure accurate and reliable results.

In most indoor setups, the smart trainer operates in ERG mode, where resistance is automatically adjusted to maintain a target power defined by your workout and transmitted by your Garmin smartwatch or platforms like Zwift. However, ERG mode can cause users to unconsciously change their biomechanics - especially if cadence or gear settings shift - while the power target remains constant.

For that reason 'ERG mode' is not suitable for hard effort FTP tests. Hence TRIQ does not set a specific power target for the preparation pause AND the 20-minute test section!! .This will switch the smart trainer automatically into resistance mode, and a default resistance level (depending on your trainer model) will be applied. This allows you to control the power output manually through your cadence, gear selection and resistance adjustments via your smartwatch, simulating real-world cycling conditions. Make use now from the preparation pause and find your best setup (resistance, gearl selection, cadence) for the test. Afterwards you can start the Test by pressing the Lap-Button (please read the tip below !!). Your goal is now to maintain the highest possible constant power output for the full 20 minutes.

☝🏽 TIPs:
outdoor
- Preparation Pause - take a last sip of water and chose a good starting point
- Choose a flat uninterrupted route

‍indoor
- Preparation Pause - for some watch models (e.g Fenix 6 or 7) the manually set values will be carried over to the next step - the Test itself. For other models (e.g. FR 945) this is not the case and you need to set your resistance again. However the preparation pause is the timepoint to find the best setup and not to lose time in the 20min test. Get familiar how to set and change the resistance or inclination on your smartwatch during a workout being active. In most of the cases it starts by pressing and holding the middle left button (the Up-button) and then follow the menu on your smartwatch.
- make sure you have a good ventilation so that your body is not overheating
- Learn more about ERG mode and when to use it here

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Run Instructions

1. Start with a 10-minute easy warm-up jog.
2. Followed by 6 short & fast strides on a VO2max intensity to increase blood circulation and prepare your body for the test.
3. Then get prepared for the test in the PREPARATION PAUSE!‍
4. Start the 20-minuteTest. Run as hard as you can sustain for 20 minutes. Focus on maintaining a consistent effort throughout the duration, pacing yourself to avoid burning out too quickly.‍
5. Cool down with an easy 5-minute jog or walk to help your body recover.

☝🏽 TIPs
- Choose a flat, uninterrupted route. Best is an closed athletic run track as you will most not be distracted by anything
- If you have to deal with a strong head- or tailwind think about to postpone the test as this could distort your performance values.