Virtual Training and Staying Connected During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has us all staying at home.  I’ve been doing a lot of riding indoors.  And leading out coached indoor bike workout through other means.  With all the tech in the world today, indoor rides are becoming more social. Here are some options.

Zwift
Zwift Meetups are a relatively new feature on the indoor cycling platform.  Rider can workout together and stay together no matter what speed anyone rides due to a ‘rubber banding’ feature.  All the participants need to have a Zwift account.  There is a chat feature so the group can communicate.  Some Meetups have used an app called Discord. Discord allows the group to talk to one another via the internet and headsets. I haven’t tried it but sounds interesting.  I’ve used Zwift Meetups for some of our coached indoor rides.

Facebook Live
I did this on Monday with a group workout.  This option is free.  Seemed to work well. I gave instructions for the workout.  And the attendees did the workout in their own home.  We could all read the chat texts.  However, I couldn’t see the participants or talk to them.

Zoom
This is a video conferencing option.  This option is free.   Unlimited time for 1 to 1 meetings.  For workouts lasting longer than 40 minutes and more than 2 people you’ll need an upgraded pay account. I used this option this past Wednesday for our indoor cycling workout.  We could all see each other riding, talk to one another and I could lead a group workout.

I’m learning some new ways to stay connected with my athletes.  I have a feeling I will continue to use some of these techniques after things get back to normal.