Any discipline · Beginner

Sweet Spot Base (Beginner) training plan

Build base the time-efficient way — sweet spot work you can ride anywhere

For riders new to structured training who want base without the hours.

Length: 12 wk
Load: 4.2 hrs/wk
Level: Beginner
Discipline: Any discipline
Price: $59 one-time

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Buy once on TrainingPeaks
The plan lands on your calendar, from any start date
Every workout syncs to Zwift, Garmin or Wahoo

What you get

By the end of 12 weeks

Sweet spot work that returns more fitness per hour than steady riding
A build from 180 to 350 TSS a week over twelve weeks
Ridable on any platform and in any discipline — indoors or out
Weekday sessions kept short, with the longer rides on the weekend
Core and hip strength routines that make the power you build usable

Sweet spot training sits just below threshold — hard enough to drive real adaptation, easy enough that you can repeat it. It is the most time-efficient way to build base, which is why this plan exists alongside the Zwift Base line.

Sweet Spot or Zwift Base?

They are not the same plan with different names.

Zwift Base is built around Zwift. If your winter happens in Zwift and you want a plan designed for that, start there.
Sweet Spot Base is built around a method. It works no matter your discipline and no matter where you ride it — road, gravel, indoors, outdoors.

Both export to Zwift, Garmin and Wahoo, so this is not a question of what devices you own. It is whether you want a Zwift-native winter or the most time-efficient base you can ride anywhere.

If you want the reasoning rather than the summary, sweet spot vs zone 2 for aerobic capacity works through the numbers: the same hour of riding, roughly 40% more training stress.

Who this plan is for

The beginner tier: Cat 5 racers, riders returning from injury, and anyone just getting started with structured training. Around 4.2 hours a week.

How the load builds

The plan opens at roughly 180 TSS a week and finishes at 350 across twelve weeks of progressive overload. Weekday sessions stay short; the longer rides sit on the weekend. Interval duration and intensity change regularly through the plan, which keeps it tolerable if you are riding it on a trainer.

Core and hip strength and stability routines run alongside the bike work.

What you get

Every session as a structured workout file, exportable to Zwift, Garmin or Wahoo
Daily email workout reminders
The plan on your TrainingPeaks calendar, on desktop and in the mobile app
Core and hip strength / stability routines

Training guides

New training guides, as they go up

Shayne writes about how training actually works — thresholds, intervals, fuelling, strength. Get each new guide when it is published.

Who wrote this plan

Shayne Gaffney

If you have ridden a structured workout in Zwift, there is a good chance Shayne wrote it. He authored around 85% of Zwift's workout library, along with the "Build Me Up", "Pebble Pounder", "Zwift Racing" and "201: Your First 5K" plans — and he wrote every session in this one.

USA Cycling Level 1 · Precision Nutrition L1 · Published in Bicycling, Triathlete, TrainingPeaks and Zwift Insider

More about Shayne

Results

What riders say about the programming

I came to Shayne and GCC with lots of enthusiasm and willingness to work, but without knowing how to take my riding to the next level. I also had a bucket list goal: California's "Death Ride"… Several (hard!) months later, I crushed the Death Ride and went on to several other challenging rides later in the season. After that, I even took up racing, something I'd never thought I'd do, and had a blast competing in our local cyclocross series.
Paul D.Death Ride · Coached athlete
The A group, the fast ones on the Saturday ride. A sub 5 hour century. These were my goals and they had eluded me for years because, I now see, I didn't really have a plan for achieving them… I achieved my original goals, grew to set new ones and achieved those as well. There is only one way to say this and that is that 2015 was the most fun I've ever had on a bike.
Dan S.Sub-5 hour century · Coached athlete · 2015

Read all reviews

The thinking behind this plan

HIIT vs LSD trainingWhat the research says about high-intensity intervals versus long slow distance — and how to keep the training effect when you do not have hours to ride.
Sweet spot vs zone 2 for aerobic capacityWhich builds aerobic capacity better — sweet spot work or long zone 2 riding? What the research shows, and how to choose between them.
The time-crunched athlete: what is the best way to train?How to train when you do not have the hours — what to cut, what to protect, and how to keep progressing on a limited weekly budget.

FAQ

Questions about this plan

Is this plan the right level for me?

It is written for riders new to structured training who want base without the hours. If you are between two plans, the plan finder will place you in under a minute — or email us your goal and weekly hours before you buy and we will point you at the right one.

Do I need a power meter for this plan?

A power meter makes the targets precise, but it is not required. Every session carries a perceived-effort target alongside the power target.

Does it sync with Zwift, Garmin and Wahoo?

Yes. Every workout is a structured file. Connect TrainingPeaks to Zwift and the day's session appears in your workout list; connect Garmin or Wahoo and it pushes to your head unit.

Do I need TrainingPeaks Premium?

No. A free TrainingPeaks account is enough to buy this plan and follow every workout. Premium adds deeper analysis but nothing this plan depends on.

What if I miss a session or a week?

Shift the remaining plan forward on your TrainingPeaks calendar and carry on. The plan is built in blocks, so a missed session will not break the progression.

Is this coaching?

No. This is a self-guided plan: you get the full structure and every workout, but no ongoing coaching relationship. That is what keeps it a one-time price instead of a monthly retainer.

What if the plan turns out to be wrong for me?

Plans are covered by the TrainingPeaks refund policy. With the author's approval, a plan can be exchanged for another of equal value from the same author. Refund requests must be made in writing to TrainingPeaks within 24 hours of purchase with a detailed explanation, and are assessed case by case. If you are unsure this plan fits, get in touch before you buy and we will point you at the right one.

Not the right fit?