I feel like I’ve found a couple of people in a similar boat, but the discussion always seems to go directly into the esoteric bits of xert that I’m actually okay with (I’m sure I don’t understand completely of course, but I think I get the gist and I’m good with that part for now).
What’s giving me grief as I try a trial to see what I’m moving to from TrainerRoad is just the mechanics of using my Garmin 540, Powertap hub, laptop, and turbo trainer to do a workout. I’m stoked about magic buckets and riding outdoors, but the A #1 thing I need to sort out is indoor workouts.
I wrote a bunch more here, but I deleted it in favor of hoping that we can stick to “can someone point me to a set of steps for selecting a workout and riding it on a turbo trainer with a powertap hub, a Garmin 540 (Xert workout player and magic buckets already installed), and a remote player on my laptop for better viewing?” I’m coming from a few years on TrainerRoad and before that Sufferfest (okay, fine, call it Wahoo). The 540 was purchased in part to try Xert, and it’s loaded up with the Xert player and Magic Buckets data field, though I’m as new to that computer as I am to Xert.
I’d swear I briefly had a workout turn up in the Xert player, but my only partial workout so far was salvaging the last bit of time I had available by starting the workout in the Garmin player, which wasn’t very nice.
I haven’t been able to find such a guide the actual basic, mechanical steps of getting a workout onto the computer and completed. I’m all for digging deeper, but I’d like to get some exercise before getting my head outside the whole Xert knowledgebase… 
Does a turbo trainer mean you will use gears/cadence to hit targets rather than ERG control possible with a smart trainer?
I may not have this completely right but here’s the options that should work.
EBC is the easiest way to execute workouts indoors with many more features than the Garmin Workout Player.
EBC on phone (iOS or Android) –
- From Today page at xertonline.com select a workout and Send to EBC*.
- Start EBC on phone and make sure Power is paired to Power Tap under Sensors.
- Start the workout on EBC. Your selected workout should be listed as top entry.
- Bring up Remote or Session Player on your laptop and a couple seconds later the workout being executed on EBC will display.
Garmin Workout Player –
- From Today page at xertonline.com select a workout and Send to Workout Player for Garmin*.
- Confirm Garmin is paired to Power Tap under Garmin sensor settings. Select Connect IQ Workout Player on Garmin. Your selected workout should sync (Workout Ready).
- Start the workout on the Garmin.
- Bring up Remote or Session Player on your laptop and a couple seconds later the workout being executed on the Garmin will display.
*Workout Players are managed from the Today page.
Reference – Start Training Smarter – Xert Breakthrough Training
Thank you!
My powertap hub is ANT+ and I use an iPhone, so without getting into the Bluetooth/ANT+ adapters I can’t use EBC, or at least that’s my understanding; that’s a big part of why I finally upgraded from my ancient Garmin 705… EDIT to add: And yes, it’s a dumb trainer, I’ve got trainer power turned off on the Garmin and will just shift gears/cadence for targets.
It seems like things are falling down between steps 1 and 2 in the Garmin Workout Player instructions. I’ve sent an resent the workout, and it seems like that part works inasmuch as the workout is visible in Garmin Connect on my phone. But in the Xert player I get “Workout not scheduled” after repeatedly trying the things that seem like they would chivvy it along (e.g. hit the “send to device watch with arrow icon” and selecting my 540, which gets me a message saying “Ready to Roll” and something about it being sent with the next sync. The sync process appears to run (working icon in top right followed by checkmark), but nothing in the workout player.
I just had to sign in with phone and reauthorize, but even after doing that, nothing. I’d been through the original authorization previously.
I do have an Xert Cycling Workout in the Garmin app showing as today’s workout, so it seems like it’s being sent to Garmin Connect but somehow not being picked up by the player.
Okay, here’s a fragment inspired by an earlier thing, and a partial success. I just scheduled the same workout for about twelve minutes from now, and it showed up immediately. So… the bits are there, but the “push” functionality has a disconnect somewhere? It’s not the end of the world to have to schedule workouts, though I’d rather have things… work as they say they will? I mean, I’m very much open to the possibility of user error here, but this feels unduly fraught.
In any case, thanks for the steps, as that at least helped uncover that I wasn’t out in left field, though the Today Page bit didn’t pan out for me, at least not yet.
Thanks again!
I see. ANT+ only so Garmin it is.
Here’s where the confusion lies –
Garmin Connect and Workout Player for Garmin are actually two different options to consider.
Scroll down on the Today page to Workout Players and confirm which players are enabled under Manage Workout Players.
Use Send to Garmin Connect if you want to use the native workout player on the Garmin.
This option is only available when a workout includes less than 50 steps (Garmin Connect limitation). This option converts Xert SMART workouts into %FTP block intervals.
Use Send to Garmin Workout Player if you wish to execute a Xert SMART workout using the Xert’s Connect IQ app on the Garmin. This retains the original interval targets defined in a variety of ways not anchored on %FTP. This includes SMART dynamic power intervals which can alter the power target as you execute the interval.
When you’re ready to try something completely different 
here’s Xert Magic Buckets (XMB) instructions on a Garmin –
- No need to select a workout on XO (xertonline.com).
Magic Buckets will fetch the top-level XSS target for the day (low/high/peak strain) as shown under Daily Summary, XSS Overview on the Today page.
You can edit those target values, but I won’t get into that for now. 
If only Low XSS is the target it will be a LIT endurance workout. E.g. 60-65 Low XSS is about an hour at a Z2 pace.
If Low, High, and Peak XSS targets it will be a HIT day with a Focus Duration target (watt target range plus duration you can control).
- Start your Garmin and swipe to the Magic Buckets page*. A fetch countdown will start.
If a LIT day you’ll see the Endurance screen. If HIT you’ll see the Intervals screen.
- Start the recording and follow the Magic Buckets guidelines to complete the workout.
Works indoors and outdoors.
*Assumes you have registered the XMB app by starting and saving a short recording and you received a “Magic Buckets registered” notification on XO.
Reference – Using Magic Buckets in Real Time: Data Field Guide – Xert Knowledgebase
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Thank you!
I only got part of my scheduled ride in before non-xert chaos intervened, but I’m pretty sure you just solved my problem!
Unfortunately I won’t get a chance to test immediately, but it seems pretty clear that was it.
Thanks again!