Onboarding steps for Xert trial users and newbies

General
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Hopefully this intro with links to more content isn’t TL;DR. Remember, baby steps. :slight_smile:

I guarantee if you spend some time reviewing the information provided below, you will quickly learn what’s needed to successfully run Xert. For some that may mean 110% of what they prefer to know, but I’m someone who likes to RTM. :nerd_face:
Yes, there is a learning curve to Xert, but this is the Cliffs Notes version with tips to streamline the process.

Note: Not all features are available in the 30-day trial. See Feature Comparison Chart.

Recent updates to Xert include a revised and improved calendar interface for the Planner.
The Forecast AI Beta component is only available to subscribers who wish to test and provide feedback for an upcoming new feature.
Trial users can gain access to the Beta by starting a monthly subscription ($9.99).
Keep in mind the Beta is in flux and subject to change without notice.
My suggestion is to first learn how Xert works using XATA to plan your training as that is the guiding force in Xert. Forecast AI Beta is not required to use the updated Fitness Planner to personalize your training or initiate a phased progression.
If you decide to participate in the Beta program you can flip back and forth between standard XATA functions and Forecast AI Beta. XATA guides your day-to-day choices without any need to populate the calendar although you may decide to plan a week ahead when you have specific workouts or rides in mind. Forecast AI is a future-forward tool to populate the Planner with a flexible plan that adapts as you complete it. Both approaches support goal and event-based planning.

To begin training with Xert you first need to establish a starting Fitness Signature.

  • Option A: Load up to three months of your cycling data (power, HR, cadence) by syncing from Garmin Connect or Strava (Ride, Virtual Ride, Workout).
    This ensures Xert can analyze your past activities to establish a Fitness Signature.

  • Option B: Enter two to three known best-effort times and watts into the Power Curve Calculator to estimate a starting signature.

  • Option C: Manually seed your starting fitness signature with a ballpark (F)TP and max sprint number (PP). HIE can be estimated from this chart.

With Option B or C you’ll next need to feed Xert data by riding for at least two weeks so Xert gets to know you (how often you ride, type of workouts/rides, training load status). Once you reach one-star status, you’ll have sufficient data for XATA to operate as designed. Until then just ride your bike as you discover how Xert works.

Learning Xert is best done on a browser with a PC/laptop/tablet. Xert is a dual device platform by design. A mobile workout app (EBC for Android or iOS) connects to the XO web server desktop site. While you could run Xert entirely on a phone using the app and mobile browser, there are restrictions to mobile views. To reap the full benefits of the platform you want to spend some portion of your time on a big screen browser. Dual device means running workouts on your phone while viewing the Remote Player or Session Player on a big screen. Both players support solo workouts. The Session Player adds group session capabilities and more.

You should first learn about new terms in Xert and how Xert differs from other platforms. Examples: TP versus FTP, XSS versus TSS (TL vs CTL), Focus Duration versus training zones, Specificity, and Xert’s three level strain model. Plus the all-important MPA and Breakthrough method to validate your signature changes over time.

Academy series videos are the quickest way to get up to speed – Discover + Improve + Perform
FAQs & Glossary – Support Home – Xert
Lots of newbie tips posted here – Beginner questions

Beginner’s Guide: Getting Started With Xert – Xert (baronbiosys.com)
Training Right For Your Event – Xert (baronbiosys.com)

Got more onboarding questions? Ask them here or use forum search :mag: to locate topics of interest.
Need technical support to resolve an issue? Start a ticket by emailing support@xertonline.com. You’ll receive a confirmation email when received. Check your spam box if you don’t see one.

Welcome aboard. :biking_man: :mountain_biking_man: :mountain_biking_woman:

P.S.: If you’d like to know a little about me, a fellow user and older cyclist who got Xertified, take a look at my 120 day experiment with Xert. After a couple kick-the-tire trial attempts I made a commitment to learn the system and the results speak for themselves. No “masters” plan required. :wink:

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3 months is usually sufficient to establish a starting signature if activities include some BT (breakthrough) events. If no BTs are detected you can select one of the “fitness test” workouts from the library which are much easier than a traditional RAMP or 20-minute test. Click here for the 30-minute version.
Ride the workout in Slope mode (gears/cadence) and exceed targets and durations if able. On any long interval designed to drive you to a failure point, right before you are about to fail, spin up (stand if you want) and generate a max effort for 5-7secs or more.

The Progression chart (XPMC) can be set to display from 2 Weeks to Forever using the dropdown box at top of the page. You can also highlight a start/end date range on the chart and zoom in.

XPMCdropdown

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How To #1 – Starting your first workout session on Xert.

Requirements:

  • XO (xertonline.com ) running in a browser on PC/laptop/tablet
  • Xert EBC app installed on your phone; iOS or Android

Prep:

  • Sync historical data on XO to establish a starting fitness signature or use the Power Curve calculator with known data points.*
  • Configure XATA parameters under Program. You can change these settings at any time.

Step 1. On the Training tab of XO (or today’s date on the Planner) review XATA guidelines to select one of the recommended workouts. This can be any workout from the top list of four or Load More or change Duration or use Filter to generate a new list. Suitiability is indicated for each entry along with an XSS ratio (low/high/peak strain).

To select a workout from the Training tab use Play Now which switches to the Session Player waiting for you to start your selected workout on the phone app. If you select a Session with a YT video, the video will restart from the beginning when you start the workout on your phone.

To select a workout on the Planner, use Add (blank calendar) or Choose Training (FAI plan), scroll through the list, select one, set Start time at top, then Save your selection in lower right. This adds the workout/activity to the Planner with the defined Start time.

Training page = select workout to perform right now or schedule one tomorrow or following day.
Planner = add or choose and schedule a workout/activity for today or any date in the future.

When you select a workout on XO that workout will be displayed at top of the workout list when you start the EBC phone app. If the phone app is already running when you make a selection on XO, swipe down on the home page of the app to resync with XO.

TIPS:

  • If you select a workout on the Planner, EBC won’t recognize that workout as your selection unless you run EBC within 30 minutes of the Start time.
  • If you use the Schedule button for a Session (instead of Play Now or Save as your selection on the Planner) EBC will only allow you to Warm-up prior to scheduled Start time.
  • You can add an activity in the past that wasn’t synced to Xert by adding it to the Planner with a Start date/time in the past.

Step 2. Start the selected workout on the EBC phone app once sensors are paired.
EBC will display the workout and begin the warm-up interval. You control the workout with your phone with options to pause, skip, change modes or intensity, and switch between page views.

Step 3. View a big screen version of the workout on XO using the Session Player or switch to the Remote Player if you prefer a traditional blue block chart. The Session Player is an enhanced player with many more features for both solo and group sessions.

Step 4. When finished, end the workout and Save.
On Android swipe up to return to prior page then Save.
On iOS tap pause button then Save.
This uploads the completed activity from the phone app to XO for analysis.

Your fitness signature in Xert will be calculated automatically after every activity. A traditional FTP test is not required. The key to signature validation is maximal efforts under fatigue whether you perform them frequently as a competitor or occasionally as a recreational rider. See Breaking Through the Xert Way for the types of efforts that generate BTs. You don’t need to achieve a BT for your signature to be adjusted.

TIP: You can track your signature changes over time by viewing Activities, Table and sort by date descending. To chart your progress, view the XPMC chart.

*On a 30-day trial you are limited to 90 days of historical data which should include enough data points to establish a TP close to your FTP (if known). It is not unusual if they don’t match since TP is derived differently than FTP although the values serve a similar purpose.

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I would recommend that Admin Lock and Pin this thread to the top of the forum (at least for a while). @ridgerider2 is the peoples champion.

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Pinned. So helpful @ridgerider2

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Definitely a good pointer to go and explore in the help info the difference between FTP (my definition of this is maxmimum 20 min effort after removing any anaerobic caapbiity with a super hard 5 mins), and Xert’s definition of threshold power.

For me, whatever method i use, i justwant tp understand it, and then just use one :slight_smile:

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Yes this a lot. frankly if I have a “Break through” ride, I would not expect ftp to decline for a few weeks after. makes no sense. “Break through” followed by steady training shouldn’t have that kind of drop that lasts weeks. seems like algorithms are flawed. Will continue to try for the rest of the 30 trial.

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I did the 90 min SMART Body Movin yesteday. It recommends the same workout again today. is that normal that it repeats the same workout several days?

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Are you on the 30 day trial? I think that limits you to a very small workout library so you are more likely to see repeats suggested.

The paid version has tons of workouts and while you may see repeats suggested it isn’t common.

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I believe you meant to post to your original topic but I’ll answer here. :slight_smile:

How did that workout go for you? You mentioned you were concerned how your calculated signature might affect completing hard workouts.

You’ll notice on the Training page there is a list of recommended workouts with Suitability ratings that factor in XSS ratio, Difficulty, and Focus for today’s goal. For example, Good, Achievable, Optimal Focus. See detals here – Training Suitability – Xert

While some workout entries may repeat on successive days it depends on your program settings, current TL, and calculated form (how quickly you recover from yesterday’s activity).
However, there is always more than one suitabile workout for the day.
Top of the list doesn’t mean that is the most productive entry but one of several that qualify.
Since you are using XATA you’ll see a Suggest button at top of the list which randomly cycles through the top entries and selects one for you.
You can also go to the Planner and enable Automatically Schedule under Settings. That triggers an automatic selection from the recommended list after midnight each day similar to the Suggest button. If you don’t like the automatic selection for the day you can always clear it and select another suitable entry before working out.

Another reason to see repeats is your selected Focus Type which in your case is Pursuiter (3-minute power).
If I search the Library for all Pursuiter workouts there are ~15 in total ranging from 2-1/2 to 4-diamond Difficulty. You’re at 3-1/2 status stars TL which means you should be able to complete 3-1/2 diamond workouts at 100% compliance but find 4-diamond difficulty workouts harder to complete and 2-1/2 diamonds easier. That’s one of the Suitability factors applied each day; matching your status stars with diamond counts to provide you with achievable workouts or more challenging entries above your current stars count.

Xert also has more arrows in the quiver to consider. :slight_smile:

  • The Autogen button will create a simple workout that matches today’s XSS low/high/peak goal. Try it next time you don’t see anything you like on the recommended list.
  • If you have a Garmin you can use Xert Magic Buckets to free ride in Slope mode (or outdoors) to arrive at today’s XSS goal using a dynamic gamified approach. :slight_smile:
  • You’ll notice suitable entries can appear under Outdoor and Virtual categories if you have historically ridden routes in the past at a pace and efforts that meet today’s goal.
  • Finally you have the option to choose a different workout using Filter. For example, change Filter to display Breakaway Specialist (8-minute power) workouts instead. Or pick a Road Sprinter workout today.

So your choice is to make choices on a daily basis :smiley: or turn on Automatic and follow the leader. :man_cartwheeling:

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My first SMART workout was done yesterday and it went better than expected. Just that it immediately started intense, so I am thinking that next time, I need to warmup, before I start a SMART workout. I completed 39 out of 40 sets, even though I think I may have sandbagged some of the red sets that were “free ride”.

I have watched all 9 of the academy videos and everything makes much more sense now. Very good! I understand everything much better now. It is going to be interesting to see how things progress. Thank you!!

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Kudos on completing the Academy video series. They proviide a comprensive overview of XATA functions and Xert’s approach to training. XFAI along with Planner enhancements will be covered in a future update to the series.

On EBC you can back up to the start of an interval if you tap << before the interval ends.
I’ll do that on some hard start HIT workouts if the default warm-up isn’t sufficient.
Below is an example where I backed up and repeated the 10-minute warm-up ramp in AUTO mode before switching to Slope mode to tackle a micro-burst set.

BackupWarmUp

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Another question.
In the progression chart, for the breakthrough bubbles.
If I have focus 3min power set as my focus, will the breakthroughs only show 3min breakthroughs?
I cannot see any other breakthrough circles than 3min ones. I cannot find any breakrough for TP, PP or anything else. I see gold, silver, bronze breakthrough circles but cannot figure out what the breakthroughs were, except for the 3min that shows in the box, when doing a “mouse-over”. Am I doing something wrong?

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3min power reflects what Focus Type you have currently selected for the program you are on.
For example, I only see 4 min when I hover over the circles because I have Puncheur selected for my Continuous program.
Double tap on a circle to view details for that BT including Focus for that activity.
Size and color of the circles provides at-a-glance info about the BT –
What do the coloured circles on my XPMC mean? – Xert

Something interesting you can do with a BT activity is click on the Previous button below the chart to show MPA drawdown with your prior signature applied. You can then zoom in on the BT segments and see how long you exceeded MPA and by how much. If there was more than one BT detected Xert adjusts your signature so only one point touches the MPA line.

Tip for the future –
There will be times you generate a BT that you don’t want applied. For example, an abrupt stop at the line may generate a BT but you didn’t fail naturally and you could have kept going. Or you may have power spikes in the data which Xert attempts to filter out during analysis but one snuck by and bumped your signature. Or you got a Near BT which slightly lowers signature values and you prefer not to do that. Its not necessarily a bad thing as it improves your chances to generate a BT in the future but many hate to see any decline while they’re training. :smiley:
For these situations you can flag the activity which retains the strain score for TL purposes but skips signature calculation.

FlagActivityClear to FlagActivityRed

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I found that clicking the circle, then clicking the BT symbol on next page shows me the data I was looking for :grinning:
xert 250220

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