A lot of training advice assumes you are pointed at a race. Pick an A event, count backwards, build a periodized plan. That works for about half of the athletes who use IntervalCoach. The other half have different questions. I am training to feel fit, not to win a podium. I just had surgery and want to come back carefully. I want to lose weight without wrecking my training. My race season is over and I need somewhere to put my Monday legs. I signed up for a five-day hike across the Pyrenees and have no idea where to start.
The nine non-race goal templates in IntervalCoach are built for these athletes. Each one has its own default duration, ramp rate, and phase structure, because "getting fitter" means something very different from "coming back from injury." Here is what each one is for.
General Fitness
The default for athletes without a specific event. Twelve weeks by default (anywhere from 6 to 24), with a single Build phase focused on progressive overload. The CTL target sits 15% above your current fitness — enough to feel a meaningful lift without forcing intensity you do not need. No peak and no taper, because there is nothing to peak for.
Return to Sport
For athletes coming back from illness, injury, or a long layoff. Eight weeks by default, with a conservative CTL target of just 10% above current — among the gentlest ramps of any template. There is no Peak phase; the entire plan runs in Base. The point is to rebuild the aerobic engine before you ask for fireworks, not to stack intensity onto a body that just stopped moving.
Off-Season Base
For athletes with a long runway before their next block starts. Sixteen weeks by default, all Base, ramping CTL 10% over current. The phase model is intentionally flat: no Peak, no Taper, just sustained aerobic work to raise the floor before your next build phase begins.
Weight Management
Training structured around body composition goals. Twelve weeks of consistent volume with CTL held flat at your current level — no ramping. The Build phase focuses on volume and consistency rather than chasing fitness gains. This is not a weight-loss program; it is a training framework that keeps the wheels turning while your nutrition does the work.
Speed / Power Block
A short, focused block for athletes who want to sharpen specific capabilities. Six weeks by default (4 to 12), with a Peak phase in the final three weeks for race-specific intensity, preceded by a Build. CTL holds flat — this template trades volume for sharpness rather than stacking both. Useful when you want to fix the Tuesday group-ride sprints before summer.
FTP / Threshold
A structured block to raise your FTP. Eight weeks by default, ramping CTL 10% over current. The Build phase covers threshold and VO2max development; the last two weeks switch to a Peak phase that prepares you for an FTP test. End the block, take the test, see what changed.
Getting Started
The beginner template. Sixteen weeks by default with the highest CTL ramp of any template (+20% over current), because new athletes have the most room to grow. All Base, no intensity peaks. The plan focuses on building a gradual fitness foundation rather than chasing numbers.
Maintenance
For when you do not want to build and you do not want to decondition. CTL holds flat at your current level. Unlike the other templates, Maintenance is a rolling window — it never reaches an end date, it just keeps the wheels on. Most athletes use it for a few weeks between big blocks or during a stretch of work travel when ramping is unrealistic.
Long Walk / Multi-day Hike
For athletes preparing for a Camino, a Vierdaagse, a multi-day Alpine trek, or a Kilimanjaro climb. Sixteen weeks by default, ramping CTL 15% over current. The phase model is unique among non-race goals: a Build phase for progressive long-walk volume, a Peak phase for the longest training walks and back-to-back days, and a final two-week Taper so you arrive at the start line rested. Time on feet is the metric, not power or pace.
How to pick
If you have a goal event, use that. If you do not, the practical questions are:
- Coming back from something? Return to Sport.
- New to structured training? Getting Started.
- Long base period before the next block? Off-Season Base.
- Want to raise your FTP? FTP / Threshold.
- Body composition on your mind? Weight Management.
- Specific capability to sharpen? Speed / Power Block.
- Multi-day walking event coming up? Long Walk / Multi-day Hike.
- Busy stretch where you just want to hold? Maintenance.
- None of the above? General Fitness.
You can switch templates any time from the Training Plan page. The system rebuilds your weekly plan against the new template and keeps the workouts you have already completed. Nothing gets lost.
The reason these exist is simple: the best training plan for your life is not always the one that peaks you for a race. Sometimes it is the one that keeps you riding — or walking — for the next thirty years.