As one of the biggest complainers about the rebrand from Sufferfest try SYSTM, I’m gonna give it a try. It’s almost impossible to put together an all in one training solution without spending a small fortune and using multiple software programs, subscriptions and so on. Between training peaks, Beachbody, Zwift and yoga 15 I was up surround $100 per month, not to mention another $120 for each training program through training peaks.
I managed to get logged into SYSTM and signed up for the free trial. It looks like my 4dp profile is still in there as are my 3rd party connections to Strava, etc. I’m in windows PC just like before. Not sure if I’m supposed to uninstall Sufferfest or if the new SYSTM works with it.
I might need help along the way, because it looked like a lot has changed. I chose a training plan but I don’t see outdoor options, and I can’t find where to download videos. I was gonna choose building blocks to keep working on my weak points VOC, but I didn’t see that option in there, so I selected All Purpose Road again, which I’ve already done and added strength and yoga. I haven’t tried to setup my trainer and heart rate monitor yet.
Anyway… Wish me luck. I hate new software and software changes, but I really need to get back on a structured workout plan again.
@toddsdonald Welcome back and please report to flogging station #22 - GVA has been waiting for you.
I don’t use the PC for training but I suspect you need to be careful not to log into legacy the legacy SUF app and SYSTM at the same time. Perhaps others can weigh in.
Outside rides and indoor rides are now the same - you just pick a time from the NoVid Endurance videos and either ride outside or inside - your choice. If you ride outside you simply check off that the workout is done.
Change is sometimes inconvenient but there are definitely lots of positives to the change to SYSTM. Be sure to check out the On Location and Pro-Rides. They are a great addition to the other content that was already on the prior platform.
Note in fact that in some plans, including the All Purpose Road, the longer weekend rides explicitly say “This session can be completed outside” and give the full workout description. Pushing this directly to head units is on the app road map.
Building Blocks are also still present and have been expanded to give low/medium/high volume options.
I run on windows and can use both old and new apps. I have had them both running at the same time (though I haven’t tried connecting my trainer to them both together). I wouldn’t advise this though - use the new tech.
When you open a workout, next to the play / start button is the download button.
If you don’t see the buttons, you’re not in the downloaded client, but still in the webapp in the browser.
Re Building Blocks:
Plans>cycling>Gen fitness>Building Blocks
The minions told me to uninstall the Suf app when I had a serious connectivity failure. They said it could hijack the BT. Not sure how when it wasn’t even running, but thought I’d let you know.
Found where to download the videos. Similar to before just more work to get there. Instead of being all in one place, they’re in library and then you pick out a discipline, then it takes you to a workout search. There’s basically an extra layer or two to get to them.
Thanks! I won’t forget all the help you gave me in the beginning, when I got started and was trying to figure it out.
For downloading videos what I found worked best and I tried it today as well, was downloading a weeks worth of videos. I did try a few times to do it as you suggested, prior to the workout, but 9 times out of ten it was guaranteed to fail if I did that. If I download them in the middle of the day, enough to last me through the week I can babysit it and work at getting them downloaded. Today’s went okay, not speedy and only a few hung, but I managed to get them.
I guess what’s clunkier, is that before it was all on one page, (the library, search and download), making it easier to download. Now it’s compartmentalized so it’s a lot of backs and forth navigating and downloading one at a time instead of in bunches.
Aside from that today was my first workout on SYSTM with a yoga and cycling. Aside from a little more hassle navigating and downloading videos it was very much the same as before which is good. The biggest difference I noticed was that the new SYSTM no longer connects my Cycleops Magnus trainer and Powertap cadence via ANT+ so I had to connect to them using Bluetooth which is ultra unreliable. My Garmin heart rate sensor still connected via ANT+. The other big difference was the resolution of the cycling video was really low, so low that it almost looks cartoonish, or like a bad video game.
I would raise a support ticket about those issues. I’ve been using SYSTM since the early beta days and haven’t seen issues like that I quite some time. I’m running on a MacBook Pro, so not exactly the same setup as yours, but both my BT and ANT+ connections have been pretty solid. I also get good resolution on the videos. I would also expect the resolution to be excellent for downloaded videos as there shouldn’t be any throttling related to streaming. As I said, I would raise a support issue and I’m sure they’ll get you sorted.
