Answers on training metrics, methodology, app features and privacy. Got a question that isn't answered here? [email protected]
Load is our training load per session — a normalised stress score that combines the duration and intensity of a session into a single number. By definition, 100 Load equals one hour at threshold (FTP or threshold pace). An easy 60-minute Z2 session typically comes in at 50–60 Load, while a hard threshold interval block can reach 110–130 Load. Load is the building block of the Summitflow FLOW model: Fitness base, Acute load and Flow are calculated from the weekly totals — the plan AI uses these values to dose volume and intensity consistently.
The Summitflow FLOW model condenses your training data into three metrics that together show your readiness. The Fitness base is the rolling 4-week average of your Load (Load/week) and describes the fitness you have built up over the long term — it only rises through consistent training. The Acute load is the sum of your Load over the last 7 days and shows your short-term stress. Flow is the difference between Fitness base and Acute load. A positive Flow value (+5 to +25) means you are fresh and race-ready — typical for taper and race week. A negative value (−10 to −30) shows productive fatigue during hard training blocks. Strongly negative values (< −30) are a warning sign of overload. The plan AI takes Flow into account to set block and phase transitions sensibly.
We use the Coggan power zones (Z1–Z7), applied in the same way to heart rate and running pace. Z1 (Active Recovery) is for recovery below 55% FTP. Z2 (Endurance) is the most important aerobic zone, 56–75% FTP. Z3 (Tempo) sits at 76–90% and stabilises the aerobic threshold. Z4 (Threshold) at 91–105% trains FTP directly. Z5 (VO2max) at 106–120% increases maximal oxygen uptake. Z6 (Anaerobic) and Z7 (Neuromuscular) are short, high-intensity efforts above 120% FTP. In the polarised model, you spend around 80% of your time in Z1/Z2 and 20% in Z4 or higher.
FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the maximum power in watts that you can hold steadily on the bike for around one hour. It is the basis for all power zones Z1–Z7 and therefore the most important performance value in cycling training. FTP is determined with a 20-minute test (95% of the 20-minute average) or the ramp test — if you connect an activity source with training history (Polar, Suunto or Apple Health), Summitflow Pace estimates a plausible starting value. The value should be reviewed every 6–8 weeks or after finishing a block.
HRmax is your maximum heart rate in beats per minute (bpm). It is primarily genetic and age-dependent, and falls on average by about 0.7 bpm per year. Formula estimates such as 220 − age are rough guides; individually, the value can differ by 10–15 bpm. HRmax is reliably determined with a step test or an all-out hill race. We derive the HR zones Z1–Z5 from HRmax, which serve as a guide when no power or pace is available.
Threshold pace is the running pace you can hold for about one hour in a race — for most athletes it roughly corresponds to 10 km to 15 km race pace. We derive all running zones from it: recovery and easy endurance runs much slower (Z1/Z2), tempo runs just below it (Z3), threshold intervals right at the pace (Z4) and VO2max intervals much faster (Z5+). You can set the value manually or have it estimated from your imported activities (Polar, Suunto or Apple Health).
The ramp rate describes how quickly your Acute load has risen over the last two weeks compared with the previous two weeks — measured in Load per day. A moderate positive ramp rate (+2 to +5) corresponds to a healthy build-up. Values above +5 Load/day are considered an overtraining risk and trigger a warning on the dashboard. Negative values indicate recovery phases or taper. The plan AI uses the ramp rate to automatically consolidate after heavy phases instead of increasing further.
Yes — Summitflow Pace is an adaptive coach, not a one-off generated plan. Three mechanisms make this happen: First, the feedback loop — each new plan evaluates which sessions you completed or skipped and doses the volume accordingly (if you miss sessions, you get a more conservative build-up instead of a blind increase). Second, the daily watchdog — a daily check detects risks such as excessive Acute load, poor recovery or unsuitable weather and suggests a specific adjustment, which you can accept or dismiss. Third, continuous data analysis — (if connected) imported activities from Garmin, Polar, Suunto or Apple Health as well as recovery, HRV and sleep (Garmin, WHOOP or Apple Health) continuously feed into load management. So the plan adapts to your training and your life, instead of you having to adapt to a rigid plan.
The polarised model (Stephen Seiler) divides training volume into two clearly separated intensity areas: around 80% of the time in the low aerobic range (Z1/Z2) and around 20% at high intensity (Z4/Z5+). The middle "grey area" (Z3) is deliberately kept small — usually below 5%. Studies of elite athletes consistently show: those who train easy for many hours and ride the few hard sessions truly hard get faster in the long run than those who ride at a constant moderate effort. Summitflow Pace follows this principle in every phase except race week.
Each training block spans four weeks with clearly rising and falling load. W1 and W2 are build weeks with increasing volume. W3 is the peak week with the highest load of the block — this is where the biggest training stimulus is set. W4 is a recovery week with reduced volume and low intensity, in which adaptation takes place. This up-and-down pattern prevents overload and ensures sustainable fitness gains. After W4, a new block starts — generated automatically.
The plan automatically arranges itself into five phases, depending on the time remaining until your A race. Base (>18 weeks before the race) builds aerobic foundation and volume, primarily Z1/Z2. Build (10–18 weeks) adds tempo and threshold work (Z3/Z4). Peak (5–10 weeks) brings race-specific intensity — VO2max intervals, race-pace blocks. Taper (2–5 weeks) reduces volume while maintaining intensity, so your fitness can flourish. Race week (≤2 weeks) is minimal: short sharpening efforts, plenty of recovery, no new stimuli.
After an A race, Summitflow Pace automatically plans a recovery phase (reverse taper) before the next build begins. Its length scales with the race distance — from a few days after a sprint to several weeks after an Ironman. The focus is on easy cross-training and active recovery instead of immediately resuming hard training, so your body can process the adaptation from the race. Only after that does the load rise again towards the next goal.
After onboarding (profile + goal), Summitflow Pace generates your first plan automatically. Each plan covers the next 2 weeks on the paid subscription or 1 week on the 7-day trial. On Thursday of the last plan week, the AI automatically creates the next plan — based on your completed sessions, imported activities, any WHOOP recovery values and the distance to your race. From Monday of the last plan week, you can also bring the next plan forward manually. Behind the plans runs the 4-week block periodisation (W1/W2 build → W3 Peak → W4 recovery) — see «4-week block periodisation».
You manage goals and races under Training → Races & Goals. You can add several races with priority A, B or C — the plan always periodises towards the next A race. If you change the date or distance, the phase structure adjusts automatically at the next plan update. Goals that are not race-specific, such as "Increase performance" (FTP gain) or "Reduce weight", are also possible — the AI adjusts volume and intensity accordingly.
If your circumstances have changed significantly — you were ill, missed several weeks or your goal has shifted — use Realign plan under Training to realign the whole plan instead of moving individual sessions. You choose the reason (illness, missed weeks, new or postponed goal), and the Coach rebuilds the plan in place — no factory reset, your history is kept. In the case of illness or a break, a gentle return with reduced load applies instead of punishing you for missed sessions. If you start the realignment at the beginning of the week (Monday or Tuesday), it already takes effect in the current week; past days remain untouched.
For every session of around an hour or more, Summitflow Pace automatically calculates how much carbohydrate, fluid and sodium you should take in per hour — specific to your sport and dependent on the weather (in the heat, fluid and sodium increase). Under around 90 minutes, fuelling is optional; above that, it becomes concrete. If you add your own sports nutrition products (selectable from the catalogue or entered yourself), the plan calculates directly with them and gives you concrete amounts — for example 2 gels plus 750 ml of iso per hour. Without your own products, you get a generic recommendation. For brick sessions, fuelling is front-loaded on the bike so that enough reserves remain for the run. For your A race, there is a complete race-day plan including a shopping list. All deterministic and scientifically grounded — no AI estimate.
If you connect Garmin Connect in the settings, the sessions for the next 7 days land automatically in your Garmin calendar and from there on your watch — with target ranges from your zones (watts on the bike, heart rate when running). If you change the plan, the watch is updated. Completed sessions come back automatically after your watch syncs and are matched against the plan: time in zones, measured load and, for structured workouts, every single interval. Sleep, HRV and resting heart rate feed into the recovery assessment; if recovery is clearly poor, the Coach swaps a hard session for an easy one. Important: Garmin only transfers data from the time of connection — earlier activities are not imported.
With WHOOP connected, you see your daily recovery score, HRV and resting heart rate directly in the app. This data feeds into the AI Coach — if recovery is low, it recommends postponing or reducing hard sessions. Plan generation itself uses WHOOP trends as context, but does not override the planned periodisation. You stay in control: read the Coach's recommendation, adjust the session or push through as planned.
You can download every planned session as a FIT file — a structured workout that Garmin, Wahoo, COROS and Hammerhead can play.
With Garmin Connect connected, you don't need this: the sessions for the next 7 days land on your watch automatically. The file route is for devices without a direct connection.
In the training plan, open the session, scroll down in the detail drawer and click .fit. The file lands in your device's download folder.
Important — this is a workout file, not an activity: Do not upload it via «Import data» in Garmin Connect. That page is only for completed activities and rejects workout files («File was not accepted»). Garmin Connect Web has no workout file import at all — the only way onto a Garmin device is USB.
Garmin (Edge / watch) — via USB:
Wahoo Elemnt / COROS: These read FIT workouts via their manufacturer's app (Workouts section → import file) and sync them to the device.
Indoor on Zwift or ROUVY: For bike sessions, there is a separate section in the detail drawer, Indoor on Zwift or ROUVY, with the button For Zwift / ROUVY. There you'll also find an FTP note and an expandable quick guide (Zwift folder, ROUVY import). For the return trip, upload the recorded activity via FIT upload, as Garmin doesn't forward activities from Zwift and ROUVY.
The FIT file uses the zones from your device profile (your FTP/HRmax in Garmin Connect) — if your Garmin zones differ from those stored in Summitflow Pace, you train by Garmin. That's usually intended, as you've maintained your thresholds most carefully there.
Even without a connected integration, you can upload your completed workouts as a file directly to Summitflow Pace — we then automatically match duration, distance and heart rate against the planned workout.
How to get the file from your watch:
Uploading to Summitflow Pace:
Uploading the same file twice is safe — we detect duplicates via a hash and skip the second insert. If the file's date doesn't match the planned day, you'll get a notice toast.
The AI Coach is a chat-based training assistant that knows your current plan, your profile and (if connected) your Garmin, Polar, Suunto and WHOOP data. You can ask questions about sessions, pacing, fuelling on long sessions, recovery or race strategy. It doesn't replace a 1:1 coach, but provides well-founded answers based on Fabio's coaching methodology. Available with an active subscription — not included in the 7-day trial.
In the workout drawer you can adjust any session that isn't yet completed directly — either rule-based with a preset tap or with a free-text instruction to the AI.
Presets (for all subscription tiers + trial):
Presets are instant actions with no AI call, free of charge and with no daily limit.
AI adjustment (subscription only):
Tell the AI in one sentence what you want — it rebuilds the title, structure, notes and Load accordingly. Examples:
The AI sticks to your training phase and your threshold values. During the 7-day trial the AI option is locked — you'll see an upsell notice instead. The presets are still available during the trial, though.
Send to watch: If workout sending for Garmin or COROS is active, an adjusted session is transferred to your watch. With the Send to watch button in the workout drawer you trigger the sync immediately and can see whether it worked.
Every Sunday at 19:00 local time, you get a push notification with your personal weekly review. If you tap it, you land on the Recap page with:
The Recap stays available — even days later you can get back to it via the dashboard card or directly under /app/recap/current. You can turn off the push in Settings (toggle "Weekly Recap"); the Recap is still generated and can be reached via the dashboard.
The adherence streak counts consecutive training weeks in which you completed at least 70% of your planned sessions.
What deliberately does NOT count:
Freezing pause weeks:
If you're ill, injured or on holiday, you can mark the current week as a pause under /app/streak — your streak doesn't break, it pauses. Max 1 pause per 4-week block, otherwise you effectively have no streak (this is intentional).
Why no mid-week push?
We deliberately don't send "save your streak" reminders in the middle of the week. That would be the exact opposite mechanism to polarised training: it pushes users into pointless extra effort instead of smart adaptation. A streak is an anchor for consistency, not a means of pressure.
You can see your streak status on the dashboard chip (tap for the detail page with a 12-week timeline) and in the Weekly Recap on Sunday.
After your A race, the app automatically plans a recovery phase (reverse taper). The duration depends on the race distance: a few days after a sprint, around 2–3 weeks after a 70.3 or marathon, and 3–4 weeks after an Ironman. The focus is on easy cross-training and recovery rather than hard runs.
Under Training → Plan & Goals, you enter holidays or time off. For each period, you choose whether to pause, train at a reduced level or train fully, but only in the sports available to you (e.g. just running and swimming). Plan generation takes this into account automatically, and your streak stays protected during these weeks.
After your race, you log your result on the dashboard and set your next goal straight away. Alternatively, you can do this under Training → Plan & Goals.
The rings show what you have actually trained during the week: completed sessions, volume and Load. Training outside the plan counts too, so the actual value can exceed the target (e.g. 7/5 sessions). Additional training also feeds into your next planning.
On the countdown card in the dashboard, the share button creates a story-format image showing the days until your race — ideal for Instagram or WhatsApp.
The recovery card below the training calendar shows sleep, HRV and resting heart rate compared with your personal baseline. The data comes from exactly one source: WHOOP, Garmin, COROS or Apple Health. COROS only counts if recovery values from the last 14 days are available; otherwise Apple Health is used. With Garmin, on days with clearly poor recovery the Coach automatically adjusts a hard session and lets you know via push notification.
With Garmin data, the weekly recap shows how much time you spent in Z1–Z2, Z3 and Z4+, assessed against the 80/20 principle. The most common mistake is spending too much time in Z3, the "grey zone" — so keep easy sessions deliberately easy.
If an exercise is too demanding for you, tap "Swap for easier" in the strength workout. It is replaced by an easier variation, and future plans leave it out. Under Settings → Strength exercises, you can reactivate swapped exercises or deliberately unlock demanding ones.
On the Release Notes page you'll find the Voting section. There you can submit your own feature requests and vote on other people's requests. You have one vote per request, which you can withdraw at any time, and the list is sorted by number of votes. Submitted requests are anonymously reworded before they go live, so nobody can draw any conclusions about you. Once a decision has been made on a request, you'll see its status and the reasoning there.
If you connect COROS under Settings → Connections, your completed activities as well as sleep, HRV and resting heart rate are automatically imported into Summitflow Pace and matched with your plan. You can optionally enable the Workouts to watch switch (off by default): your run and bike sessions for today and tomorrow will then appear in the COROS calendar, with target ranges in watts or heart rate based on your zones. If you change the plan, the entry is updated; sessions that are cancelled or moved are marked by COROS as "Cancelled". If you use Garmin and COROS together (e.g. a Garmin watch and a COROS bike computer), only bike sessions are sent to COROS while Garmin sending is active, and the app fills in missing values such as watts from the duplicate.
Summitflow Pace can include rowing in your plan as cross-training. It replaces an easy bike or run session at most once a week and stays in zones Z1/Z2. Rowing is only planned if you have access to a rowing machine or a gym. Completed rowing sessions from your connected sources are matched with your plan.
Summitflow Pace is available in German and English. You can change the app language in Settings, and on the website you switch using the DE | EN toggle in the navigation or footer. Your choice is saved in your profile, and Coach replies, training plan texts, push notifications and the help section will then appear in that language. When you switch, your current training plan is translated in the background shortly afterwards. This only happens with your AI consent and at most twice per day.
The trial gives you seven days of access to plan generation, device sync (Garmin, Polar, Suunto, WHOOP), workout tracking, the training load chart (Load + FLOW model) and all visualisations. During the trial, plans cover 1 week instead of 2; up to 2 manual generations per day are possible, and up to 4 per month. The AI Coach is not included in the trial — its API costs would otherwise make it prone to misuse. Once the trial ends, your chosen subscription (monthly or yearly) is activated automatically and charged via Stripe — unless you cancel beforehand in the settings. Cancelling during the trial is free at any time.
Summitflow Pace costs CHF 19 per month or CHF 189 per year (equivalent to CHF 15.75/month — you save around 17%). Both subscriptions include the full range of features: unlimited plan generations, device sync (Garmin, Polar, Suunto, WHOOP), AI Coach and all future features at no extra cost. Payment is handled via Stripe (credit card, TWINT, Apple Pay); we do not store any payment data.
You can cancel your subscription at any time under Settings → Subscription → Stripe portal. In the portal you can see your current subscription, cancel it, change your payment method or download invoices. After cancellation, the subscription continues until the end of the paid period — you keep full access until then. No pro-rata refund is given.
If you recommend Summitflow Pace to others, you unlock a reward with every successful referral. In the settings, you will find your personal referral code and link — if you share it, a sign-up is automatically attributed to you. A referral counts once the person you referred has completed their first paid month (30 days). Rewards are tiered by the number of qualifying referrals:
You can see your code and your progress at any time in the settings.
We store your profile (name, email, sport, threshold values, optionally date of birth/weight/height), your generated plans, workouts with feedback, any OAuth tokens of connected services (e.g. Garmin, Polar, Suunto, WHOOP), activity and recovery data imported from them, and your chat history with the AI Coach. Payment data is held exclusively by Stripe — we only see the status (active, cancelled, trial). All data is stored on EU servers (Supabase). Details are in the privacy policy.
Yes, on request we will provide you with all of your personal data in a machine-readable format (JSON) — in line with data portability under the GDPR. Just send a short email to [email protected]. Processing usually takes up to 14 days. You can also delete your account directly in the settings, with immediate and irreversible removal of all data from the live system (from encrypted backups after 30 days at the latest).