Create workout

Use this skill to author one workout cleanly once the training intent is already decided.

This skill owns workout authoring only. It does not decide the block, does not manage the calendar layer, and does not publish to TrainingPeaks. Its job is to produce a workout object strong enough that calendar-manager can store it cleanly and trainingpeaks-activity-creator can publish it accurately later if needed.

Core workflow

1. Confirm the workout role before writing anything.
2. Classify the workout family.
3. Build the session architecture.
4. Write the title and sections.
5. Build the structured workout only if it adds execution clarity.
6. Check that the written plan and structured steps describe the same session.

Required inputs before authoring

Confirm these inputs first:

• athlete
• discipline
• current phase or block
• session purpose
• relationship to the surrounding days
• event relevance, if any
• travel, readiness, or equipment constraints
• workout kind, for example bike, strength, movement-quality, re-entry, or travel fallback

If those inputs are still unclear, do not author the workout yet.

Hard rules

• Author workouts only after the training intent is already decided.
• Keep titles short, concrete, and athlete-facing.
• Match ### Workout plan and ### Structured workout; they must describe the same session.
• Put contingencies in ### Constraints or ### Notes, not in the title.
• Prefer whole-minute step durations whenever possible once durations are longer than 90 seconds.
• Avoid odd long structured-workout durations such as 105 sec, 150 sec, 168 sec, or 170 sec unless they are truly essential.
• Do not add fake complexity to make a workout look sophisticated.
• Keep the output calendar-ready and TP-compatible, even though TP publication is out of scope here.

Output contract

Default output is a calendar-ready workout object with:

• athlete-facing title
• ### Objective
• ### Goal
• ### Reasoning
• ### Workout plan
• ### Structured workout, when warranted
• ### Fueling, when relevant
• ### Constraints
• ### Notes, when needed

If you are also writing the object into athlete/calendar/, read and apply skills/calendar-manager/SKILL.md before editing files.

When to structure a workout

Include ### Structured workout when the session can be represented generically enough to guide execution well.

Usually structure:

• endurance rides with defined tempo, threshold, race-pressure, or opener blocks
• interval sessions
• long rides with clearly defined pressure blocks
• openers and tune rides

Usually do not over-structure:

• simple recovery rides
• highly conditional sessions where terrain or athlete sensation legitimately controls most of the execution
• movement-quality sessions that are better described than over-scripted

References

Read these reference files as needed:

• references/title-and-description-rules.md for title, section, and wording rules
• references/structured-workout-rules.md for step formatting, duration rules, and repetition blocks
• references/workout-families-bike.md for bike-workout authoring patterns
• references/workout-families-strength-and-movement.md for strength, movement-quality, re-entry, and travel fallback authoring
• references/progression-and-contingency-rules.md for session cost, surrounding-day logic, and when to simplify or sharpen

Completion standard

The workout is complete only when:

• the title is concrete and athlete-facing
• the workout family and purpose are clear
• the section content is internally consistent
• the structured workout, if present, matches the written plan
• duration and recovery logic are clean and human-readable
• the object is ready for calendar storage and future TP publication if needed