DSL Syntax Guide

Structure

4x
work 3min ±30% @ 90-110%FTP
recovery 2min ±50% @ <55%FTP

The first line is the repeat count (optional: without it the steps run once, in order); each other line is a step in the form role value unit [±tolerance%] @ band. Put 6x on its own line further down to repeat the steps below it until a blank line or end; groups can be nested up to 3 levels.

work | recovery

— Step role. "work" is the effort you want analysed; "recovery" is the rest between efforts.

<value><unit>

— Length of the step. Duration units: h, min, sec (also hr/hrs/hour/hours, mins/minutes and s/secs/seconds; 2h = 120min). Distance units: km, m ("m" is always metres, never minutes). Decimals are allowed (1.5min).

±<n>%

— Optional tolerance (0-100%) on the length when matching the step against an activity. Left out it is ±0%, so "work 15min @ Z3" and "work 15min ±0% @ Z3" are the same. It is separate from the band: a bare target like 50W is still 50W ±5%.

@ <band>

— Intensity target (power, speed, heart rate or cadence): a range, an upper/lower bound, or "best".

Bands (the part after @)

• 90-110%FTP — Range as a percentage of your FTP.
• <55%FTP — Upper bound only (at most 55% FTP) — typical for recoveries.
• >80%FTP — Lower bound only (at least 80% FTP).
• 250-300W — Absolute watts range; works without an FTP set. Bounds (<150W, >200W) work too.
• 30-40km/h — Speed range in km/h. Bounds (<20km/h, >45km/h) work too.
• 150-165bpm — Average heart rate range in beats per minute. Bounds (<120bpm, >170bpm) work too.
• 80-90%HRmax — Heart rate as a percentage of the activity's max HR (the recorded max, or the highest value in the HR stream). Bounds work too.
• 95-105%LT2 — Power as a percentage of your LT2 (lactate threshold 2) power, taken from the activity's own LT snapshot for its date. Bounds (<100%LT1, >100%LT2) work too. Set LT values in your profile settings; without them the run reports a message.
• 85-100%LT1 — Same as above but relative to LT1 power. Use %LT1HR / %LT2HR (e.g. 97-103%LT2HR) for the average heart rate relative to LT1/LT2 heart rate.
• Z3 — A power zone (Z1 to Z6) from your zone settings: Z3, Z2-Z3 (range), <Z2 (below) or >Z4 (above). Zones are built from LT1/LT2 (or estimated from FTP) as stored on the activity; without either the run reports a message.
• 3-3.5W/kg — Power per kilogram of body weight, using the weight valid on the activity's date (set it under body weight in your profile). Bounds (<2W/kg, >4W/kg) work too; a bare target like 3W/kg means 3 W/kg ±5% (stored as 2.85-3.15W/kg). Without a weight the run reports a message.
• 90-100rpm — Average cadence range in rpm. Bounds (<60rpm, >110rpm) work too.
• best / max — No threshold: find the single highest-average window of that length. On duration steps this means power.
• best power / best speed — Required for "best"/"max" on distance steps, which have no default metric.

Warm-up, cool-down, sets, multi-step blocks and contiguous steps

• 6x — A repeat count on its own line (not the first line) starts a repeated group: the steps below it repeat 6 times. The group ends at the next blank line or an "end" line.
• end — Closes the innermost repeated group, so steps can follow it directly (and a group can contain another group). Groups nest up to 3 levels; a blank line closes all open groups.
• 3 sets of 5x — First line: 3 sets, each with 5 repeats of the block. Reps are numbered within each set.
• set recovery 5min ±30% @ <55%FTP — Optional, only with sets: the rest searched for between sets (never after the last one). Same syntax as a step, but without then.
• then work 1min ... — Prefix a step with "then" to make it start exactly where the previous step ended (over-unders, pyramids, ramps). Not allowed on the first step.
• warmup 15min — Ignore the first 15 minutes of the activity (h, min or sec). At most once.
• metrics np, vi, hr_recovery(30sec), decoupling — Template runs always report avg W/kg, avg power, NP, avg speed, avg cadence and avg HR where data exists. Choose extra summary metrics per work effort and for the run: avg_power, max_power, np, vi, if, avg_wkg, max_wkg, np_wkg, avg_hr, max_hr, avg_cadence, max_cadence, avg_speed, max_speed, work_kj, pacing, dropoff, decoupling, time_below_lt1, time_lt1_lt2, time_above_lt2, time_below_lt1_hr, time_lt1_lt2_hr, time_above_lt2_hr, time_z1, time_z2, time_z3, time_z4, time_z5, time_z6, hr_recovery, estimated_ftp, estimated_lt2_power, estimated_lt2_hr, estimated_lt1_power, estimated_lt1_hr. hr_recovery takes an optional window (default 60sec); np_wkg, avg_wkg and max_wkg are power per kg of the activity weight; the time_below/lt1/above_* metrics are seconds in lactate zones (power, or heart rate with the _hr suffix); time_z1 to time_z6 are seconds in each power zone; the estimated_* metrics propose FTP / LT1 / LT2 from a threshold test, with the test protocol in brackets, e.g. estimated_ftp(20min), estimated_ftp(8min), estimated_ftp(ramp), estimated_lt2_hr(30min), estimated_lt1_power(steady). At most once.
• pattern repeated_bursts — Use instead of the repeat line to run a built-in detector: repeated_bursts, flying_sprint, sustained_tt, standing_start. Then add its option lines (repeated_bursts: count, duration, recovery window; flying_sprint: distance; sustained_tt: min duration, distances, lap; standing_start: distance). Only metrics is also allowed.
• lap 250m — Track context: report per-lap split times (full laps only, from the speed stream) for every work effort, plus lap_count, best_lap_sec, slowest_lap_sec and avg_lap_sec for the run. At most once; also valid under pattern sustained_tt.
• time & distance results — Automatic, no line needed. Duration steps (20min) report the distance covered plus average speed; distance steps (3km) and the legacy pursuit/flying/standing patterns report the exact elapsed time (interpolated, shown as a race time) plus average speed. Needs a speed stream; without one the run says so. Run summaries add best/avg/total time or distance, and a faster time counts as an improvement in comparisons.
• cooldown 10min — Ignore the last 10 minutes of the activity (h, min or sec). At most once.

A repeat can contain several work/recovery lines. They are matched one after another in the order written; prefix a step with then to require it to start right where the previous one ended.

Write 3 sets of 5x on the first line for sets: the block repeats 5 times per set, three times. An optional set recovery line is the rest searched for between sets.

Duration vs. distance steps

Use h/min/sec to match by time (work 2h @ Z2), or km/m to match by distance (e.g. a 4km individual pursuit or a 200m flying sprint). Because a distance window has no inherent power-vs-speed preference, best/max must be written as best power or best speed on those steps.

Rules

• The repeat line is optional. Without it the steps run once, in order. A first line "4x" (1 or greater) repeats the whole description; "3 sets of 5x" adds sets.
• Every other line is one step, a warmup/cooldown line, or a repeated group ("6x" ... blank line/"end"); at least one "work" step is required.
• Repeated groups nest up to 3 levels, repeat 1-100 times, and expand to at most 200 steps in total.
• A repeat can have several work/recovery steps; they are matched in the order written.
• Step values must be greater than 0; tolerance (optional, default ±0%) must be 0-100%.
• In a range, the minimum must be lower than the maximum.
• The tolerance sign is "±" (plus-minus).
• "best"/"max" on km/m steps must say "power" or "speed".