Find Your
True FTP
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is the highest average power you can sustain for one hour. Enter your test results below to unlock your W/kg and precise 6-zone training blocks.
Why Test? Training with power is useless if your zones are wrong. A recent FTP test ensures your Endurance rides are truly aerobic and your VO2 Max intervals are hitting the right energy systems.
Understanding FTP: The Foundation of Power Training
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is the highest physiological workload you can maintain in a steady state without a rapid accumulation of lactic acid in your blood. In plain terms: it’s the max power you can hold for one hour.
Testing for a full hour is mentally and physically agonizing, so sports scientists (most notably Dr. Andrew Coggan) developed shorter testing protocols. By performing an all-out 20-minute effort and taking 95% of that average, or by performing a Ramp Test, we can accurately estimate your 60-minute power.
Which Test is Right For You?
The 20-Minute Test (The Gold Standard)
This is the classic test. After a thorough warmup including some clearing efforts, you ride as hard as you consistently can for 20 minutes. We calculate your FTP as 95% of this average. It requires excellent pacing skills; start too hard and you will blow up, start too easy and your score will be too low.
The Ramp Test / Step Test
Popularized by smart-trainer apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad. You start very easy, and the required wattage increases slightly every 60 seconds. You ride until you literally cannot turn the pedals anymore. Your FTP is calculated as 75% of your peak 1-minute power. It requires zero pacing skills, making it perfect for beginners, though it can overestimate FTP for athletes with massive anaerobic (sprinting) power.
Why Watts per Kilogram (W/kg) Matters
Raw power (absolute FTP) tells you how fast you will go on a perfectly flat road. But once the road tilts upward, gravity takes over. W/kg is the great equalizer in cycling. A heavier rider pushing 300W might get dropped on a steep climb by a lighter rider pushing 250W simply because the lighter rider has a higher W/kg ratio.
How to Use Your Training Zones
Once you calculate your FTP, your training becomes vastly more efficient. Instead of “riding somewhat hard,” you train targeted energy systems. Want to build a massive aerobic engine? Spend hours in Zone 2 (Endurance). Want to increase your FTP? Perform intervals in Zone 4 (Threshold) or the “Sweet Spot” (high Z3 / low Z4).
FTP FAQs
Common questions about testing and power output.
It is relative to your weight. An untrained person might be around 2.0 W/kg. A trained amateur usually sits between 2.5 and 3.5 W/kg. Highly competitive amateurs reach 4.0 – 4.5 W/kg, and world-tour professionals regularly hold 5.5 to 6.0+ W/kg.
Most coaches recommend testing every 4 to 6 weeks during an active training block. This ensures that as your fitness improves, your training zones are adjusted upward so you continue to provide adequate stimulus to your muscles.
FTP fluctuates based on fatigue, illness, time off the bike, or even poor nutrition leading up to the test. Ensure you are well-rested (tapered) before taking a test, properly fueled with carbohydrates, and adequately cooled with a fan if testing indoors.
Train Smarter.
Ride Faster.
Take your newly calculated zones and apply them to your next workout.