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    How To Do An FTP Test To Measure Your Cycling Fitness

    Updated:29 Comments



    A great way to stay motivated with your cycling is to see your fitness progression. But how do you measure that? And how do you …

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    29 Comments

    2. Remko Oude Elferink on

      Best way to determine it accurately is first doing a ramp test. Use that ftp number to do a 20 min test but add 10%!! For example if a ramptest gives you a ftp of 200W, a week later do a 20 minute test and try to pace around 220W for 20 minutes. Did not die at the end? Increase it by 5% each time.

      Going blank in a 20 minute test you will usually going to hard in the first 10 minutes.

      After 3-4 ftp tests your Numbers will be very accurate.

      Reply
    3. Andrew Clarke on

      Always good to see your videos Manon. The percentages quoted for zones are different from those used in Training Peaks or recommended by Hunter Allen. I use Endurance 56-76%, Tempo 76-88%, Sweetspot 88-95%, Threshold 91-106%, Vo2 Max 106-121^ AC 121-150% Has the current thinking moved on?

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    4. Shelly Palumbo on

      Manon, you have read my mind.
      I purchased a 105 stages power meter for my canyon Endurace. I’m a long distance Endurance roadie and working within my FTP would be a huge advantage when pacing my century + cycling tours.
      This vid is perfect to provide me the info I needed to find my FTP.
      I’m especially interested is the road method since this this is what I ♥️. Thanks so much 🥰
      I’ll let you know how this works out….

      Reply
    5. John Poulsen on

      I have a question regarding Zone 2 riding. I live in a very hilly location. In 30km; the ride has 700m of climbing. I try to stay in my zone 2 HR but sometimes it goes into zone 3. Q; does my feathering into Z3 "switch" my physiology into staying in Z3 for the next 30min even if my HR drops back into Z2 within 2mins from going into Z3? Thanks!

      Reply
    11. gerry secure on

      No, simply 20min power x 0.95 does NOT give your FTP number. Only if you do a 5min all out before the 20min it gives an estimation of your FTP, which for most people is a few percent too high. 0.92 is a better factor for mere mortals.
      But if you do the 5min before you can use monod scherrer calculation to get a better estimate since it takes your personal fatigue factor into account.

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    13. Mark Cowell on

      At our gym, the instructors do FTP tests every 6 weeks…..mostly using the 5 min method (80-100RPM, no standing, self-set Watts), with our particular brand of spin bike (Spivi) using 0.85% as the factor. What i've learnt is that the FTP "number" is not that important. What is useful however is the trend over a long time period and how that number compares as an end of ride overall FTP % depending on the particular ride profile. Using the same equipment under the same conditions also helps underpin a useful trend. On the road? Couldn't give a monkey's about my http://FTP……the hills don't care what my number is

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    15. Steven Fitzgerald on

      I've never had a good answer to the question,'When does a warm-up turn into fatigue?' I often find step warm-ups and all out efforts massively fatigue my legs, and somewhat my long-term cardiovascular energy.

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    19. David Stakes on

      Just done a FTP on FULGAZ and being 73 I am no watt monster. But have increased my FTP from 158 12months ago to 166 have no idea wether that is good bad or ho hum for my age. But wanted a base line for a program I am starting soon. When you keep seeing people who ride around at 260w at ease. It just makes me wonder.

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    20. Kaupo Raag on

      There are many problems with this video. 1) don't strech before the test. Static streching prior to test is hindering your performance. Do a dynamic warm-up. 2) As mentioned here before, multiplying by 0.95 usually overestimates average Joe's FTP as many can hold about 20 minuts, but then may totally fade (while advanced cyclists fade at much smaller rate). 3) suggested zones have gaps between – what zone is 81-84% of FTP? If my FTP is 350W, then this gap is more than 10W. The next zone should start where the last one ended, but should we extend the lower zone to meet the higher zone or extend the higher zone towards the lower one? 4) there tends to be a shift in sustainable power when riding indoor vs outdoor. 5) if you test yourself in the same way (possibly each time overestimating your FTP), you still get a trend of your fitness. Big mistake many make is comparing your FTP with your mate's. You should track your own performance 🙂

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    21. Sachet Chopra on

      Hey @GCN team, in the second part, Manon talked about jumping into the real world and tackling a climb that lasts 10 to 15 minutes. After that, she suggested doing training and then going back to the same climb to check for improvements. Can my Garmin provide me with that information, or do I have to wait for a few weeks to measure my FTP in the field or real world?

      Reply
    24. Marianne Oelund on

      As I'm into retirement now, I no longer believe in working as hard as I can for 20 minutes. I want to enjoy my cycling, not suffer through it. I measure progress by the power that I can comfortably maintain on longer hill climbs – meaning my muscles aren't burning or failing and I'm not near breathing as hard as I can. That figure has been improving, so that's all I need to be satisfied with my fitness.

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    25. James Brown on

      I find the FTP tests to be wildly variable (read inaccurate). Zwift ramp test seems to best match my outdoor performance, one of the other zwift tests has a stupidly difficult warmup that I can barely complete before the 20 effort begins. I've done a ramp test on a gym bike that gave me 215, when my actual 60 min best is 241, 20 min best is 288. Garmin is currently putting my FTP at 264 based on outdoor riding with power on both road and mtb.

      Reply

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