WTF Is FTP?
What Is FTP?
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is the maximum power you can hold in a semi steady-state fashion for 60minutes. It is thought to represent your Lactate Threshold, the point at which your muscles start to produce more lactate (the stuff that makes your muscles “burn”) than your body can process, and is a good predictor/measure of endurance cycling performance.
Why Is It Important?
Knowing your FTP allows you to set accurate and personalised training zones. This allows you to train more efficiently and effectively compared to other methods of measuring intensity, such as Perceived Exertion or Heart Rate, which can be influenced by other external factors (e.g.: heat).
Secondly, accurate training zones can be very helpful in events or races. For example, in a long sportive, they can help you target the right level of effort to prevent you from going off too hard and fading later on. Similarly for a shorter race or a TT knowing your FTP can give you the confidence to go hard enough, so you fulfil your potential and don’t finish with “gas in the tank”.
Different Test Protocols for Indoor Cycling
There are a number of protocols you can follow to test your FTP. The most accurate is the ‘Ride of Truth’ – a 60min average watts test, where you look to put out a highest consistent effort for an hour. It is not just a test of physical endurance, but also concentration and pacing. However this also means that it is both mentally and physically challenging, and the test itself can be very demanding. It also takes time, and assumes you are reasonably well rested.
Therefore most indoor cycling apps (including the Spivi, the indoor cycling app used in the Evolution Studio) offer shorter options for measuring FTP and will adjust your score depending on the length of the test. These can be done more often, such as at the beginning of a class:
20min FTP test (-5%)
8min FTP test (-10%)
5min FTP test (-15%)
3min FTP test (-20%)
In our experience at Evolution, the above tests have a tendency to ‘over estimate’ FTP, and the shorter versions in particular have a greater reliance on anaerobic systems. Therefore whilst they are helpful in setting a level at the beginning of a class, particularly if you are doing classes on consecutive days (as it can adjust for fatigue), it may misrepresent your true FTP.
For a better estimate, challenge yourself in one of our Ride 60 Pro Threshold or Endurance classes and add 5% to your average watts at the end. However the 60min ‘Ride of Truth’ still provides the most accurate measure.
How Often to Test
Typically schedule in an FTP test every 8-weeks. However there are a number of other scenarios which might indicate that a re-test is necessary.
If you’re following the Evolution FTP based workouts and you’re starting to get through them fairly comfortably, it’s probably time to re-test your FTP and to bump up those training zones.
If you’ve had to take time off training due to injury, illness or life just getting in the way of cycling, re-test before getting back into it again. If you don’t, you’ll probably find workouts harder than they should be, struggle to get through them and risk overtraining and demotivation.
First Time
Below is a guide on the normative FTP scores for the general cycling population (not racing or pro cyclists) based on weight. If you’re new to training with power and/or FTP testing, it will give you an idea of what score to aim for. You can then use perceived exertion to tweak your power as the test goes on. If at the end, you feel you didn’t pace the test well, see how a couple of workouts feel based on your score and, if you find the zones very easy, try a re-test.
