What Is FTP in Cycling and How to Do an FTP Test Step by Step

FTP (functional threshold power) is the highest average power you can sustain for about 60 minutes without blowing up. It’s your ceiling for “sustainable” effort: below it you can keep going for a long time; above it, fatigue builds and within a few minutes you have to back off. It’s measured in watts and, to compare riders of different weights, in watts per kilogram of body weight (W/kg). A 165 lb (75 kg) rider with an FTP of 225 W is at 3.0 W/kg.

You don’t need to ride flat out for an hour to find it. A shorter test and a correction are enough: 20 minutes × 0.95 or the best minute of a ramp test × 0.75. With that number you can set your training zones and know how hard to ride a long climb without cracking.

Why knowing your FTP matters

FTP is the reference that almost all power-based training is built on:

• Training zones. Andrew Coggan’s seven zones are defined as percentages of FTP: zone 2 (endurance) runs from 56 to 75%, threshold from 91 to 105%. If your FTP is 220 W, riding in zone 2 means 123 to 165 W. The full table is in the guide to cycling training zones.
• Pacing long climbs. On a climb of more than 30 minutes, going above 95-100% of FTP will cost you. Knowing the number saves you from the most common trap: starting hard and crawling to the top.
• Tracking progress. If you were at 200 W in September and 215 W in December, you’ve improved 7.5%, even if weight or wind change your times on your usual route.
• Comparing with others. In W/kg, a 132 lb (60 kg) rider at 210 W (3.5 W/kg) climbs faster than a 187 lb (85 kg) rider at 255 W (3.0 W/kg). The watts per kilo calculator tells you what level your number puts you at.

FTP isn’t your maximum power. A sprint can double or triple it for a few seconds. It’s what you can hold steadily.

The three most common FTP tests

All of them need a power meter (on the bike or in a smart trainer). Pick one and always repeat the same one, under the same conditions, so the results are comparable.

The 20-minute FTP test

This is the protocol popularized by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan, and the one platforms like TrainerRoad offer as an alternative to the ramp.

1. Warm up for 15-20 minutes progressively, with two or three short 1-minute pickups.
2. Many protocols add a hard 5-minute effort followed by 10 easy minutes, to “drain” your anaerobic capacity so it doesn’t inflate the result.
3. Ride 20 minutes at the hardest effort you can hold steadily. The goal is to finish with nothing left, but without having to ease off halfway.
4. Cool down for 10-15 easy minutes.
5. Calculate: average power for the 20 minutes × 0.95.

Example: a 240 W average → FTP = 240 × 0.95 = 228 W. If you weigh 160 lb (72.6 kg), that’s 3.14 W/kg.

The ramp test

Target power rises a little every minute from a low starting point until you can’t keep up. It takes about 20-25 minutes in total, but only the last 3-4 are hard. FTP is 75% of your best minute in the test: if your best minute was 320 W, your FTP is 240 W. TrainerRoad and Zwift use this calculation, and TrainerRoad notes it may apply corrections if you didn’t follow the target power closely.

The ramp is easier to do right because there’s no pacing involved: you just hang on. Its weak spot is that it depends heavily on your anaerobic capacity. If you sprint well but suffer on long efforts, the ramp will give you an FTP higher than your real one, and threshold intervals will feel impossible.

The 30-minute test

Joe Friel suggests 30 minutes all out riding solo (not in a group or a race). Your average power for the 30 minutes is a good approximation of FTP, and your average heart rate for the last 20 minutes is your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR), the reference for heart rate zones. It’s the hardest test, but it gives you both numbers at once.

How to prepare so the test goes well

A badly run test gives you a number that then shapes weeks of training. Watch these points:

• Rest. Test on fresh legs: after an easy day or a rest day, never after a long ride.
• Same place, same equipment. Indoors, the same trainer and fan (which type of indoor bike trainer measures power best is in its guide). Outdoors, a long steady climb or a flat road with no intersections or traffic lights. Riders often see a few watts less on a trainer than on a climb, because of the heat and because the bike doesn’t move; what matters is comparing yourself with yourself.
• Airflow. Indoors, a powerful fan. Heat can take a good chunk off your result.
• Eat and drink like a normal day. No fasted tests.
• Comfortable cadence. Whatever you normally use for long efforts, around 85-95 rpm for most riders.

How to pace the 20 minutes

The most common mistake is starting too hard. A strategy that works:

1. Minutes 0-5: a bit below what you think you can hold (for example, if you’re aiming for 240 W, ride 230 W).
2. Minutes 5-15: move up to your target and hold it.
3. Minutes 15-20: if you have something left, build gradually. Last minute, everything you’ve got.

If you’re already at your limit at minute 8, drop 10-15 W instead of hanging on until you crack: a slightly lower but steady average is more reliable than a blown test.

What to do with your FTP

With your FTP you can:

1. Set your zones. With an FTP of 220 W, for example: recovery up to 121 W, endurance 123 to 165 W, tempo 167 to 198 W, threshold 200 to 231 W, VO₂max 233 to 264 W and anaerobic from 266 W. The FTP and power zones calculator does it for you with any test, and the power zones by FTP chart lays it out in 10 W steps.
2. Convert it to W/kg and find out how long a climb would take: at 3 W/kg, a 6.2-mile (10 km) climb at 6% takes about 43 minutes for a 165 lb rider (try it in the climb time calculator).
3. Save it in My Bike so the other calculators use it without you having to type it again.

W/kg benchmarks

The bands used by Garmin and other platforms, based on Allen and Coggan’s power profile tables, help you see where you stand:

For reference, the best riders in the world hold more than 6 W/kg for close to an hour. The watts per kilo by level chart crosses each level with your weight, and the guide on how to climb faster explains how to raise that number.

Common mistakes

• Comparing different tests. A ramp FTP and a 20-minute FTP aren’t interchangeable. If you switch protocols, expect the number to change because of that, not because of your fitness.
• Testing when tired. It’ll come out low, and you’ll train with zones that are too easy for weeks.
• Thinking FTP is fixed. It goes up with training and down with time off: a few weeks off the bike costs you a noticeable amount. That’s why it pays to retest every 4-8 weeks, at the start of each training block; Joe Friel, for example, advises every 4-6 weeks.
• Obsessing over the number. A high FTP doesn’t do much good if you can’t last a 4-hour ride. Endurance is built mostly in zone 2, well below threshold.
• Trusting the app’s estimated FTP without checking. Many platforms adjust it automatically from your rides. That’s useful, but if you never do long hard efforts, the estimate can come out low.

If you don’t have a power meter

Without a power meter you can’t know your FTP accurately, but there are useful alternatives:

• Train by heart rate. Do the 30-minute test with a heart rate monitor and use your average heart rate for the last 20 minutes as your threshold heart rate. From it you get your heart rate zones in the heart rate zone calculator.
• Estimate the watts on a climb. On a steady climb steeper than 6%, almost all your power goes into overcoming gravity, so calculating it from your weight, the grade and your time is fairly reliable. Try the power and speed calculator with an effort of about 20 minutes.
• Use perceived exertion. Threshold feels like a pace where you can get out a few words but can’t hold a conversation.

Updated October 19, 2026 ·Report an error on this page