How To Do An FTP Test | Functional Threshold Power Explained

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4 жыл бұрын

FTP is an often feared acronym for any triathlete or cyclist. But what is it and how do we find out what our FTP is? In this video, Mark and Heather explain exactly what functional threshold power is, how to test it, and why you should!
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Functional threshold power is the maximum wattage you can hold for 1 hour of cycling. This is useful to know for a number of reasons - It gives a good indication of your all-round cycling fitness as it draws on multiple components of fitness, it's a good measure of fitness to track, it's easy to see improvement in your FTP as small increases in fitness will still be observable between two tests and finally it's relevant to almost every triathlon race distance, from sprint to Ironman an increase in your FTP should benefit your race performance!
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Пікірлер: 35

@MegaMagicbeans 4 жыл бұрын

I did my first one on Zwift last week... Next time i need to lay down towles at the side of the bike so i can collapse on the floor easier.

@Alex-kr7zr Жыл бұрын

Imho the hardest thing about an FTP test is to find a road section that you can go hard on consistently for such a long time, we are talking about 15-20km minimum here, 30-40km for a full hour.

@peterdobbie1310 3 жыл бұрын

Good informative video, thanks guys. Just bought Favero’s Duo and this’ll be my FTP first thing tomorrow 🚴

@radoslav585 Жыл бұрын

very helpful, thank you guys!!!

@flooooooo0686 4 жыл бұрын

20min long flat road without traffic lights or stop signs? Tough one ...

@AmberSoleil1 2 жыл бұрын

You don’t have a desert or abandoned airstrip near by? Aren’t you lame. 😂

@flooooooo0686 2 жыл бұрын

@@AmberSoleil1 😂

@mikedav13s 4 жыл бұрын

If you train fasted should you do an ftp fasted as well to replicate the conditions as much as possible? Same goes for the aero position? If that’s what you race in should you primarily train and do ftp tests in this position?

@arhu74 3 жыл бұрын

I just don't know of any road near me that's uninterrupted for more than 5 minutes :(

@DavidSmeeth 6 ай бұрын

I am curious to know the brand of your aero bars. Can you please share, perhaps a link?

@benterblanche2744 4 жыл бұрын

I happened to do one today😂🥴

@stephencharles6932 2 жыл бұрын

So I start at zero speed and then commence test and push as hard as i can for 20 mins then hit stop. Is that it? What if I hit a red light? Just carry on after as fast as I can again...?

@zaahierstanley955 4 жыл бұрын

Hi there What software are "free" that one can look at the numbers from the ftp to work out zones ? Thanx I got a power meter and waiting for it via post and will be installing it in a week or so ... Thanx

@dietervanlierde388 3 жыл бұрын

www.optrimize.nl/trainingszones-berekenen/

@sportanimated8942 4 жыл бұрын

I think I'm happy to let my Garmin estimate my FTP for now :D

@fritsovid4463 4 жыл бұрын

Lactate Threshold Heartrate cannot be calculated from a 20min ftp test. This requires a LTHR test, which lasts 30 minutes. Basically go as hard as you can for 30 minutes. Your LTHR is your average HR for the last 20 minutes of the interval. Unlike power, it takes time to get your heartrate up.

@Yamaha_Bolt 4 жыл бұрын

When I do this my average heart rate over the last 20min is over 95% max heart rate. Seems like this would be way too high.

@Yamaha_Bolt 4 жыл бұрын

Do we need to do it in the aero bars or can we use the base bar?

@Alex-kr7zr Жыл бұрын

I think ideally what you will do most of your training in. In theory it shouldn't matter much because power should be the same, speed doesn't matter for an FTP test.

@gtom84 4 жыл бұрын

FTP is not a power one can sustain for 1 hour. It's a power one can sustain in quasi-steady state and duration can very from 30 to more than 60 minutes. Testing for max. 20 minute effort x 0.95 will tell you your max. power for 20 minutes. It could be 5% more then your actual FTP or it could be 10% more. Depends on your previous training focus. TP and other apps can display Power duration curve from your training sessions, which is the most accurate estimation of your FTP (obviously if the training rides have efforts over various intervals).

@pandreoni85 4 жыл бұрын

So... chest HRM is enough to do an FTP test? Garmin do require a power sensor as well ..

@Alex-kr7zr Жыл бұрын

Yes, because FTP is functional threshold power and not LTH lactate threshold heartrate. You can't calculate FTP based on heartrate.

@srh148 3 жыл бұрын

There’s only one way to do a true FTP test go as hard as you can for one hour.

@Traveler_0901 4 жыл бұрын

if you do an all out 5min test prior to 20min, why not calculate Critical Power by using both 5min and 20min power?

@Yamaha_Bolt 4 жыл бұрын

Doesn’t going all out for 5min burn you for the 20min test? Also, the 20min all out isn’t going to be nearly as high as the 5min all out?

@elephantcup 2 жыл бұрын

"When we exercise we produce something called lactic acid." Wrong. Lactic acid is produced by bacteria called Lactobacillus. It is what makes sauerkraut sour, it makes yogurt tangy, it preserves salami and a lot of other foods. It makes "sharp" cheddar, "sharp". It's one of the things that makes some Belgian beers sour. Humans are not bacteria, we do not produce lactic acid. The stuff in your muscles that causes them to ache and burn is called "lactate". Not lactic acid.

@Thefifthjoey 4 жыл бұрын

some say that 95% is way to much (only true for 20% of cyclists) and in reality it's more 90% or even 85%... who knows ? GO HARD FOR 60 MIN

@gtn 4 жыл бұрын

Have you ever done an FTP test? Let us know how you found it!

@munkeyallen 4 жыл бұрын

Global Triathlon Network as above 🤣

@Yamaha_Bolt 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve done one that took 1hr20min, it was horrible. I’ll try yours Saturday. I get more power on the base bar but last time I did the entire thing in the aero bars. Does that matter?

@PaulioNZ 4 жыл бұрын

Sorry for the long comment / question, but I've done a couple of FTP tests on my road bike in the last 3 months but not on my TT bike. On any of my TT training rides, I never seem to be able to hold the same power output, either in the aero position or on the bars. Is it an assumption that you should be able to maintain the same power output regardless of bike / position, or is there more at play? Muscle imbalances, glute strength vs quad strength, hip flexibility etc?

@charlielawson580 4 жыл бұрын

Paul Voorend Your race pace zones are going to be based on being in the aero Position so I would recommend doing your FTP in the aero position - at least the one you do 2 months out from your race. Pre / early season when you’re likely riding your road bike more often or just building big power then it’s fine to do your FTP on your roadie / on the bull horns of your TT bike. This is just a strategy I use so that I don’t over cook the bike leg by chasing an unattainable power zone based off an FTP that wasn’t done in the aero position.

@munkeyallen 4 жыл бұрын

FTP test 🤮🤣🤣

@geralddavis7401 Жыл бұрын

Lactate, not lactic acid. For goodness sake if you are going to pretend that you know something about the science, at least do a little bit of study BEFORE you open your mouth.