Wat is een FTP test? Alles wat je erover moet weten en hoe je er een betere fietser van wordt. (2023)

FAQs

What does an FTP test tell you? ›

FTP is a cycling metric that stands for Functional Threshold Power. It estimates the highest average power you can sustain for one hour, measured in watts. In cycling, FTP is a measure of fitness and indicates the amount of work you can sustain for long durations.

Just ride. Hard. Don't go out too hard but try to re-assess your pace every micro-interval by breaking the test into four segments e.g. 2 minutes if an 8 minute test, 5 mins for the 20 minute test, 15 minutes for the hour. It is highly unlikely you will master the pacing of your first FTP test.

The procedure is actually very easy: a starting warm-up followed by a 20-minute best effort, where you have to ride as hard as you can. Finally, you'll have to multiply the average power registered during these 20 minutes by 0,95: the result is your Functional Threshold Power.

Firstly, you can choose between a short or a long FTP test. The short test lasts 20 minutes, the long test lasts 60 minutes. This excludes warming-up or cooling-down. Multiplying the result of your 20-minute FTP test with 95% nets you a pretty accurate estimate of your 60-minute FTP value.

Finally, keep it seated throughout your effort. We know you can push more power standing but it isn't a sustainable position for very long periods so we need to know what you can do in the saddle. Also, there's no hard and fast rule for preferred cadence.

Pacing a 20-minute FTP test is crucial. This is a strenuous effort, so make sure you're well-rested. Begin with a warmup for 30 minutes, and don't be afraid to throw in a few short steady-state efforts. Once you're ready, start your test.

After your 20-minute FTP Test, plug your average output value into your profile settings on your Touchscreen and have your customized Power Zones displayed for every ride you take on the Bike.

Another factor to consider when talking about FTP is a riders weight, since the heavier you are, the greater the mass that you need to move. Let us take two bike riders – Rider A is 60kg and Rider B is 90kg, and both have an FTP of 300W.

As mentioned in other articles, such as this one on TTE, FTP is an individual's power output in watts, or work rate in kilojoules per second, at MLSS. It can be held for approximately 30 to 70 minutes (a 30- to 70-minute TTE) at a blood lactate concentration of 2-8 mmol1.

How often should I do FTP test? ›

One common mistake many athletes make is not updating their power training zones regularly. FTP should be retested at least every thirty days, or after any significant event that limits training time — like an injury or time away from the sport.

Therefore, we advise that you avoid any exercise 24 hours before your test to ensure you are as fresh as possible to give 110% during the test. We'd also suggest that you don't cycle to your FTP Test if doing it away from home, but if you do then keep it slow and steady and use it as part of your warm-up routine.

Most athletes can accumulate a CTL of 100TSS/day with a training volume of 12-15 hours each week. For time constrained athletes, it may be necessary to target a lower CTL of around 75-85TSS/day, which can be accomplished with 7 to 10 hours each week.

FTP in watts per kilogram for males

48.6% of people have an FTP below 3.4W/kg. 42.1% of people have an FTP of 3.6W/kg or more. 9.3% of people have an FTP between 3.4W/kg and 3.6W/kg.

CONCLUSION. In this study, 31 students were tested on their intelligence task performance while standing and sitting. The results of this study were in line with previous research that concluded sit-stand desks have positive effects on students physically and mentally.

Why FTP Might Decline. Quite simply, a decrease in your FTP is a reflection that your body is not able to perform as effectively as it was previously. This can reflect short-term trends in your condition, or be an indication of something more significant.

A standardised warm-up followed by moderate-intensity stretching should be conducted prior to beginning the assessment.

A good warm-up should last five to 10 minutes and work all major muscle groups. For best results, start slowly, then pick up the pace. Many warm-up routines focus on cardio and range-of-motion exercises, such as jumping jacks and lunges.

What is a good FTP for a woman? ›

FTP. FTP, or functional threshold power, is the average number of watts you can sustain in an hour and it's a strong predictor of cycling success. On average, the women on Canyon/SRAM team fall into the 250 to 300 watt FTP range, says Teutenberg, which definitely puts them in rarified air.

To do an FTP test, you'll need an exercise bike with a power meter, but if you're on a Peloton, you can do the 20-minute fitness test on the bike. A good FTP for an average cyclist is thought to be around 250 to 300 watts, while professional cyclists usually average around 400 watts.

That takes time. You need at least 24 to 48 hours for your muscles to recover from tough efforts—whether extremely hard or very long—that leave them tapped out.

VO2 Max 105 - 120% FTP

What it feels like: Pushing very hard, requiring high levels of effort and focus with little or no scope for communication. Breathing feels extremely hard and your legs will start burning very quickly at this intensity.

Power-to-weight ratios vary across a wide spectrum. Generally, untrained riders have an FTP below 2.0 W/kg for men and 1.5 W/kg for women, while professional racers may be capable of sustaining more than 6.0 W/kg for men and 5.5 for women.

Zone 5 in this seven-zone chart is the VO2 max zone. Depending on the person, duration can be up to 8 minutes (but that would be *really* hard—elite athlete level hard). Three minutes in Zone 5 (106%–120% of FTP) is doable for most relatively fit people, especially at the lower end of that percentage.

For most of us (adults), between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) is normal. The rate can be affected by factors like stress, anxiety, hormones, medication, and how physically active you are. An athlete or more active person may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute.

An amateur cyclist will have an FTP of between 1.5 and 2.5 watts/kg, whilst more experienced cyclists could be around 3.0 – 4.5 per/kg. Bicycling.com says that new riders with some fitness level will be approximately 2.0. For comparison's sake, it then points out that the world's top cyclists have an FTP of around 7.0.

I suggest that you do (2) workouts a week for at least 6 weeks before starting intervals right at 100% of your FTP or above. Our cardiovascular fitness changes in 6-8 week cycles, so it's always important to train for at least 6 weeks before expecting any significant improvement.

The Ramp Test assesses FTP and gradually increases power in one-minute steps until the rider cannot maintain the target power. It is the most efficient and accurate way to assess your fitness on TrainerRoad.

Is it good to carb load on rest days? ›

“It takes 24-48 hours for the bulk of recovery to occur after a challenging workout, so it's important on a rest day to consume enough carbohydrates to use as energy to recover, enough quality fats to bring inflammation down and support the heart and joints, and enough protein to repair body tissues,” she says.

' If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed by pre-exam stress, or unable to focus after hours of reading, exercise is one of the simplest things you can do to stay mentally sharp. 'Exercise helps release dopamine, which is like your motivation molecule to stay focused, more attentive,' Assoc.

He say's that the vast majority of cyclists require 7-to-8 hours of sleep. Some can survive on less, some require more. “The thing that is though,” Armstrong says, “is that you need to be in bed for 8-to-9 hours, because falling asleep, and staying asleep requires extra time in the sack.”

If you choose to ride for an hour and it is not during a race you should take the average power output and add 5% – 8%. So if your average watts were 250 then your functional threshold power would be between 262.5 and 270 watts.

No exact watt number is appropriate for all riders. Generally speaking, a beginner cyclist may average around 75–100 watts in a 1-hour workout. A fit participant will average more than 100 watts, and pro cyclists can reach 400 watts per hour.

FTP in watts for males

There's also a spike at 250W because it's a nice round number that's very close to the average FTP. 49% of people have an FTP below 260W. 44.3% of people have an FTP of 270W or more. 6.7% of people have an FTP between 260W and 270W.

FTP. FTP, or functional threshold power, is the average number of watts you can sustain in an hour and it's a strong predictor of cycling success. On average, the women on Canyon/SRAM team fall into the 250 to 300 watt FTP range, says Teutenberg, which definitely puts them in rarified air.

Many coaches and athletes define functional threshold power (FTP) as 95 percent of the average power from a 20-minute, steady-state, all-out time trial. While this may provide an accurate FTP for about 50 to 60 percent of the population, it doesn't hold true for a large number of athletes.

There is more to it than just your power output

The impact of weight has an even greater impact when accelerating and going up-hill. When combining our FTP with weight, the metric we talk about is our Watts per Kilogram of bodyweight (w/kg), which is what determines the speed that we travel.

Your functional threshold power (FTP) is 95 per cent of the average power you achieved over that 20 minutes. Your functional threshold heart rate (FT HR) is your average heart rate during the final 10 minutes of that 20-minute effort.

How do I improve my FTP score? ›

The Ramp Test assesses FTP and gradually increases power in one-minute steps until the rider cannot maintain the target power. It is the most efficient and accurate way to assess your fitness on TrainerRoad.

Testing requires hard work and we request that riders are well fuelled beforehand, so ensure you have had a well-balanced meal that includes a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates about 3-4 hours prior to testing and then a small, simple carbohydrate-based snack like a banana one hour before the test.

How often should you retest your FTP? In terms of how often you should be retesting your FTP, Rowe recommends doing so once every six to ten weeks, or at the end of each training block – preferably after an easier few days so that you're well rested.

Riding fixed will force you to work harder at times than you would on a geared bike and you'll get stronger and fitter as a result. You could get a similar experience from a singlespeed bike with a freewheel, but…