In MOVATI’s Speed & Power cycling class, learn more about your cycling with your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) number. 

What is the significance of knowing your FTP?

In cycling, FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power.  Or an easy way to think of it as your hardest sustained effort or power output over a 30-to-60-minute period.  We measure this in unit of WATTS.  

FTP is an important metric for cyclists, since it is quantifiable way to measure your fitness on the bike, and to gauge the level of difficulty for any particular ride for any given day.

When getting ready to start the FTP test, it is important that you have prepared before hand by warming up your body; muscles and increased heart rate.  Sprints and RPM pickups will help with the warmup, as you build to the start of the test.  Once the test has started, you want to have a enough resistance to maintain the effort and the pace / pedal rhythm from start to finish, keeping your watt output constant, and in a seated position.   Do not start out too hard at max output, our it will be difficult to maintain the effort to the end of the test, become short of breath, and burn out.  Also, you don’t want to take the test too easy where you feel like you could have pushed yourself significantly more at the end.  

To reiterate, you want the test to be your maximum sustained effort from start to finish, where you feel between breathy (able to speak) and breathless at the end.

For our indoor classes at our clubs, the FTP tests can range in duration from 3 minutes 5 seconds to 5 minutes where the rider is at their hardest sustainable effort.  The average watts for this duration is measured, and then a calculated FTP result is made for the cyclist.  For this example since the rider has not performed the test the 1 hour, the calculation is based on what the effort would have been IF the test was for 1 hour.  Thus, your FTP result for that particular class that day will be approximately 80-85% of the effort.  

In that same token, if the duration is increased to an FTP of 20 mins, the result will be 95% of the effort, since you are riding at your hardest sustained effort for a longer period of time, slightly less effort than if you were riding up to a 5 minute FTP.

Now, you have an FTP number.  This is your personal fitness measurement when it comes to cycling.  What do you do with that number?  You FTP number can now be used as training tool.  Now you can work in different training zones, or intensity zones. 

Try to maintain your FTP number or improve it when you ride in a power cycling class.  Remember it also depends on how you feel any particular day.  If you are feel great, crush your FTP score!

One thing to also remember is that FTP is also dependant you your body mass.  As you decrease in weight or mass, your FTP score can go down as you are pushing with less power to go at the same speed.  

So don’t worry, it is you vs you!  Enjoy the bike, enjoy the class, get the most out of your FTP score, and keep pedaling!

Find a Speed & Power class using the Group Fitness Schedule on MOVATI website or through the  MOVATI member app.

Written by Brian Pfuetzner