When training, it’s good to know about your body and what is happening physiologically. You may have heard people talking about riding in zone 2 or their FTP is 200 watts. Doing an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test is ideal for determining a baseline fitness level. You can then develop the most appropriate training zones (heart rate, watts and RPE) which will help track improvements and prevent over training. What is FTP? Your FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the maximum power you can maintain through an hour’s effort without fatiguing. If you go above that, your ability to sustain the effort falls off. If you ride just below it, you could ride all day. When you can raise your threshold you can go faster, hang with the group longer, and feel fresher at the end of your ride. Threshold can be measured a few ways. Heart Rate (HR) is a good measurement. When testing for your HR threshold, you can figure out the appropriate HR Zones. The best way to measure your threshold is with power, measured in watts. Power is an immediate response to how much work you are outputting while on the bike. To measure this you will need to have a power meter on your bike. For our test we will use both HR and Power using a Wahoo Kickr to find your FTP.
During this test we will find both your HR and Power Training Zones. After a 20 minute warm up you will be doing a 20 minute test. During the 20 minutes your goal is to average the highest watts possible. Following the test you will do a warm down before receiving your FTP numbers and Training Zones.
Duration: 75 minutes
What you will need to bring: