Calculator
FTP calculator
Your functional threshold power from whichever test you rode — 20-minute, ramp, 8-minute, or a full hour — with your watts per kilo and the seven power zones to train by.
266 W
280 W × 0.95
| Zone | % FTP | Watts |
|---|---|---|
| Z1 Active recovery | 0–55% | 0–146 W |
| Z2 Endurance | 56–75% | 147–200 W |
| Z3 Tempo | 76–90% | 201–239 W |
| Z4 Threshold | 91–105% | 240–279 W |
| Z5 VO₂ max | 106–120% | 280–319 W |
| Z6 Anaerobic capacity | 121–150% | 320–399 W |
| Z7 Neuromuscular | >150% | 400+ W |
What is FTP?
Functional threshold power is the highest power you can hold for about an hour. It's the reference point most cycling training is built on: power zones, TSS, and intensity factor are all set against it. Because an hour all-out is hard to do well and hard to recover from, most riders estimate FTP from a shorter test and scale the result down.
FTP tests and how each is calculated
20-minute test: FTP = 0.95 × power
After a thorough warm-up, often with a 5-minute hard effort to take the edge off, ride 20 minutes as hard as you can hold evenly.
Ramp test: FTP = 0.75 × power
Power steps up every minute, typically by 20–25 W, until you can’t hold the target. Over in about 20 minutes, with no pacing to get wrong.
8-minute test: FTP = 0.9 × power
Two 8-minute all-out efforts, with about 10 minutes of easy riding between them. Shorter efforts suit riders who struggle to pace 20 minutes.
60-minute test: FTP = average power
FTP by its definition: the highest power you can hold for about an hour. The most direct test, and the hardest to do well.
Which FTP test should you use?
The ramp test is the easiest to get right: no pacing, short, and repeatable indoors. It tends to read high for riders with a strong anaerobic kick, and low for very diesel-like ones. The 20-minute test is the most widely used and fits most riders, but needs even pacing. The 8-minute test suits riders who can't yet pace 20 minutes. The hour is FTP itself, with nothing to scale. Whichever you pick, retest the same way every 6–8 weeks so the numbers are comparable.
Power zones from FTP
The table uses Andrew Coggan's seven zones. Zone 2 (endurance) is where most long rides belong; zone 4 (threshold) is sustained hard work around FTP; zones 5 and up are short, hard intervals.
FTP and critical power
If you have two or three recent maximal efforts of different lengths, the critical power calculator estimates your threshold from the shape of your power curve instead of a single test.