FTP Calculator | Calculate functional threshold power

FTP Calculator

The FTP calculator will help you calculate FTP based on a 20 min power test or ramp test to set your training zones. With this calculation you know how many power you can sustain for a hour long. Ftp stands for functional threshold power, which is the highest average power you can sustain for an hour. It's one of the most used training metrics in cycling. Through ftp you can precisely calculate your training zones, which are power ranges that target specific metabolic adaptations. Make sure your ftp is correct and recent. Having a correct and recent ftp test is important as otherwise it may not reflect your current fitness level, and therefore you cannot correctly estimate your training zones. If you are training regularly, you should test every 1-2 months to keep your ftp accurate and make sure your workouts are scaled to your current fitness level.

How to calculate ftp with 20 min test?

The 20 min ftp test is the most used and populair ftp test of them all. The 20 minute test is more accurate than the ramp test. As you have to pace yourself with the 20 minute test, you can treat the 20 minute ftp test the best as a 20 minute time trial. To estimate your functional threshold power (ftp) with the 20 minute ftp test, you multiply your 20 minutes max average power by 0.95 to calculate your ftp.

Functional threshold power = max 20 min average power output × 0.95

Example: You want to know what your ftp is with a maximum power of 270 watts for 20 minutes, the ftp formula would look like this: 270 * 0.95 = 256.5 watts ftp.

How to calculate ftp with ramp test?

The ramp test is the easiest ftp test to execute for beginners. The ramp test is less accurate than the 20 minute ftp test, this is especially true for anaerobically strong riders. The ramp test starts at 100 watts. After every minute the wattage raises with 20 watts. The test stops when you reach a wattage that you can no longer achieve. To estimate your functional threshold power (ftp) with the ramp test, you multiply your last reached step by 0.75 to calculate your ftp.

Functional threshold power = last reached wattage step × 0.75

Example: You want to know what your ftp is with the last step reached being 340 watts, the ftp formula would look like this: 340 * 0.75 = 255 watts ftp.

How to calculate w/kg?

w/kg stands for watts per kilogram. w/kg is a power to weight ratio, it reflects how many watts you can hold for a certain period of time, divided by your weight. This helps to compare your fitness level with others. To calculate your watts per kg, you divide the power in watts by the weight in kilograms.

W/kg = Power in Watts / Weight in kg

Example: You want to know the watts per kg ratio of a 70 kg person delivering 270 watts, the w/kg formula would look like this: 70 / 270 = 3.86 w/kg

What your ftp means

A good ftp for males is around 3.5 - 4.2 w/kg and a good ftp for women is around 3.0 - 3.7 w/kg. The elite athletes can show ftp values of 5.0 - 6.5 w/kg. Of course it all depends on what type of rider you are, for climbers the average ftp in w/kg will be higher than a sprinter.

Training with heart rate instead of power

When you want to set your training zones to get a structured training to improve your threshold but don't have a powermeter. You can use a heart rate monitor instead to set your zones. The heart rate zone calculator can help you with estimating your training zones.