Bike Fitness Test: FTP & Threshold HR

Bike Fitness Thresholds

Fitness tests are included at the beginning and every 4 to 8 weeks throughout your plan. To establish your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) in Training Peaks, we suggest undertaking a CP20 test. This straightforward test provides a reliable indication of your current fitness level and determines your power-based training zones for cycling.

The purpose of a CP20 test is to estimate your optimal average power output for a one-hour steady-state time trial. The advantage of this test is that you don't need to exert yourself for a full hour.

Additionally, this test will estimate your Threshold Heart Rate for cycling.

What You Need

A bike and an indoor trainer equipped with reliable and accurate power measurements. This test is more repeatable if conducted indoors, preferably during a recovery week. Ensure you have a fan to keep yourself cool so that heat stress does not hinder your performance.

The Test

1. Warm Up: 15 minutes easy/steady, including at least five efforts of 10 seconds at your approximate test pace.
2. Test: Ride for 20 minutes as hard as you can sustain. Ensure you measure your average (mean) power and heart rate throughout the 20-minute duration. (Turn ERG mode off.)
3. Warm Down: 5-10 minutes of easy spinning.

What was your average power during the 20-minute test? For example, 200 watts. This is called your CP20 (where CP stands for Critical Power).

Calculate Your Results

Functional Threshold Power

Multiply your CP20 by 0.95. For instance, if your CP20 is 200 watts, your FTP would be 190 watts. If you use TrainingPeaks, you should input your threshold into your settings.

Bike Threshold Heart Rate

Subtract six beats from your average CP20 heart rate to determine your Threshold Heart Rate for cycling. This is an estimate, so it may vary by two beats either way. 

When To Test Again

We include FTP tests in the training plans and we generally recommend you do one every 4-8 weeks (during a recovery week). 

For more information about FTP testing (including a video) please see Phil Mosley's blog post.

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