FTP Test Day!

It’s supposed to be hard. If it weren’t hard, everyone would do it.  The hard is what makes it great.   - Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

I love FTP Test Day!    

*Note: We are using Keiser Bikes with power meters

Testing Functional Threshold Power (FTP)  on a regular basis - once every 6 weeks or so - is the ideal way to see how your passion for cycling  is translating into progress.  Knowing your FPT – and improving it -  is hands down one of the most important things you can incorporate into your training. 

During an FTP Test Day, the question you are trying to answer is this:  How much power can I exert for a full hour without reaching fatigue?   To get the answer we don’t do a 60-minute time trial (you could, but it doesn’t rate high on the fun scale!).  Instead, during our hour-long class we do two proxy tests of 10 minutes each and then subtract 5-8% to approximate FTP.  (There are lots of different profiles, and another favorite of mine is a 20-minute test.)  

While RPMs and gear will vary person-to-person, there are some guidelines to consider:  pace of 90 RPMs, gear somewhere between 15 and 21.  What should not vary person-to-person is your Rate of Perceived Exertion.  On a scale of 1-10, you should feel an exertion level of 8 or 9.  For. The. Entire. Time.  Anything more, you’ll conk out too quickly; anything less, and you’re not working hard enough. As with most things in life, it's tough to find balance, but by about 3 minutes into the test, you should have a good sense of whether you’ve come out too strong or not strong enough.  This is a good timetable for judging most things because it yields that perfect mix of adrenaline and angst. 

FTP is also sometimes called Lactate Threshold Power (LTP), because it’s the most power – watts – we can throw out without the muscles succumbing to the exhaustion that happens when lactate builds up during high intensity efforts.  The more fit you are, the better you’re able to clear the toxins (lactates), and, therefore, the better able you are to match your energy supply to your energy demands.

There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to determining your FTP.  The key is to know yours, so you have a baseline for improving your fitness level. You’re working hard, and this is a concrete number that says, “Hell ya! All this pain is worth it!”  Even gains that seem modest (an FTP increase of 3-5 Watts from one test to another) is excellent because that seemingly small watt increase gives us incredible gains over time.

This FTP Test Day Playlist pulls from trending YouTube videos and 80s Rock to an Olympic Science Lesson and Hollywood Blockbuster.

• 1 Mother Son Epic Wedding Dance (Warm Up)
• 2.     Get Lucky – Russian Army Choir (Warm Up)
• 3.     In My Dreams – Dokken (Warm Up)
• 4.     Paradise City – Guns ‘n Roses (Openers 3 x :30 with 1:00 recovery between each)
• 5.     Dreams – Van Halen (10 minute FTP Time Trial begins)
• 6.     Run To The Hills (Live in Rio) – Iron Maiden (TT continues)
• 7.     Blame It On The Boom Boom – Cherry Stone (TT ends during)
• 8.     If I Ever Leave This World Alive – Flogging Molly (Recovery)
• 9.     Wake Me Up (Avicii Cover) – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Recovery)
• 10. ASAP Science “Can Music Improve Athletic Performance” (Recovery)
• 11. Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) – Scatman John (2^nd 10 minute FTP TT Begins)
• 12. Panic Switch – Silversun Pickups (TT continues)
• 13.  Palladio – Escala (TT ends during)
• 14.   Hotel California – TQ (Cooldown)
• 15.   Happy – Pharrell Williams (Cooldown)
  
  You rock.