What is FTP in cycling?

FTP, functional threshold power, is the highest power a rider can hold in a quasi-steady state for about an hour. It is measured in watts and is used to set training zones. A true all-out hour is hard to pace, so most riders estimate FTP from a shorter test and a multiplier. Every estimate on this page is labelled as one.

How do I calculate FTP from a 20-minute test?

Multiply your 20-minute average power by 0.95. A 260 W average gives 260 × 0.95 = 247 W. That is the Allen and Coggan convention. It held for 60 minutes in 17 of 19 highly trained cyclists, but in a larger study the best-fitting factor ranged from 0.88 to 0.96 depending on training level, so the calculator shows your number at each level.

How do I calculate FTP from a ramp test?

Multiply your best one-minute power in the ramp by 0.75. A best minute of 350 W gives 350 × 0.75 = 262.5 W, shown as 263 W. That 75% is a Zwift and TrainerRoad convention. I found no peer-reviewed validation, and a 2024 conference abstract in 32 amateurs measured ramp FTP well above their 60-minute power.

How does the 2 × 8-minute FTP test work?

You ride two maximal 8-minute efforts with about 10 minutes of easy spinning between them. The Carmichael Training Systems method takes the higher average and multiplies it by 0.90, so 300 W and 310 W give 279 W. CTS says apps typically average the two instead, which would give 275 W here. TrainerRoad's own calculator page uses the better effort. The calculator shows both numbers.

Which FTP test is the most accurate?

A steady, all-out 60-minute ride is the definition of FTP, so it needs no factor. The 20-minute test is reliable and has the most evidence behind it, but its 95% factor fits well-trained riders better than less trained ones. The 2 × 8-minute test matched one lab threshold in one small study and differed from several in another, and the ramp factor has not been validated in a full paper. Pick one test and repeat it the same way to track change.

Why does the calculator show several FTP numbers for the 20-minute test?

The headline uses 0.95 so it matches Zwift and TrainerRoad, who both use it. The table under it applies the four factors from the 120-cyclist study, so you can see how much your number could shift. I do not pick a level for you, because the study grouped riders by VO2max and most people do not know theirs.

What are the FTP power zones?

The calculator uses Coggan's seven levels as a share of FTP: active recovery up to 55%, endurance 55 to 75%, tempo 75 to 90%, lactate threshold 90 to 105%, VO2max 105 to 120%, and anaerobic capacity above 120%. Level 7, neuromuscular power, is a maximal sprint with no percentage of FTP. Each level starts one watt above the previous one so the bands have no gaps. They are starting targets and not measured thresholds.

Is there an FTP chart by age and gender?

Not one I could verify. Coggan's W/kg scale has separate columns for men and women but is not age-specific, and he advises applying it unchanged at any age. TrainerRoad publishes median FTP by age and sex from a filtered sample of its own users. The calculator shows both references with their limits and the age box never changes your FTP.

That depends on weight, so W/kg is the usual comparison. Coggan's scale runs from 1.27 W/kg at the bottom row to 6.60 W/kg at the world champion or record holder end in men, and from 0.99 to 5.69 W/kg in women. It is a ranking scale and not a survey of riders. Add your weight and sex in the options to see where you fall.

What is the average FTP for men and women?

In TrainerRoad's filtered user sample, median FTP for men runs from 256 W at ages 18 to 29 down to 203 W at 60 and over. For women it runs from 182 W down to 138 W. Those riders chose to train with power, so it describes that group and not cyclists in general. I found no population sample.

Can I use a 5-minute or 10-minute test?

I could not find a verified factor for either, so the calculator does not offer them. A 4-minute effort was strongly related to 60-minute power in a small study of 8 trained men, but the study gives no conversion. If you want a short test, the ramp and 2 × 8-minute options are the ones with a published protocol.

How often should I retest my FTP?

I found no study that sets a retest interval. Coaching advice varies: Zwift says every 6 to 8 weeks is generally ideal, and Carmichael Training Systems says the shortest gap is typically six weeks and can be two to four months, with at least two tests a year. A practical check is whether your zones still feel right in sessions. If they do not, a repeat of the same test is a fair way to find out.

How is FTP used to work out training load?

Intensity factor is a ride's normalized power divided by FTP, and training stress score builds on it. The Cycling NP, IF and TSS Calculator does that arithmetic from your FTP. If your FTP is too high, intensity factors read low and the load looks lighter than it was.

Does FTP work for running or rowing?

The factors on this page were studied in cyclists. I found no source that checks them elsewhere, so the calculator is for cycling. For an erg, use the Rowing FTP Calculator, which has its own ratios.

Your inputs are saved in your browser on this device so the page remembers them. There is no account, and the calculator does not send them to a server. Reset clears the fields.

FTP Calculator: Functional Threshold Power from a 20-Minute, Ramp or 8-Minute Test

Name: FTP Calculator
Author: Manish Kumar

Key Takeaways

FTP, functional threshold power, is the highest power a rider can hold in a quasi-steady state for about an hour^[2]. Because an all-out hour is hard to pace, most people estimate it from a shorter test.
This calculator does the arithmetic for four tests: 20 minutes × 0.95, a ramp × 0.75, two 8-minute efforts × 0.9, and a steady 60 minutes with no factor. It then builds Coggan's seven power levels in watts^[12].
The 20-minute factor is a convention that held for 17 of 19 highly trained cyclists^[2]. In a study of 120 cyclists the best-fitting factor ran from 0.88 in recreationally trained riders to 0.96 in professionals^[3], so the page shows your result at each level.
The ramp factor of 0.75 is a Zwift and TrainerRoad convention^[10]^[11]. I found no peer-reviewed check of it, and the only comparison I found, a 2024 conference abstract, had it well above measured 60-minute power^[9].
There is no age-specific FTP standard. Coggan's W/kg scale is not age-specific and he advises using it unchanged at any age^[13], and the only age and sex medians I found come from one vendor's user sample^[14].

How FTP Is Worked Out

One multiplier per test. The table says where each comes from and how well it has been checked.

Test	Formula	Basis
20 minutes	FTP = 20-minute average × 0.95	Allen and Coggan convention^[1]. Held for 60 minutes in 17 of 19 highly trained cyclists^[2]. Fits well-trained riders best^[3]
Ramp	FTP = best one-minute power × 0.75	Zwift and TrainerRoad convention^[10]^[11]. No peer-reviewed check found, and one 2024 abstract found it high^[9]
2 × 8 minutes	FTP = higher 8-minute average × 0.9	Carmichael Training Systems protocol, higher of the two efforts^[6]. Matched power at 4 mmol/L lactate in 7 trained men^[7]. Differed from several lab thresholds in 19 cyclists^[8]
60 minutes	FTP = 60-minute average	The definition of FTP, so no factor^[2]

The four tests and their factors. Source numbers match the sources list.

Worked examples

A 20-minute average of 260 W gives 260 × 0.95 = 247.0 W, shown as 247 W. At the four training levels in the study it would be 229 W, 239 W, 247 W, 250 W.

A best ramp minute of 350 W gives 350 × 0.75 = 262.5 W, shown as 263 W.

Two 8-minute efforts of 300 W and 310 W give 310 × 0.9 = 279 W. Averaging the two instead, which CTS says many apps do^[6], gives 275 W.

How to Do Each Test

Enter average power over the whole effort. Normalized power and short peaks give the wrong answer.

20-minute test (Allen and Coggan protocol)

Warm up for 20 minutes at an easy pace^[2]^[4].
Do three 1-minute fast-pedalling efforts at 100 to 105 rpm, with 1 minute easy between them^[4].
Ride 5 minutes easy, then a 5-minute maximal effort, then 10 minutes easy.
Ride 20 minutes as hard as you can hold evenly. Note the average power.

Ramp test (Zwift version)

After a warm-up, start at 100 W^[6].
Add 20 W every minute^[10].
Keep going until you can no longer turn the pedals^[10].
Enter your best one-minute power. Zwift and TrainerRoad both use it, and it is usually the last step you completed^[10]^[11].

Zwift also has a lighter ramp for smaller or less experienced riders that adds 10 W per minute^[10]. I did not find what factor Zwift applies to it, so this page does not cover it.

2 × 8-minute test (CTS)

Warm up, then ride the first 8 minutes as hard as you can hold evenly.
Spin easy for 10 minutes.
Ride a second 8-minute maximal effort.
Enter both averages. On a smart trainer, CTS says to use slope or resistance mode and not ERG mode^[6].

How Accurate Is an FTP Test?

I read the abstract or full text of each study cited. Source numbers match the sources list.

The 20-minute rule held for well-trained riders. McGrath and colleagues had 19 highly trained cyclists ride 60 minutes at 95% of their 20-minute power on a Wattbike^[2]. Seventeen finished, and blood lactate and breathing stayed in a quasi-steady state.

Two repeat 20-minute tests agreed within +13 and -17 W. A 5% rise in power above the target pushed lactate out of a steady state.

It was not 95% for everyone. Sitko and colleagues had 120 cyclists ride both a 20-minute and a 60-minute test^[3]. The best-fitting factor was 0.88 for recreationally trained riders, 0.92 for trained, 0.95 for well trained and 0.96 for professionals.

Groups were set by VO2max. On data held back for testing, the updated equation did only slightly better than the original: a mean absolute error of 25 W against 27 W, and an R² of 0.54 against 0.51.

A second study by the same group timed 87 cyclists at 95% of their 20-minute power^[4], and grouped them by VO2max using the De Pauw guidelines^[5]. Median time to exhaustion was 35, 42, 47 and 51 minutes across the four groups, so the typical rider in every group stopped before the hour.

The authors call the variability high, and they estimated VO2max with an equation instead of measuring it in a lab.

FTP is not a lactate steady state. Inglis and colleagues compared the 20-minute rule with maximal lactate steady state in 18 well-trained participants, 12 men and 6 women^[16]. Steady-state power was 93.1% of the 95% figure on average, with wide variation, and the authors did not advise using the rule to stand in for it.

Reliable, but not interchangeable. In 8 trained men, repeat 20-minute efforts averaged 342 W and 344 W, and a 20-minute average explained 92% of the variance in 60-minute power^[15].

A scoping review of 15 studies found the 20-minute test reliable. It also found limits of agreement with other markers too large for them to be swapped^[17].

The review also notes that most studies used trained male cyclists, and calls the evidence on the 20-minute test limited overall.

The ramp factor is the least checked. I found no peer-reviewed validation of 75%. A 2024 conference abstract had 32 amateur cyclists, 20 men and 12 women, do a 20-minute test, a 60-minute test and a ramp from 100 W in 20 W steps^[9].

Both shorter tests tracked 60-minute power closely (r = 0.97 for the 20-minute, 0.90 for the ramp) but read high. Ramp FTP averaged 243 W against 205 W for the 60-minute ride, and the 20-minute estimate averaged 225 W. The authors suggest 0.63 for the ramp and 0.86 for the 20-minute test in amateurs.

It is a conference poster abstract, not a full paper, so I show it as a warning and have not changed the factor. CTS credits the ramp calculation to Ric Stern of CycleCoach.com^[6].

The 8-minute test measures something a little different. Gavin and colleagues compared 90% of an 8-minute test with lactate threshold in 7 trained men^[7]. It matched power at 4 mmol/L and sat above power at a 1 mmol/L rise.

Sanders and colleagues found, in 19 well-trained cyclists, that the 8-minute estimate differed from several lab thresholds by moderate to very large amounts^[8]. Their advice was caution when using FTP and lab thresholds interchangeably.

What this means for you

Pick one test and repeat it the same way. A fixed factor moves every result by the same proportion, so it distorts a comparison with another rider more than it distorts your own trend.

If you are newer to training, the 95% figure is more likely to read high. CTS suggests confirming any result against how threshold workouts feel, because an FTP set too high shows up as intervals you cannot finish^[6].

Coggan Power Zones from Your FTP

Zones for the 247 W example. The calculator builds yours.

Level	% of FTP	Watts
1. Active recovery	up to 55	up to 136
2. Endurance	55 to 75	137 to 185
3. Tempo	75 to 90	186 to 222
4. Lactate threshold	90 to 105	223 to 259
5. VO2max	105 to 120	260 to 296
6. Anaerobic capacity	above 120	297 and up
7. Neuromuscular power	Maximal	Sprint

Coggan's seven levels at an FTP of 247 W. Levels are as printed by TrainingPeaks.

These are Coggan's levels^[12]. Level 4 sits from just below to just above time trial effort. Level 5 is for intervals of about 3 to 8 minutes, and level 6 for about 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

Level 7 is a maximal sprint and has no percentage of FTP, so the calculator gives no watts for it. TrainingPeaks prints the level starts as 56, 76, 91, 106 and 121 percent. I start each level one watt above the last so the bands have no gaps.

Other zone systems, such as sweet spot or polarized models, split these ranges differently. This calculator sticks to Coggan's original seven. For how perceived effort lines up with these levels, see the Cycling RPE Calculator.

Is My FTP Good? FTP by Age and Gender

There is no age-specific FTP standard that I could source. Here are the two references I could verify, and what each can and cannot say.

Coggan's power profile scale. Coggan built the chart by anchoring each end: world champions and world record holders at the top and untrained people at the bottom^[13]. The in-between values were then cross-checked against available data. For functional threshold that is 6.60 W/kg and 2.22 W/kg for men, and 5.69 W/kg and 1.83 W/kg for women.

He says the standards are based on young adults and should be applied as is at any age, because he found too little data to build age-specific tables. It is a scale for comparing riders, not a survey of how riders are spread.

Category	Men	Women
World class	5.93 to 6.60	5.10 to 5.69
Exceptional	5.36 to 5.93	4.60 to 5.10
Excellent	4.79 to 5.36	4.10 to 4.60
Very good	4.22 to 4.79	3.59 to 4.10
Good	3.65 to 4.22	3.09 to 3.59
Moderate	3.08 to 3.65	2.59 to 3.09
Fair	2.51 to 3.08	2.08 to 2.59
Novice 2	1.93 to 2.51	1.58 to 2.08
Novice 1	1.27 to 1.93	0.99 to 1.58

Functional threshold column of Coggan's chart, W/kg. The chart does not print category cut-offs as numbers. I took its bold rows as the edges, so a result very close to an edge could sit in either category.

TrainerRoad medians by age and sex. TrainerRoad publishes median FTP from a filtered, anonymized sample of its users^[14]. The page was last updated in June 2026.

Age	Men	Women
18 to 29	256 W, 3.4 W/kg	182 W, 2.9 W/kg
30 to 39	252 W, 3.2 W/kg	174 W, 2.8 W/kg
40 to 49	245 W, 3.1 W/kg	168 W, 2.7 W/kg
50 to 59	230 W, 2.9 W/kg	156 W, 2.5 W/kg
60 and over	203 W, 2.6 W/kg	138 W, 2.3 W/kg

Median FTP and W/kg by age and sex in a filtered sample of TrainerRoad users. Not a population sample.

These riders chose to train with power, and the TrainerRoad page does not say how the sample was filtered. Treat the table as a description of that group and not of cyclists in general.

The age box only picks a row in the median table. It never changes your FTP.

What This Calculator Cannot Tell You

What you can hold for an hour. Every result except a real 60-minute test is an estimate, and the studies above show it can be off by a wide margin for an individual.
Whether the factor fits you. Training level, pacing and how your power is made up all move it. The 95% figure overshot most in recreationally trained riders^[3].
Your lactate threshold or critical power. FTP and these measures are different, and the review found large limits of agreement between them^[17].
5-minute or 10-minute test results. I found no verified factor for them, so the calculator leaves them out. A 4-minute effort was strongly related to 60-minute power in 8 trained men^[15], but that study gives no conversion.
Running, rowing or other sports. The factors above were studied in cyclists. For an erg, use the Rowing FTP Calculator, which uses its own ratios, not these.

Once you have an FTP, the Cycling NP, IF and TSS Calculator turns it into intensity and training load for a ride. The Cycling Critical Power Calculator estimates critical power from your own efforts, and the Cycling Race Predictor estimates a ride time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

Training and Racing with a Power Meter, 2nd ed.. Allen H, Coggan AR. VeloPress (book) (2010)
Is the FTP test a reliable, reproducible and functional assessment tool in highly-trained athletes?. McGrath E, Mahony N, Fleming N, Donne B. International Journal of Exercise Science 12(4):1334-1345 (2019)
An update of the Allen & Coggan equation to predict 60-min power output in cyclists of different performance levels. Sitko S, Cirer-Sastre R, López-Laval I. International Journal of Sports Medicine 44(13):983-987 (2023)
Time to exhaustion at estimated functional threshold power in road cyclists of different performance levels. Sitko S, Cirer-Sastre R, López-Laval I. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 25:783-786 (2022)
Guidelines to classify subject groups in sport-science research. De Pauw K, Roelands B, Cheung SS, de Geus B, Rietjens G, Meeusen R. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 8(2):111-122 (2013)
FTP tests: how to perform 20-minute, 8-minute, and ramp tests. Carmichael C. Carmichael Training Systems (trainright.com)
Comparison of a field-based test to estimate functional threshold power and power output at lactate threshold. Gavin TP, Van Meter JB, Brophy PM, Dubis GS, Potts KN, Hickner RC. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26(2):416-421 (2012)
A field-based cycling test to assess predictors of endurance performance and establishing training zones. Sanders D, Taylor RJ, Myers T, Akubat I. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 34(12):3482-3488 (2020)
Comparing of different protocols to evaluate functional threshold power on an indoor trainer in amateur cyclists and triathletes (poster abstract). Brisebois-Boies M, Girard D, Truchon M-A, Lalonde F, Comtois A-S. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology annual conference, poster session, 22 November 2024 (2024)
How to measure your cycling fitness effectively (Zwift ramp test description). Zwift. zwift.com
FTP calculator (20-minute, 8-minute and ramp test factors). TrainerRoad. trainerroad.com
Cycling power zones explained: Coggan's 7-level system. Coggan A (TrainingPeaks). trainingpeaks.com
Creating your power profile. Coggan A (TrainingPeaks). trainingpeaks.com, published 10 October 2008, updated 8 April 2026
Watts per kilogram calculator: power-to-weight ratio and FTP (median FTP by age and sex, page updated June 2026). TrainerRoad. trainerroad.com
The reliability of 4-minute and 20-minute time trials and their relationships to functional threshold power in trained cyclists. MacInnis MJ, Thomas ACQ, Phillips SM. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 14(1):38-45 (2019)
Maximal lactate steady state versus the 20-minute functional threshold power test in well-trained individuals: "Watts" the big deal?. Inglis EC, Iannetta D, Passfield L, Murias JM. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 15(4):541-547 (2020)
What is known about the FTP20 test related to cycling? A scoping review. Mackey J, Horner K. Journal of Sports Sciences 39(23):2735-2745 (2021)

Manish Kumar

Certified Personal Trainer & Sports Nutritionist

NASM-CPTCertified Sports Nutritionist10+ Years Experience500+ Clients Coached

NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of hands-on experience helping people build strength, lose fat, and live healthier lives. Specializing in gym-based workouts with a strong focus on lifting technique, biomechanics, and practical exercise science. Through FitLifeRegime, sharing the tools, tips, and insights that have worked for hundreds of clients — helping you start your own fitness journey with confidence and clarity.

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Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational and personal journaling purposes only. It logs measurements and compares them to published reference values. It is not health, medical, or nutrition advice.

FTP Calculator

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