LPC Functional Threshold Power Testing Service
LPC offers FTP bike testing sessions for triathletes and cyclists of all abilities
Schedule an FTP Test to help: track improvements in fitness, pace more optimally, establish power training zones that reflect current fitness, and identify potential bike fit and pedaling inefficiencies
2021 FTP Sessions: 9-Jan-2021, 6-Feb-2021
What Is Power?
Power in any realm is equal to Work divided by Time: how much work are you doing in a given amount of time. For cycling, this is can be thought of as how much force you are putting on the pedals, and how quickly you are turning those pedals (your cadence, or RPM). Power is measured in Watts (W). If you have trained and improved your ability to ride at a higher cadence in the same gear, or your ability to ride in a harder gear at the same cadence, you have increased your ability to produce "power" on the bike, and you have become a faster cyclist.
Power in any realm is equal to Work divided by Time: how much work are you doing in a given amount of time. For cycling, this is can be thought of as how much force you are putting on the pedals, and how quickly you are turning those pedals (your cadence, or RPM). Power is measured in Watts (W). If you have trained and improved your ability to ride at a higher cadence in the same gear, or your ability to ride in a harder gear at the same cadence, you have increased your ability to produce "power" on the bike, and you have become a faster cyclist.
Why Is Monitoring Power Useful?
Power provides the best indicator of improvements in your cycling fitness, largely because tracking power is both reliable and repeatable. It can be difficult to track improvement using time or speed if the courses you ride, or the conditions you ride in, are different. You may have gone faster on one 20km ride than another, but maybe one had more hills, or was more technical. Or maybe you rode twice on the exact same course, but one day was perfectly cool and calm and the other day was really hot and windy. With power, all you need to look at is the number: If you have increased the normalized power you are able to hold for a given amount of time, you have gotten more fit on the bike.
Power provides the best indicator of improvements in your cycling fitness, largely because tracking power is both reliable and repeatable. It can be difficult to track improvement using time or speed if the courses you ride, or the conditions you ride in, are different. You may have gone faster on one 20km ride than another, but maybe one had more hills, or was more technical. Or maybe you rode twice on the exact same course, but one day was perfectly cool and calm and the other day was really hot and windy. With power, all you need to look at is the number: If you have increased the normalized power you are able to hold for a given amount of time, you have gotten more fit on the bike.
What is Functional Threshold Power (FTP)?
Simply put, functional threshold power is a fancy way of saying "this is how much power I can produce, on average, for one hour of cycling". You can use the results you get in a few different ways:
1. Track improvements in fitness: By testing your FTP regularly, you will know if you are getting fitter on the bike.
2. Learn how to pace properly: Let's say your FTP is 200W. By riding with power a few times, you'll start to learn that 200W at the start of a ride feels a lot easier than 200W at the end of a ride. Maybe you actually rode at 250W for the first half of your test, and could only maintain 150W for the second half. The next time you ride, you will likely be able to improve your performance by riding at a lower power output to begin with.
3. Establish power "zones" for training: If you own a power meter or have access to one, you can use your FTP number to create your own personal power zones, which are all based on a percentage of FTP. This will allow you to train at the proper intensity for your goal event.
4. Identify potential bike fit and pedaling inefficiencies: Using a CompuTrainer feature called SpinScan during your FTP test, we can determine how much power each leg is producing at every degree of your pedal stroke. This feature would be especially useful for any rider who uses a power meter that only measures power on one side of the pedals (Stages, 4iiii).
Simply put, functional threshold power is a fancy way of saying "this is how much power I can produce, on average, for one hour of cycling". You can use the results you get in a few different ways:
1. Track improvements in fitness: By testing your FTP regularly, you will know if you are getting fitter on the bike.
2. Learn how to pace properly: Let's say your FTP is 200W. By riding with power a few times, you'll start to learn that 200W at the start of a ride feels a lot easier than 200W at the end of a ride. Maybe you actually rode at 250W for the first half of your test, and could only maintain 150W for the second half. The next time you ride, you will likely be able to improve your performance by riding at a lower power output to begin with.
3. Establish power "zones" for training: If you own a power meter or have access to one, you can use your FTP number to create your own personal power zones, which are all based on a percentage of FTP. This will allow you to train at the proper intensity for your goal event.
4. Identify potential bike fit and pedaling inefficiencies: Using a CompuTrainer feature called SpinScan during your FTP test, we can determine how much power each leg is producing at every degree of your pedal stroke. This feature would be especially useful for any rider who uses a power meter that only measures power on one side of the pedals (Stages, 4iiii).
LPC FTP Testing Protocol
Since riding for one hour can be both mentally and physically straining, especially early in the season, it is common practice to use a 20-minute protocol and apply a correction factor to estimate FTP. Here is the protocol that we will use for your test:
Bike: 1h as:
Warm Up: 15' ez
Activation Set=15': 3x(20" pick-up dec1-3 at NC+10, 40" very ez), 3x(1' hard at ~20' time trail pacing, 2' very ez), 3' very ez
Main Set: 20' time trial
Cool Down: 10' very ez
Note: Participants will ride their own bike (ideally their racing bike) on our CompuTrainer Lab Trainer. Therefore, you do not need to bring your own bike trainer.
Since riding for one hour can be both mentally and physically straining, especially early in the season, it is common practice to use a 20-minute protocol and apply a correction factor to estimate FTP. Here is the protocol that we will use for your test:
Bike: 1h as:
Warm Up: 15' ez
Activation Set=15': 3x(20" pick-up dec1-3 at NC+10, 40" very ez), 3x(1' hard at ~20' time trail pacing, 2' very ez), 3' very ez
Main Set: 20' time trial
Cool Down: 10' very ez
Note: Participants will ride their own bike (ideally their racing bike) on our CompuTrainer Lab Trainer. Therefore, you do not need to bring your own bike trainer.
Your FTP Testers
Coach James Loaring
Head Coach of LPC. NCCP Certified Triathlon Competition Coach. Trained and raced with power since 1993. Professional Triathlete 2002-2009. Triathlon Coach since 2003. Awarded Triathlon Canada Age Group Coach of the Year. Recipient of the Triathlon Ontario "Mr. Triathlete" award.
View Coach James' profile here
Coach Mark Linseman
LPC Triathlon Coach. NCCP Trained Triathlon Coach. Elite triathlete with 16 years of triathlon experience. Master's degree in Exercise Nutrition and Metabolism. Performance Nutrition Consultant at the University of Guelph.
View Coach Mark's profile here
Coach James Loaring
Head Coach of LPC. NCCP Certified Triathlon Competition Coach. Trained and raced with power since 1993. Professional Triathlete 2002-2009. Triathlon Coach since 2003. Awarded Triathlon Canada Age Group Coach of the Year. Recipient of the Triathlon Ontario "Mr. Triathlete" award.
View Coach James' profile here
Coach Mark Linseman
LPC Triathlon Coach. NCCP Trained Triathlon Coach. Elite triathlete with 16 years of triathlon experience. Master's degree in Exercise Nutrition and Metabolism. Performance Nutrition Consultant at the University of Guelph.
View Coach Mark's profile here
Register for a FTP Bike Test Session
Click the button below to register online for a FTP Bike Test session
2020 FTP Sessions:
Time of Sessions
Location:
What to Bring:
Cost: $90 per session (+HST)
Click the button below to register online for a FTP Bike Test session
2020 FTP Sessions:
- 11-Jan-2020
- 08-Feb-2020
- 04-Apr-20120
Time of Sessions
- Time slots offered each hour from 11am to 4pm.
- Arrive approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of your registered time slot.
- Limited to two participants per time slot, and 10 participants per session date.
Location:
- LPC HQ, 298 Colonial Drive, Guelph, ON N1L 0G4
What to Bring:
- Your racing bike in good working order
- Ensure that rear tire is clean
- Shoes that you will use to bike
- Comfortable attire for indoor cycling
- A water bottle (filled with sport drink or plain water) that mounts to your bike
Cost: $90 per session (+HST)
