What is FTP?
Functional threshold power is roughly the highest power you can sustain for about an hour. It anchors power-based training: every zone is a percentage of FTP, so as your FTP rises, your zones move with it.
Estimating FTP from a test
| Test | FTP estimate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20-minute test | 95% of average power | www.trainingpeaks.com |
| 8-minute test (best of two) | 90% of average power | www.trainingpeaks.com |
| Ramp test (Zwift) | 75% of best 1-minute power | zwiftinsider.com |
The 20-minute test is the classic: warm up, ride as hard as you can sustain for 20 minutes, and take 95% of the average. Ramp tests are shorter and easier to pace but tend to overestimate FTP for riders with a strong sprint.
Power zones compared
| Zone | Coggan / Peloton | Zwift |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Active recovery: 0–55% | Z1 grey — Recovery: 0–59% |
| 2 | Endurance: 56–75% | Z2 blue — Endurance: 60–75% |
| 3 | Tempo: 76–90% | Z3 green — Tempo: 76–89% |
| 4 | Lactate threshold: 91–105% | Z4 yellow — Threshold: 90–104% |
| 5 | VO2 max: 106–120% | Z5 orange — VO2 max: 105–118% |
| 6 | Anaerobic capacity: 121–150% | Z6 red — Anaerobic: 119+% |
| 7 | Neuromuscular power: 151+% | — |
Coggan’s levels as published by TrainingPeaks (it lists level 6 as above 121% and gives no percentage for level 7; 121–150% and 150%+ is the common display). Peloton’s Power Zones use the same boundaries. Zwift’s zones are from Zwift Insider.
Zones for common FTPs
150 W · 175 W · 200 W · 225 W · 250 W · 275 W · 300 W · 325 W · 350 W
Watts per kilogram
Dividing FTP by bodyweight gives W/kg, the number that decides how fast you climb. Two riders with the same FTP but a 10 kg difference in weight will climb at very different speeds — try the climbing calculator to see how much.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04 · Disclaimer