What’s a Good FTP? It’s Not As Straightforward As You Might Think

Functional threshold power a.k.a. FTP is a metric familiar to many cyclists. Measuring the average power you can produce over one hour, FTP can help you set training zones and give you a number to improve upon.

Cyclists are known to compare FTP numbers. However, according to certified cycling coach Clare Zecher, C.S.C.S., the idea that the rider with the highest FTP will always win is a sheer misconception. Additionally, Zecher shoots down the idea that two riders with the same FTP “should” be equal as far as speed and competitiveness.

In reality, the usefulness of FTP depends on the accuracy of your FTP test results, your goals as a cyclist, and how exactly you use FTP. Still, knowing that there’s data out there, it’s hard to resist the urge to compare one’s own FTP to that of others.

So let’s take a look at FTP averages, plus what factors that influence functional threshold power.

Measured in watts, FTP reflects your capability to produce a certain average power for 60 minutes—that’s it. That’s all FTP says about you as a cyclist.

While associated with the second lactate turnpoint (LT2), the point at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood faster than the body can clear it, leading to fatigue, research says FTP and LT2 are not the same thing. In particular, FTP is not a true physiological threshold, rather an estimate of power.

Measured in watts, FTP reflects your capability to produce a certain average power for 60 minutes—that’s it.

That said, because FTP can be tested with field tests at home, such as on an indoor trainer with a power meter, it’s a more accessible metric than one like LT2, which requires lab testing and blood sampling.

There is no one “good” FTP, says Cassandra Padula Burke, R.D.N., C.P.T., registered dietitian, triathlon coach and owner of Catalyst Performance Lab in Finksburg, Maryland.

“FTP is a moving target that is unique to each individual cyclist and reflects your current level of cycling fitness, making it a good metric to help evaluate how your training is improving over time,” she explains. In other words, FTP is hard to compare from person to person, but a fine metric to use to see how one individual is progressing.

That said, a higher FTP is generally regarded as better, as it indicates that you can ride at a higher power for longer without fatiguing.

To date, there’s no single FTP chart that objectively and 100 percent accurately portrays the ideal FTP for cyclists of a given ability, age, sex, or riding discipline.

That’s because, as cycling coaches have mentioned, there’s no “best” FTP: A good FTP for any cyclist depends on so many factors. However, FTP data does exist, and it’s possible to make comparisons about your fitness level based on averages and ranges. Here are some charts to guide you.

INSCYD FTP Data

INSCYD, a physiology testing company, has published FTP charts that show average FTPs across performance categories, accounting for rider bodyweight and sex. (Note: These numbers were adjusted from kilograms to pounds for rider weight.)

Male FTP Chart

Source: INSCYD

Female FTP Chart

Source: INSCYD

Andy Coggan Power Profile

The Coggan Power Profile, created by renowned sport scientist Andrew Coggan, Ph.D., and originally published in Training and Racing with a Power Meter by VeloPress, is a bit different from a straightforward FTP chart. Instead, this data reflects maximal power output (in watts per kilogram of bodyweight) a cyclist reached during a one-hour maximal effort (which is how you find functional threshold power).

The original charts also express power ranges for test durations of five seconds, one minute, and five minutes, but for the purposes of this article the data has been condensed to show only watts per kilogram for one hour.

Source: TrainingPeaks

Several factors influence a cyclist’s FTP, which is precisely why comparing your FTP to averages doesn’t necessarily provide the best or most well-rounded picture of your fitness compared to that of others.

Aside from your current level of general fitness (a natural influencer of FTP), here are some things that factor into FTP stats:

• Power-to-weight ratio: A primary influencer of FTP, power-to-weight ratio (PWR) refers to how many watts you can push relative to your bodyweight. It’s often considered the most effective metric in cycling, but it, too, has limitations.
• Body type: Even two riders with the same PWR can have different FTPs. For instance, a cyclist with a larger, broader upper body will face more aerodynamic resistance than a more petite rider, even if they have the same bodyweight, thus affecting their FTP, says Zecher.
• Sex: “Women generally have a lower FTP for the same training and body types, often ranging from 0.50 to 1.0 lower than men,” Zecher says. “This isn’t because they aren’t working just as hard, or harder, but because their weights tend to be lower than men’s weights.”
• Genetics: Your genetic predisposition of muscle fiber type plays a significant role in FTP, says Burke. “A higher proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers increases your explosive power, while a higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers increases your endurance,” she says. Case in point: FTP is a measure of aerobic fitness, so someone with a high proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers may have a lower FTP but beat an athlete with a higher FTP in a sprint race.

Though FTP is perhaps one of the most commonly used fitness benchmarks among cyclists, it’s “not a magic number,” says certified cycling coach Paul Warloski at Simple Endurance Coaching. “It’s a guideline and a tool to help you monitor your workload,” he says, but it’s important to know its limitations, too.

➥Testing Methods and Accuracy

One of the problems with determining FTP—and therefore using it as a performance indicator—is the common testing method. FTP testing most often takes a 20-minute format (that is, riding at max power for 20 minutes), and that result is then multiplied by 0.95 percent to estimate a rider’s 60-minute average power. According to Warloski, that extrapolation inherently means the number isn’t perfectly accurate.

➥Zone Setting and Training Application

Coaches and athletes commonly use FTP to set training zones for cycling. While this widely accepted practice works well enough, Warloski points out that FTP zone setting doesn’t take into account the kind of rider you are, such as a sprinter, time trialist, pursuiter, all-rounder, or endurance cyclist.

“It’s harder to set zones based on that one number when your higher and lower percentages might be different based on the kind of rider you are,” Warloksi says. “This leads to underestimating or overestimating your targets for workouts.”

➥Event Types

FTP isn’t always the best metric to use to evaluate performance. For example, for Samuel Thompson, certified cycling coach and founder of Acier Coaching & Consulting, how fast or hard a cyclist can ride over the period of an hour doesn’t matter much. Thompson prepares athletes for ultra-endurance cycling events, “where success is determined by the ability to maintain a sustainably high effort level for hours, or even days, on end,” he explains.

“In my view, FTP in isolation is not a crucial predictor for performance for ultra-distance cycling,” he says. Being able to ride at a consistently higher power in a more aerobic state, Thompson emphasizes, is far more important for an ultra-distance cyclist than simply focusing on an approximate power that you can produce for roughly an hour.

Likewise, FTP isn’t the sole best performance indicator for cycling events that are highly power-based. Though “FTP indirectly supports shorter efforts based on improvements to your aerobic capacity,” says Burke, it’s not necessarily indicative of your maximum anaerobic power, the type of fitness needed to excel in sprints and crit races.

➥Self-Inflating FTP

Warloski says one of the biggest challenges with FTP is rider self-inflation—that is, a cyclist saying or believing their FTP is higher than it truly is. “Often, it becomes a bragging right to have a higher FTP than your friends,” Warloski says. “When we see World Tour pros posting their FTP, we want our numbers to be as large as possible, but this can lead to overtraining,” he says, as well as ineffective workouts. “For example, if we try to do threshold intervals with an inflated FTP, we will be going too hard and be unable to complete the intervals.”

➥Considerations Beyond Power

According to Thompson, it’s important to remember that most cycling disciplines are not just pure physical fitness competitions. “Success relies not only on effectively applying that fitness, but also mastering other necessary skills,” he says. Thus, it’s “crucial how one’s power is applied, rather than just producing the maximum amount of power at all times, no matter the discipline,” he says.

In the context of endurance cycling, for instance, “one must also consider crucial logistics such as fueling the effort, being efficient with rest periods and, if the event spans multiple days, ensuring appropriate amounts of sleep,” Thomson says. “A high FTP does not make up for deficiencies in these aspects so one’s approach must be all-encompassing.”

Because FTP is an accessible measure of aerobic fitness, it is useful in determining training zones and measuring fitness trends over time. According to Burke, FTP should be used not as an end-all, be-all picture of fitness, but as a guide to assess whether your performance is improving and to help you set and adjust training zones.

“As fitness improves, your training zone ranges will change, so knowing your ranges is critical to ensuring that you are working in the correct zone for you,” Burke says. “If FTP is not improving over time, you may need to assess other factors such as whether you are properly fueling, getting adequate rest and recovery, or, perhaps, overtraining.”

Improving FTP involves a combination of long steady-state rides, interval work, and recovery rides, says Burke. Focusing on building endurance and aerobic capacity while promoting recovery and adaptation is key.

Practically speaking, here’s what training to improve FTP can look like, according to Burke:

• “Sweet spot training,” or cycling around 88 to 94 percent of your FTP, for about 30 minutes, can help induce adaptation without excessive fatigue.
• Threshold intervals (for instance, three to four sets of 12 to 20 minutes at FTP) can help improve the ability to sustain high efforts over time.
• VO2 max intervals (e.g., cycling around 110 to 120 percent of your FTP for five to 10 sets of 2 to 3 minutes) can improve both aerobic capacity and anaerobic power.

In other words, training to improve FTP requires a mixed bag of protocols and workouts to support your overall cycling fitness.

Amanda Capritto

Contributing Writer

Amanda is a content writer and journalist with extensive experience in the health, fitness, lifestyle, and nutrition niches. She is a certified personal trainer and sports nutrition coach, as well as a triathlete and lover of strength training. Amanda's work has appeared in several notable publications, including Health Magazine, Shape Magazine, Lonely Planet, Personal Trainer Pioneer, Garage Gym Reviews, Reader’s Digest, CNET, LIVESTRONG, Health Journal, CleanPlates, Verywell Fit, Verywell Mind, and more.