Poll: What's your Functional Threshold power?

peterwright

Peter

rayhuang

This is theoretical but heres what i am using as my base to work from:


41 years old
257 watts
71.4kg

4 months of riding. (I was cat 3 in in the late 80's). Good TT (Sub 56 40k) and road racer (8th in USCF State Road Race Cat1-3).

I am losing weight and doing 5 rides a week, concentrating on becoming a bike rider again with speed work, strength endurance work, anything i can fit into my life. Not worried about ftp yet as I wont race till March at the earliest with a long season planned.

joemw

When I wrote this 10 months ago I honestly believed it to be the truth. I had been doing cross training on a stepmill in the gym for 30-45 minutes a day and for whatever delusional reason thought the watts on that machine's display were accurate and crossed over to cycling. It was a bit of a shocker in my first hard efforts to find out my FTP had dropped to just a bit over 300 with so much time off the bike. I'm stoked to say that it is now indeed in the 380ish range, give or take 10 watts depending on how fresh my legs feel. Yay for me.

Moral of the story, cross training is great for keeping the mind fresh, cycling is great for cycling.

liversedge

I've charted the poll results to put on my blog.


--
Mark
The extra mile is never crowded. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com

NomadVW

2 kilos of weight loss in two months and about 5 watts more. I swear it doesn't feel like it when I'm pedaling half the time but the numbers said so. I think it's all the hill work I've done, plus bumping training time a whole lot.

VW

__________________
Cycling Blog - Training with Power

tonyzackery

I know this may be a dumb question, but is this thread using Functional Threshold Power synonymously with Lactate Threshold Power??

Also, is a person's best average power for 2 20 minute time trials the number that is being posted here? I am tending to think that there are numbers posted here that were generated with vastly different measuring protocols, so we are in some sense comparing "apples and oranges" in a lot of cases. I have averaged 322 watts for an hour on a RealAxiom Virtual Trainer at my Lactate Threshold heart rate. Does this translate to a higher power number if my test was for average power for only 2 20 minutes intervals? Also, because I test on the electric trainer, is it optimistic (higher number) or pessimistic (lower number) versus, say a Computrainer or Power Tap, or any other wattage measuring device?? Some one please clear the fog for me...Thanks...

My $0.02 worth...

NomadVW

For determining FTP, I believe most - if not all - are using something from here:
http://lists.topica.com/lists/watta...l?mid=910289158

I can't answer the question whether or not the power readings on the trainer you mentioned are of value. But if you can average 322watts for an hour - and that's an all out effort - then that's one of the above stated ways. If you could have done more, then the FTP is higher.

VW

__________________
Cycling Blog - Training with Power

tonyzackery

One more thing to add; it appears not everyone is mentioning if their power figures were obtained while maintaining their Lactate Threshold Heart Rate. I'm fairly certain that I could average a higher output figure (>322) for 2 20min intervals if I exceeded my tested result of 152 for my LTHR. This leads me back to my original question: For purposes of this thread, are we to use Lactate Threshold Power and Functional Threshold Power synonymously?? It appears to me most respondents are, but it also appears they aren't in reality the same.
I need the fog cleared...

I know it's Christmas day, but I can't sleep...

RapDaddyo

There are a couple of points of confusion in your posts that I can address. First, it's not a good idea to commingle power and heart rate terminology. Your HR at any given power will vary from day to day and even within a single ride. Nobody is estimating FTP based on HR. Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is the constant power the cyclist can maintain for one hour. Lactate Threshold (LT) is the point on the power/blood lactate curve where blood lactate begins to increase exponentially as a function of power. A trained cyclist can typically ride at LT for several hours.

While there is one definition of FTP (and only one true way of measuring it), there are about 7 different ways of estimating FTP as noted by NomadVW above. One of the most popular methods seems to be 0.95 * 20MP, although I think this method often overestimates FTP. My personal preferences are 3x20 and CP (critical power). The 3x20 test is to ride three 20 min constant power intervals at 100%FTP (self-estimated) with a 5min recovery segment at 50%FTP following each 20min effort. The CP test is defined here http://www.velo-fit.com/articles/critical-power.pdf. The reason I prefer the CP method is that I can track my MP at several key durations that correspond to the sweet spots of my AWC, VO2MAX and FTP. I also get a model for estimating my MP at a wide range of durations.

I'm pretty sure that nobody posting here is talking about LT, but they are estimating their FTP in a variety of ways.

tonyzackery

Well, if you notice some of the earlier posts, there are some respondents listing their FTP and a FT Heartrate. This is confusing to me. I'm left to wonder if what they listed as their FT HR was constant at the FTP they indicated.

RapDaddyo

Maybe some people post their HR at FTP. Even those who do probably experienced HR drift during the course of their FTP ride (of almost any duration >= 20mins). Anyway, FTP has only one definition, which is the constant power one can sustain for 60 minutes. The more confusing issue for many is how FTP is estimated. But, it doesn't matter much because it tends to be self-correcting.

tonyzackery

Okay, just completed the 2x20 minute test and have 354 FTP @ 86kgs.

Got into cycling in June of this year. Got dropped in first 3 cat 5 races and in 7th race finished 11th out 32. 40 years young in November...
Happy Holidays!!

dark_horse

FTP: 310
Best 1 minute avg watts: 608 (indoors)
Best 5 minute avg watts: 390 (indoors); 420 (outdoors)
Age: 30
Mass: 64.5kg
Years cycling: 4. Currently Cat 2 Road;
Best result: 1st, 2006 Cat 3 Downers Grove National Criterium Championships


I've only had a Power meter for three months now. Testing has shown I've got some room for improvement at FTP in relation to my wattages at VO2 Max. The goal for 2007 is to get my FTP to 5 watts/kg. Back to the saddle...

JulesT

FTP: 335 (just done th ehour on my newly calibrated KK turbo trainer)
AGE: 36
MASS: 73kg
Body Fat: 10% (bodystat 1500)
RHR: 38 MHR: 180

Years competing: 3

Last years best were a 55:25 25 mile TT giving me 9/96
and a 21:38 10 mile TT giving me 8/112

Managed around 10 top 10 fininshes in various road races (first year doing this) but never a top 3. Need a better kick at the end.