FTP Test Timer

Running order

1.Warm-up — easy 20:00
2.5 minute blowout — all out 05:00
3.Recovery spin 10:00
4.20 minute test — maximal sustainable 20:00
5.Cool down 10:00

Total 1:05:00 across 5 steps.

Functional Threshold Power is the power a cyclist can sustain for roughly an hour. Testing for an hour is miserable and rarely done, so the standard protocol tests for twenty minutes and multiplies the average power by 0.95 to estimate the hour figure^[1].

Twenty minutes is long enough to be threshold-limited rather than anaerobically limited, and short enough that riders will actually do it. The 0.95 factor exists because twenty minutes is meaningfully easier than sixty — the correction converts a sustainable-for-20 number into a sustainable-for-60 estimate.

The five-minute blowout is not optional

The full protocol includes an all-out five-minute effort before the test, with recovery in between. Its purpose is to deplete the anaerobic contribution so the twenty-minute effort is genuinely threshold-limited rather than partly fuelled by anaerobic capacity.

Skipping it inflates the result, especially for riders with a large anaerobic contribution. An FTP set from a test without the blowout produces training zones that are too hard, and the usual symptom is failing prescribed sessions that should be achievable.

Pacing the twenty minutes

Start at a power you believe you can hold for the full twenty and adjust upward in the last five if you have it. Starting too hard produces a fade that lowers the average below what an evenly paced effort would have achieved.

The average over the whole twenty minutes is what counts, so a heroic first five that costs the last ten is a worse result than a boring even effort.

Retest under the same conditions

Indoor and outdoor tests are not comparable, and neither are tests on different trainers or with different cooling. Fitness change is what you are looking for, so hold everything else constant.

Cooling matters more than most riders expect indoors — a poorly cooled test measures heat tolerance as much as threshold power.

The standard protocol as documented by Allen and Coggan^[1]. The blowout and recovery are part of the test, not a warm-up nicety.

The 20-minute FTP protocol
Phase	Duration	Intensity	Purpose
Warm-up	20 min	Easy, with a few openers	Prepare without fatiguing
Blowout	5 min	All out	Deplete anaerobic contribution
Recovery	10 min	Very easy spin	Clear, do not rest fully
Test	20 min	Maximal sustainable	The measured effort
Cool down	10 min	Easy	—
Calculation	—	Average power x 0.95	Estimated FTP

Skipping the blowout inflates the result and produces training zones that are too hard.
Indoor and outdoor tests are not comparable. Hold conditions constant between retests.

Source: Allen H, Coggan A. Training and Racing with a Power Meter — FTP testing protocol

Sources

Allen H, Coggan A. Training and Racing with a Power Meter — FTP testing protocol , VeloPress (See the current edition) — accessed 2026-07-28

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 20-minute result multiplied by 0.95?

Because FTP is defined as roughly hour power, and twenty minutes is meaningfully easier than sixty. The correction converts a sustainable-for-20-minutes number into an estimate of what you could hold for an hour.

Can I skip the five-minute blowout?

You can, and the result will be inflated — especially if you have a large anaerobic capacity. Its purpose is to deplete that contribution so the twenty minutes is genuinely threshold-limited. Zones set from a test without it come out too hard.

How should I pace the twenty minutes?

Start at a power you believe you can hold for the full duration and lift it in the last five if you have it. The average across the whole effort is what counts, so a fast start that costs the last ten minutes lowers the result.

Are indoor and outdoor tests comparable?

No, and neither are tests on different trainers or with different cooling. You are looking for fitness change, so hold everything else constant between tests or the comparison means nothing.

How often should I test?

Every six to eight weeks is a common interval — often enough to keep zones current, rarely enough that the test itself does not become a training burden. Test more often only if something has changed substantially.

Why do I keep failing sessions after a test?

Usually an inflated FTP, most often from skipping the blowout or from an unusually good test day. If prescribed sessions that should be achievable are consistently failing, lower the FTP by a few percent rather than pushing through.