Your Seven Power Zones
Every zone is a slice of FTP. Enter the number you know and the table fills in.
Your Zones
| Zone | Name | % of FTP | Watts |
|---|
Zones follow the Coggan levels used by most training software. They are guideposts on a continuum rather than walls: a few watts either side of a boundary is the same workout. Retest FTP every six to eight weeks.
How It Works
FTP is the one number. Seven percentages of it describe every kind of riding you can do.
The Formulas
FTP = 20-minute average power x 0.95 Zone lower bound = FTP x lower % Zone upper bound = FTP x upper % Watts per kilogram = FTP / body weight (kg)The Seven Levels
| Zone | Name | % of FTP | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Active recovery | under 55% | Spinning, easy conversation, legs feel nothing |
| 2 | Endurance | 56 to 75% | All day pace, full sentences, breathing noticeable |
| 3 | Tempo | 76 to 90% | Brisk group ride, short sentences, needs focus |
| 4 | Lactate threshold | 91 to 105% | Time trial effort, a few words at a time, 10 to 60 minutes |
| 5 | VO2 max | 106 to 120% | Hard intervals of 3 to 8 minutes, no talking |
| 6 | Anaerobic capacity | 121 to 150% | 30 seconds to 3 minutes, legs burning |
| 7 | Neuromuscular power | over 150% | Sprints and jumps under 30 seconds |
The levels were defined by exercise physiologist Andrew Coggan and are the basis of the zone systems in TrainingPeaks, Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift, and TrainerRoad, which differ only at the margins. Coggan called them levels rather than zones on purpose: the body does not switch modes at 75%, it shifts gradually, so treat the boundaries as the middle of a transition. The popular "sweet spot," 88 to 94% of FTP, is the top of tempo and the bottom of threshold, not a level of its own.
Why 0.95
A true FTP test is an hour at the limit, which few riders want to do more than once. The 20-minute protocol trades a little precision for repeatability: most trained riders can hold about 5% more for 20 minutes than for 60, so 95% of the 20-minute average is the estimate. Riders with a strong anaerobic kick tend to overestimate with this test and may prefer a ramp test or a 40-minute effort; the number to trust is the one your Zone 4 intervals confirm.
A Worked Example
A rider averages 263 watts for 20 minutes. FTP is 263 x 0.95 = 250 watts. Zone 2 runs from 140 to 188 watts, threshold from 228 to 263, VO2 max from 265 to 300. At 165 lb (74.8 kg) that FTP is 3.34 W/kg, a solid recreational number and a good place to start a build toward 4. The structured way to get there, when hours are short, is in building cycling fitness on limited time; pair the zones with the heart rate zones calculator for rides without a power meter.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is FTP in cycling?
- FTP, functional threshold power, is the highest power you can hold for about an hour, in watts. It is the anchor for power-based training: every zone is a percentage of it, so a rider with an FTP of 250 watts rides Zone 2 at 140 to 188 watts. Most riders estimate FTP from a 20-minute test rather than a full hour, and retest every six to eight weeks as fitness changes.
- How do I test my FTP with a 20-minute test?
- Warm up for 15 to 20 minutes with a few hard efforts, then ride 20 minutes as hard as you can hold evenly, on a steady road or a trainer. Multiply the average power by 0.95 and that is your FTP. The 5% discount accounts for the extra you can hold over 20 minutes compared with an hour. Pace the first five minutes conservatively; starting too hard is the most common way to get a low number.
- Which power zone should most of my training be in?
- Zone 2, endurance, at 56 to 75% of FTP, is where most riders should spend most of their hours: it builds the aerobic engine and can be repeated day after day. Add one or two sessions a week in Zone 4 (threshold) or Zone 5 (VO2 max) for the top end, and keep the rest easy. The spread of time across zones matters more than any single workout.
- What is a good watts per kilogram for a cyclist?
- Watts per kilogram at FTP is the number that predicts climbing speed, and the ranges are wide: around 2 W/kg for a new rider, 3 W/kg for a fit recreational cyclist, 4 W/kg for a strong amateur racer, and 5 W/kg and up for elite riders. Raising FTP and lowering body weight both move it, which is why the calculator shows the figure next to your zones.
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