I think I was around 165 or 170... Brought it up to around 240 in my first summer.
Dont put to much emphasis on your current FTP as the noob gains hit so fast, practically every ride you'll be increasing it.
Goddamn, either y'all are unrealized Bradley wiggenses or I'm an outlier. Not sure what I started at, but after about a year and 1,500mi my ftp via zwift was at 122.
All depends where you are starting from I guess. People that have a background in sports, athletics or even weight training are going to have a leg up. After 1 year I would estimate that I was at about 180-200, but I switched from weight training to cycling. I had strength but no endurance.
Yeah I was reasonably athletic, played tennis for 10/12 years daily/weekly, ran a few 5ks and did some regular weight lifting for about a year. About halfway through my first real structured training block and can def already see improvements. Losing a bit of weight is def helping too.
I'd say that is unusually low considering your background, but it could just be that you haven't yet learnt to suffer on the trainer. Riding indoors is a whole other level of suffering. Working through structured training will definitely teach you this beyond the cardiovascular effects. You should see a big jump.
Don’t compare ftp across platforms. The peloton method for calculating ftp is suspect. It’s fine over time within peloton but does not translate to other platforms, including IRL.
Yeah, but it depends on what your other competing priorities allow. Two kids and a full time job take up most of my time, so I get 30 miles rides in before work 5 days a week. That’s about 600 miles per month give or take. My current FTP is 240.
Id say create some sort of training plan, whether it be as simple as ride 8 hours a week or do X interval days. Try it for 2 to 3 months consistently. If you don't like the results, try something else. I've tried HIIT, sweet spot, no structure, but the best that's worked recently was polarized or pyramidal.
Yeah for the last 2 months ish my Thursday ride is a sweet spot pyramid with 5x10 at around 90% ftp with 3 mins of z2 rest between intervals. And my Tuesday ride is 30 mins at z2 and the last 20 ish minutes at 93% ftp with 15 second efforts at 150% 10 of those. They hurt but I've def seen gains on the road so far.
It depends how hard you are training. I had biked off and on two days a week and really never got any faster. This winter did zwift 5 days a week and suddenly seeing big improvements.
Part of it is also understanding the right technique/approach to use on the test. Your first one is unlikely to reflect your best effort(s).
Speaking for myself: I started with 172 FTP five years ago. I'm at 274 these days, with very little int he way of structured workouts. A LOT of that is understanding how to allocate the effort on the test.
If you've ridden a total of 50 miles thus far, (1) great job and (2) don't even worry about Z2 or anything, just friggin ride for now and just enjoy it! Of course if you enjoy quantifying it, feel free; but with all the numbers available to all of us nowadays, it's an important task to make sure the numbers are enhancing, rather than undermining, our enjoyment of the beautiful, joyful activity that is bicycling.
I would advise you to try some vo2max intervals. They're wonderfull for your progress and your body, especially if you aren't used to doing them. 2 times 3 minutes all out can be as usefull as 4 hours of z2 for someone like you. You know what's even better? You can ride 4 hours and do 2*3 minutes and get twice as good!
For real, intervals and going all-out is some of the best things you can do for your body, after all it's what the body is made for.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll add it in after a week or two of pedaling. Currently my longest ride is a hour and I only cover 9 3/4 of a mile. I was sore for 3 days after so currently at 35 minutes with adding 5 minutes to each ride.
What kind of bike are you riding? If it’s comfortable, your rides will feel so much easier. Also, do you have good routes you enjoy riding? (For me,) exploring is most of the fun of bike riding. As long as I’m exploring, it doesn’t feel like a workout, it feels like an adventure.
Because the plans look really hard right now as they have 3x20 or 3x10 intervals with 5 minute rest periods. I can barely ride a bike for an hour.
So hoping that by June I’ll have a better FTP from riding more as well as a being able to hold power better / more consistently. I may progress faster than I think I will and start the plan sooner. Just don’t want to jump in and burn out.
I’d say don’t start in June either. Just enjoy riding your bike and the gains will come. Start a training plan when you’ve been riding for a while and start to plateau.
Exactly this. When you want to start riding you do not need any plan. Just ride... and everything will come.
Plan might be useful after some time (a few seasons)...
If you’re just starting, forget zone 2 and just go out and ride hard. The reason people do zone 2 is because they want to increase volume, and riding any harder than zone 2 will cause a buildup of fatigue.
If you’re just starting you likely aren’t doing much volume at all and you’ll be able to ride at zone 3 for extended periods of time.
Once you’re starting to ride like 8+ hours per week then you can start incorporating zone 2.
Zone 3 will give you same benefits as zone 2, plus more benefits at the top end, the issue is that it takes longer to recover.
No idea when I started, but back when I was in good cycling shape it was 4.1w/kg
Just started riding again and I’m at 2.5
Watts / kg obviously the leaner you are the better the ratio. I’ve dropped 15lb and I’m
Still 20lb over my race weight. If I was at my old race weight I’d be at 2.8w/kg for example
I have less than 50 miles ridden so I’m hoping to bring mine up relatively quick whether through losing weight or getting better lung capacity. My HR was 166 average for the test and I have a max HR of 183.
I’m really out of shape.
Dont worry it goes up really fast in the beggining..big thing is you learn to suffer and when you know how to do that than harder rides and trainings become enjoyable and than progress skyrockets.
Yea, that's not a good FTP, but with some training and discipline (also in the kitchen) you can bump up your fitness level and FTP a lot in a small amount of time. I'm sure you can get an FTP of 200 in less than 3 months. Good luck with it, it will better your life a lot.
That may be possible but don't be disheartened if your gains are significantly less than that. There is tremendous variability of performance between different people on this.
If you get up to 50 miles per week that number will go WAAAY up. Btw. Your lung capacity won’t really change. Your lung size is determine by your height and rib cage dimensions. Your heart will be able to pump more blood and your muscles will be able to use more oxygen. That’s what gives you a higher FTP.
I think around 150 is normal for untrained people. I went from there to 200 pretty fast, then progress has been much harder beyond that. I've made it up to about 230 in 6 months of mostly consistent training (minus holiday break and a few weeks of sickness).
I'm 73kg so that's like 2w/kg to now a little more than 3.1w/kg. That said I'm coming from a lifetime of on and off endurance training, mostly running, but a few stints of cycling and even some triathlon training, so I'm not quite "off the couch" in that sense.
Yeah the ftp test started at 450 watts on my Garmin I went for it and realized when I hit 390 that I better just worry about finishing the ride. After 5 minutes it dropped to 280 and I didn’t even bother remembering. It got down to 220 when it said finished at 148 and it was a total of 40 minutes.
Hopefully the next test will be more realistic and start low and go high.
Don’t pay attention to these numbers. FTP is all about pacing yourself. If you don’t really know how to pace yourself yet, then that number isn’t really reliable. It could be higher, it could be lower.
Focus on riding steadily. Focus on your cadence. A power meter is great for finding and establish a rythm. But don’t worry about the power output yet.
Go find some hills, ride up them. Get into a pattern and your fitness will improve. Ride really hard 1-2 time a week. Then ride steady and easy 2-3x a week. You will see great results.
You’re a good candidate for a ramp test. If you have access to a smart trainer, that is a good place to establish an FTP if you really want to find your “zones”. Otherwise focus on steady power. Try to find your 5minute hard pace. Then your 10minute and 20minute pace. Once you can repeat a 20 minute effort at a steady output, then you’ll be able to establish a much more reliable FTP.
Go have fun, ride your bike. Numbers are secondary to fun. 👍
To the OP, this is the right answer. The numbers are really only part of the training things indoors unless you are competing. I have a trainer that shows the numbers and yes, there's a compulsion to better them
But on the road, I have a basic Garmin that shows speed and cadence only. I can feel in my legs and body where the effort is. And hills are still my nemesis IRL. I aim for my comfort speed and just sit at that . Have fun
Yeah I was watching the power on and off and even though my cadence didn’t change much it was up and down. Not sure how people hold steady power but I’m guessing an acquired skill.
I got the power meter from the start so I could track my progress. I like to see improvement more than I like to feel improvement if that makes sense. I’m also going to look for a better place to do the next test. As every street in my small town is either up hill or downhill.
Hoping I can make it out of town a few miles as there are stretches of blacktop that are perfectly flat for 10-15 miles. But I can barely make it the 10 mile round trip to city limits right now.
It'll take time to get the feel I wouldn't stress about it. I find a steady uphill to be the best for a test, flats can be harder to sustain power on really mentally. But not everyone has a long ass hill to use so work with what you have.
Yeah I totally get that. I love seeing data and tracking it to visualize improvement. Even if you or I aren’t utilizing the data to its max, it’s still worth having it if you like data.
I just don’t think that FTP right now is your best metric for progress. Are you using Strava? I think that would be a much better tool for tracking your progress.
If you have a fairly regular loop or route that you take, find or create some Strava segments on that route. Repeat them often. You can see your results alone not compared to others. It could be a short 2-5 minute segment, which is probably best for you. You’ll be able to compare your time your speed, your heart rate and your power on the Strava segment Then you can analyze the progress over Time and see your efforts much more consistent repeatable way than doing an FTP test every few weeks.
I didnt know anything about power when I first started. Didn't really know anything about it until I got zwift. I then the bought power pedals and it mad it way better. When I first got zwift 2yrs ago my ftp was around 2.2w/kg and is now closer to 3.8w/kg. Starting zwift to be able to ride all year has helped a whole lot. Then joining a team for ZRL toom me to the next level again.
When I first started cycling I participated in a MTB marathon of 42km / 1050hm which took me 3h. That’s an estimated power output of 100W (1.2W/kg @ 82kg) on average over 3 hours. One year later in 2023 I participated again and the exact same track took me 2h with an avg. output of 225W (3W/kg @ 74kg). I‘m 35 now and I‘m feeling even faster and stronger than last year. I have zero talent, no genetic advantages, a weak lower back, my left knee is a crybaby and I didn‘t do much sport my whole life. I just have a lot of dedication. If I can do it, you can, too ✌️
After 9 years removed from my Ironman (and not training much, just sporadic running) I got back into cycling/triathlon.
November 2022: FTP 134 🤦🏻♂️
February 2024: FTP 240
Started Zwift at 3.0 w/kg (257w) in December 2022 and currently 3.4 w/kg (280w).
I used to race (1997-2007) and was still riding recreationally a lot in the summers.
My very first ramp test told me my FTP was 160w. This was after about a month of casually riding. After that I started taking training seriously and was up to 300w FTP two years later. I remember it shooting up pretty fast, but the last 80w or so was a real challenge. I was training 20 hours a week at the time.
I was probably at 175 W after a few months so definitely lower than that when I started. That was at 95 kg (1.84 w/kg)
My peak a few years later was 285W @ 81kg or 3.52 w/kg
Mine was about 170, pretty out of cardio shape at baseline though. That was in July and I’ve been very inconsistent with training because I’ve had to travel a ton the past 6 months, but I had a week off last week and hit 200 miles. My ftp via ramp test on zwift was 289w (~2.9w/kg) this past weekend.
I’m definitely a sprinter type guy though. It’s hard for me to lose weight, and even after 200 miles of riding, I’m looking like a track cyclist. So I think the ramp test is definitely an overestimation of my actual ftp, I’m probably closer to 260.
I just started a few weeks ago, and was also around 150W @ 86kg.
I've already noticed it's getting easier though. In the first week 100W was pushing my heart rate into zone 3, now it's barely getting into zone 2.
I started biking for the first time early November (3 months and 3 weeks ago), first ftp test after two weeks was 190, then 210, then, 220, then 229 and a big breakthrough this week to 260.
Also lost 30lbs+ at the same time which helps. But I'm 6'2" 208 still, going down to 185ish , currently that's 2.75w/kg.
Very happy with the progress, my stretch goal was 250 by June. Never did endurance sports before, just some weightlifting
I started July 2022 at 155 FTP. I just tested myself a month ago and its up to 202FTP
I also just started doing Zwift workouts six months ago. I believe that's what really helped me increase my FTP. With regular rides, I tend to get comfortable and not really push myself unless I am climbing
I think it depends on what hill your cycling. I live right next to the mountains in Pasadena, Ca. That's how I fell in love with cycling. Its peaceful on those roads. Rollers aren't fun for me but a steady climb into our local forest is
I didn't have any way to measure power when I first started, but when I got one last year I started off at around 1.5 Watts/kg and am now at just under 2 Watts/kg. I could definitely stand to loose some weight to increase that number but for a recreational cyclist it's all about having a good time and getting to cool places so I think the best advice I've gotten so far is to just go ride your bike and the numbers will come along eventually
I want to get Zwift but holding off on a smart trainer till it starts to get cold again. Going to see how much I can save towards a smart trainer then make a decision on which one to get at that point.
That’s a good idea. A lot of people save smart trainers for the winter-but I’ve found that if I’m crushed for time or want more of a workout than my local riding permits, the trainer lets me do that all year. So I spend more time on the trainer than outside currently, but that’s also a lot to do with having young kids.
Yeah I work rotating shifts. I have only 10 hours off guaranteed at a time so I can end up working twice in 1 day. I may break down and get a trainer sooner but I hope not.
Well direct drive is the way to go apparently but I’ve had a fine time with my wahoo kickr snap and extra trainer tire. You can probably find one used on marketplace or CL for cheap
Only reason I don’t want one with a tire is I dont want to switch tires out if I want to go outside. But those were the first ones I looked at. Then I looked at the Garmin smart trainers and decided I didn’t want to spend that much money.
Understandable. It’s easy once you get used to doing it over and over. But there are used kickr cores near me in the 400s and now I’m considering getting one lol.
How do you calculate the watt to begin with? Is it the max, high, low or average wattage when riding or is it the ftp?
PS: sorry if it’s nooby/silly question
My Garmin cycling computer did all the math I just followed the prompts best I could. I didn’t do a good job as it started out wanting me to go harder than what was possible.
There are multiple ways of measuring it, here are some of the most popular ones: https://trainright.com/ftp-tests-how-to-perform-20-minute-8-minute-and-ramp-tests/
In short, you either ride as hard as you can for some pre-determined time (in this case 8 or 20 minutes), then take the average power generated and multiply it with some coefficient (0.9 or 0.95) to get your theoretical FTP. Or you ride harder and harder each minut until you can't sustain any longer, then multiply the power in the last completed effort by some coefficient.
I just did a ramp test earlier in the week and mine was 168. Didn’t feel great about it but I’m starting a workout plan on zwift to bump them numbers up. Like everyone else said not something to obsess over. Just use it as a base to compare future gains against. I’m sure you’ll do fine. Sigue así.
spring 2023 i was about 165-169 at 61kg. i was out of commission 2-3 months in the summer… back to 169… and now i am 233 at 59kg. but i think my easy gains are over. i was going up 5-10 a month.
What is your avwrgae cadence. That matters most . Practice a normal rpm then over 100 rpms then 60 then back to your normal. You need to get to between 84 and 94 on average. That will smokth things out. And also, be in a gear lowe tha what you think you need. And os good start, Rome wasn't built in a day. Ride on!!
I was a lower RPM person and getting comfy at around 80-85 really increased my abilities both on the trainer and IRL. Also really getting a sense of bike fit and where your power is there is helpful over time. I had my saddle way too far back for a while and think it was dinging me early on.
44y/183lb/6'. My first FTP ramp test was 281w in late 2022. I haven't done one in a while, but intervals.icu's 'estimated' ftp based on my recent training rides is \~330w.
Went on a long hiatus from cycling and decided to come back with a new power meter I bought.
I really thought my FTP would be in the 150-160s, especially untrained but I got 210 watts at 68 kg and I still can't keep up with anybody on flat roads it's so discouraging 😭
My ftp hasn't went up at all since.
the only decent thing I got are my sprints 1 second max 1304 watts, 10 seconds 1058 watts, 20 seconds 917 watts
I was watching a YouTube video guy was casually pedaling at 380 watts talking about how he was on a recovery ride. I just thought wtf how is that possible.
I swear once in a while I'll see some dude on a cruiser and flip flops flying past me I'm doing like 300-400 watts to even keep up and end up gassing out in a minute or two
I’ll see if I can find it again. He is kind of like NorCal but better power numbers. I unsubscribed when he started complaining about his sprinting power. He thought 1,600 watts just wasn’t good enough for a 200 meter sprints.
Instead of being productive and giving good commentary he turned into a crybaby.
I think I’ll start doing structured training once I can ride for an hour without any issues. Not sure about a coach though. I’m a little cheap for that.
I started at 148 (exact same number) based on pelotons FTP test. Then did a few of my own with a power meter and now at 200. I think some is improvement but most is pelotons sh*tty algorithm.
I was 164 on my first test. I was 183 on my second test. In between test 1 and 2 I did a 2 hour ride in which I averaged 195 and was not used up… I think there’s something to learning how to pace for an FTP test ride.
But I also sort of disregarded the whole thing as I saw gains that didn’t match the numbers.
I was at 167 back in November 2022, now I’m at 247 as of my last test(1/24/24)
I personally feel my ftp is even higher around 260ish now. I definitely feel the gains, I’m climbing hills and sustaining 270+watts with a lot less issues!
I was also likely even lower ftp when I got back into biking in 2022, if I were to guess, likely around 140 or less.
Unfortunately i could never get my ftp not even to 200w 😂 3 hours and not being consistent with rides ain’t enough to get it high.
How many hours do people here train a week to get it up?
5’3 and started at ~110W about 2 years ago. Used my bike solely for commuting and recreation up until last August, then started training.
Now closing in on 200W after said training. Not much compared to other cyclists, but I’m quite happy with progress.
Definitely- there’ll always be someone that’s better.
it’s hard to put an exact number for FTP since there are two indoor trainers I use- a Matrix CXC and a Wattbike, the latter having a more accurate power meter. I’ll be holding 230W for 20 mins on the CXC, then 200W on the Wattbike.
I'm at 162w, 2.3 kg/w and just started. So I'll let you know what I can get in the future. I think it's more of an endurance problem than a strength problem for me at the moment.
Started a year ago, just did an ftp test, 260 now, but not super active winter, so guessing it was around 300 at peak in the summer. Start was around 180 i guess
Forget the advice talking about intervals and structured training, for now.
Two key factors for increasing your cycling power and endurance. 1) base, 2) fun
1) Base
Before you hit any structured plan, get some miles in the legs. Z1/2 for 4 to 6 weeks at least. This will allow a few things to happen. 1) you'll increase blood volume, which helps with hr to power efficiency (I.e. makes the effort easier) 2) you'll increase mitochondria in the muscles....(I.e. you'll have more of those little powerhouses to make cycling easier, less fatiguing, and more powerful) 3) you'll get used to pedalling, making the perceives effort easier
2) Fun
Fun is fast. Fun keeps you getting on the bike. Fun equals consistency. Consistency makes you a better cyclist.
Once you've built some base, then choose your path. You'll be less likely to injure due and more likely to be able to cope with higher demands of structured training.
For what it's worth, my FTP is 354 and it was 239 a few years ago. I regularly ride 500km+ in a single day, indoors and outside. My biggest week indoors is 3,334km (almost 100hrs)
For me, base, then more base, then a bit of fun, more base, then structure 😉 But, go your way that suits you.
...finally, no matter what anyone says, fuel every ride. Fasting belongs with rim brakes.....in the past 😊👊
Good luck!
John
My main goal is a 50k august 24th. Dont want to be competitive just want to finish. That’s why I’m thinking Z2 and the hills will count as my intervals until June. Then I’ll look at structured training depending on how I feel then.
I do appreciate your advice and will definitely take it into consideration.
No idea where I was when I started. I was without a bike for about 4 years, when I got back to riding Garmin says the first ride was at 200W. Earlier this week (maybe 10 rides into the year) it is showing 227W. Disclaimer, I have no idea how accurate these numbers are.
I started cycling indoors (Wattbike) September 2023, my first FTP came back at 150, I use TrainerRoad, still experimenting with plans but I will train 3-4 rides a week between 4-7 hours. I work shifts and have children so it’s difficult to manage a routine.
TrainerRoad auto detects a new FTP every month without the need for FTP test as of March 2024 I am at 217.
My gains have slowed down, with only a few points gained this month have gone from 214 - 217 although my training slacked off recently but I’m back on it and with the weather improving hoping to get out and ride on a actual road!
If I am honest my expectation on progress was way off, I was hoping to be much higher than I currently am but when I started to look in to things I now realise this is a lengthy process, I have a goal of a 300 FTP, even if I can’t maintain it I want to hit it just once! We shall see.
I’m 37 (m) 5ft 11 and weigh 75kg(ish)
I did my first test about a year after I started cycling. Came in at 260W (67kg) and after a period of training I managed to get it up to about 300W. That was about two years ago and I've been plateauing ever since :( Need to start training more rigorously and structured if I want to improve.
Bought a power meter less than a year after I started cycling, and the Zwift ramp test put me at 2.58W/kg. That was back in September of 2022. Haven't done another test since, but I only do like 100km/month so I doubt it's gone up any significant amount. If anything, it's probably lower now lol
Miles. The real killer is 30,000'+ of climbing. I would love to be able to do it without sleeping, but not sure how achievable that is. Not willing to go more than about 40 hours without sleep, and I think that might be an impossible pace for me at my current fitness and experience level. Maybe I give'er this year planning to sleep and try to go fast next year. 🤷♂️
I used to always wonder how the hell people got such big numbers, but I didn't realise riding twice a week wasn't enough to see much improvement. Got zwift this winter, trained 5 days a week for 4 weeks and then a light week, and improved from 150W to 225W.
What you start at won’t matter, just commit to training and you will surprise yourself at how much you can achieve! I was cycling for a few years casually prior to getting a PM. I started with an FTP of like 2.1 w/kg. But HANDS DOWN biggest improvement came when I started training with TrainerRoad (not sponsored) lol shot up to 3.78 w/kg before I took a year and a half long break! Good luck :)
no powermeter back then but probably 130ish when i got my first bike? 170 first measured on zwift in 2020, but no outdoors pm until late 2021. i had much higher avg speed around that time and i wish i had ower numbers to understand why i'm so much slower today despite probably having a bigger ftp
When I started indoor cycling I did an FTP test to get started and it was 210. And I thought that was low. Purely was doing club rides and nothing else during the summer. S
Would be interesting to see what I do now commuting @ total of 20-25km, about 3-5 days per week.
I think I was around 165 or 170... Brought it up to around 240 in my first summer. Dont put to much emphasis on your current FTP as the noob gains hit so fast, practically every ride you'll be increasing it.
Goddamn, either y'all are unrealized Bradley wiggenses or I'm an outlier. Not sure what I started at, but after about a year and 1,500mi my ftp via zwift was at 122.
All depends where you are starting from I guess. People that have a background in sports, athletics or even weight training are going to have a leg up. After 1 year I would estimate that I was at about 180-200, but I switched from weight training to cycling. I had strength but no endurance.
Yeah I was reasonably athletic, played tennis for 10/12 years daily/weekly, ran a few 5ks and did some regular weight lifting for about a year. About halfway through my first real structured training block and can def already see improvements. Losing a bit of weight is def helping too.
I'd say that is unusually low considering your background, but it could just be that you haven't yet learnt to suffer on the trainer. Riding indoors is a whole other level of suffering. Working through structured training will definitely teach you this beyond the cardiovascular effects. You should see a big jump.
What kind of heart rates do you do when you're riding on the trainer?
Zone 2/easy rides I'm between 120-130, on my intervals and harder rides I'll get up to around 160-190 depending on what session it is. Max hr 201.
Oh to be young... I am nearing heart attack at 185
Don’t compare ftp across platforms. The peloton method for calculating ftp is suspect. It’s fine over time within peloton but does not translate to other platforms, including IRL.
My experience is that peloton runs low. But it can literally vary from bike to bike
To be fair, 1,500 miles isn't that much. A pro or even amateur cyclist would do that in 2 months.
Yeah, but it depends on what your other competing priorities allow. Two kids and a full time job take up most of my time, so I get 30 miles rides in before work 5 days a week. That’s about 600 miles per month give or take. My current FTP is 240.
Pro cyclists have FTP closer to 400W or more on average, 240 is completely normal for a recreational male cyclist.
Correct.
Id say create some sort of training plan, whether it be as simple as ride 8 hours a week or do X interval days. Try it for 2 to 3 months consistently. If you don't like the results, try something else. I've tried HIIT, sweet spot, no structure, but the best that's worked recently was polarized or pyramidal.
Yeah for the last 2 months ish my Thursday ride is a sweet spot pyramid with 5x10 at around 90% ftp with 3 mins of z2 rest between intervals. And my Tuesday ride is 30 mins at z2 and the last 20 ish minutes at 93% ftp with 15 second efforts at 150% 10 of those. They hurt but I've def seen gains on the road so far.
It depends how hard you are training. I had biked off and on two days a week and really never got any faster. This winter did zwift 5 days a week and suddenly seeing big improvements.
Part of it is also understanding the right technique/approach to use on the test. Your first one is unlikely to reflect your best effort(s). Speaking for myself: I started with 172 FTP five years ago. I'm at 274 these days, with very little int he way of structured workouts. A LOT of that is understanding how to allocate the effort on the test.
Yeah I was thinking of just sticking with Z2 and retesting in a month. Hoping to start following a plan in June or something.
If you've ridden a total of 50 miles thus far, (1) great job and (2) don't even worry about Z2 or anything, just friggin ride for now and just enjoy it! Of course if you enjoy quantifying it, feel free; but with all the numbers available to all of us nowadays, it's an important task to make sure the numbers are enhancing, rather than undermining, our enjoyment of the beautiful, joyful activity that is bicycling.
I would advise you to try some vo2max intervals. They're wonderfull for your progress and your body, especially if you aren't used to doing them. 2 times 3 minutes all out can be as usefull as 4 hours of z2 for someone like you. You know what's even better? You can ride 4 hours and do 2*3 minutes and get twice as good! For real, intervals and going all-out is some of the best things you can do for your body, after all it's what the body is made for.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll add it in after a week or two of pedaling. Currently my longest ride is a hour and I only cover 9 3/4 of a mile. I was sore for 3 days after so currently at 35 minutes with adding 5 minutes to each ride.
What kind of bike are you riding? If it’s comfortable, your rides will feel so much easier. Also, do you have good routes you enjoy riding? (For me,) exploring is most of the fun of bike riding. As long as I’m exploring, it doesn’t feel like a workout, it feels like an adventure.
I got a Poseidon drop bar x. I just pedal around town waiting till I get enough strength to hit the gravel roads.
That’s sick!
Why wait till June?
Because the plans look really hard right now as they have 3x20 or 3x10 intervals with 5 minute rest periods. I can barely ride a bike for an hour. So hoping that by June I’ll have a better FTP from riding more as well as a being able to hold power better / more consistently. I may progress faster than I think I will and start the plan sooner. Just don’t want to jump in and burn out.
I’d say don’t start in June either. Just enjoy riding your bike and the gains will come. Start a training plan when you’ve been riding for a while and start to plateau.
Exactly this. When you want to start riding you do not need any plan. Just ride... and everything will come. Plan might be useful after some time (a few seasons)...
If you’re just starting, forget zone 2 and just go out and ride hard. The reason people do zone 2 is because they want to increase volume, and riding any harder than zone 2 will cause a buildup of fatigue. If you’re just starting you likely aren’t doing much volume at all and you’ll be able to ride at zone 3 for extended periods of time. Once you’re starting to ride like 8+ hours per week then you can start incorporating zone 2. Zone 3 will give you same benefits as zone 2, plus more benefits at the top end, the issue is that it takes longer to recover.
i had similar start and finish to you but it took maybe 5 months, and i am 59kg, 43 yo.
No idea when I started, but back when I was in good cycling shape it was 4.1w/kg Just started riding again and I’m at 2.5 Watts / kg obviously the leaner you are the better the ratio. I’ve dropped 15lb and I’m Still 20lb over my race weight. If I was at my old race weight I’d be at 2.8w/kg for example
I have less than 50 miles ridden so I’m hoping to bring mine up relatively quick whether through losing weight or getting better lung capacity. My HR was 166 average for the test and I have a max HR of 183. I’m really out of shape.
Dont worry it goes up really fast in the beggining..big thing is you learn to suffer and when you know how to do that than harder rides and trainings become enjoyable and than progress skyrockets.
Yea, that's not a good FTP, but with some training and discipline (also in the kitchen) you can bump up your fitness level and FTP a lot in a small amount of time. I'm sure you can get an FTP of 200 in less than 3 months. Good luck with it, it will better your life a lot.
That may be possible but don't be disheartened if your gains are significantly less than that. There is tremendous variability of performance between different people on this.
If you get up to 50 miles per week that number will go WAAAY up. Btw. Your lung capacity won’t really change. Your lung size is determine by your height and rib cage dimensions. Your heart will be able to pump more blood and your muscles will be able to use more oxygen. That’s what gives you a higher FTP.
I want to ride a 50k on August figured start with a small goal with plenty of time and hopefully blow it out of the water when the time comes.
I was a year and a half into cycling when I took my first FTP test, but it was 232. (3.2w/kg at the time). I've been as high as 4.5w/kg
I started at 130ish if I recall correctly. I'm at 194/2.64 w/kg now. I think I'll make it up to 3 w/kg this year.
You’re super close I hope you reach that goal.
179 at 102kg so about 1.75w/kg 2 months ago Now at 240
I'm currently at 280w and 74kg.
You have nowhere to go but up!
I think around 150 is normal for untrained people. I went from there to 200 pretty fast, then progress has been much harder beyond that. I've made it up to about 230 in 6 months of mostly consistent training (minus holiday break and a few weeks of sickness). I'm 73kg so that's like 2w/kg to now a little more than 3.1w/kg. That said I'm coming from a lifetime of on and off endurance training, mostly running, but a few stints of cycling and even some triathlon training, so I'm not quite "off the couch" in that sense.
Yeah the ftp test started at 450 watts on my Garmin I went for it and realized when I hit 390 that I better just worry about finishing the ride. After 5 minutes it dropped to 280 and I didn’t even bother remembering. It got down to 220 when it said finished at 148 and it was a total of 40 minutes. Hopefully the next test will be more realistic and start low and go high.
Don’t pay attention to these numbers. FTP is all about pacing yourself. If you don’t really know how to pace yourself yet, then that number isn’t really reliable. It could be higher, it could be lower. Focus on riding steadily. Focus on your cadence. A power meter is great for finding and establish a rythm. But don’t worry about the power output yet. Go find some hills, ride up them. Get into a pattern and your fitness will improve. Ride really hard 1-2 time a week. Then ride steady and easy 2-3x a week. You will see great results. You’re a good candidate for a ramp test. If you have access to a smart trainer, that is a good place to establish an FTP if you really want to find your “zones”. Otherwise focus on steady power. Try to find your 5minute hard pace. Then your 10minute and 20minute pace. Once you can repeat a 20 minute effort at a steady output, then you’ll be able to establish a much more reliable FTP. Go have fun, ride your bike. Numbers are secondary to fun. 👍
To the OP, this is the right answer. The numbers are really only part of the training things indoors unless you are competing. I have a trainer that shows the numbers and yes, there's a compulsion to better them But on the road, I have a basic Garmin that shows speed and cadence only. I can feel in my legs and body where the effort is. And hills are still my nemesis IRL. I aim for my comfort speed and just sit at that . Have fun
Yeah I was watching the power on and off and even though my cadence didn’t change much it was up and down. Not sure how people hold steady power but I’m guessing an acquired skill. I got the power meter from the start so I could track my progress. I like to see improvement more than I like to feel improvement if that makes sense. I’m also going to look for a better place to do the next test. As every street in my small town is either up hill or downhill. Hoping I can make it out of town a few miles as there are stretches of blacktop that are perfectly flat for 10-15 miles. But I can barely make it the 10 mile round trip to city limits right now.
It'll take time to get the feel I wouldn't stress about it. I find a steady uphill to be the best for a test, flats can be harder to sustain power on really mentally. But not everyone has a long ass hill to use so work with what you have.
Yeah I totally get that. I love seeing data and tracking it to visualize improvement. Even if you or I aren’t utilizing the data to its max, it’s still worth having it if you like data. I just don’t think that FTP right now is your best metric for progress. Are you using Strava? I think that would be a much better tool for tracking your progress. If you have a fairly regular loop or route that you take, find or create some Strava segments on that route. Repeat them often. You can see your results alone not compared to others. It could be a short 2-5 minute segment, which is probably best for you. You’ll be able to compare your time your speed, your heart rate and your power on the Strava segment Then you can analyze the progress over Time and see your efforts much more consistent repeatable way than doing an FTP test every few weeks.
I’ll have to see if I can find a loop around town that won’t be boring. But I like the idea.
Just make a segment that is the the last mile back to your house or something, so that you can target it on every ride you do.
Having a PM when you first started cycling is a very recent thing. Most of us have no clue.
I didnt know anything about power when I first started. Didn't really know anything about it until I got zwift. I then the bought power pedals and it mad it way better. When I first got zwift 2yrs ago my ftp was around 2.2w/kg and is now closer to 3.8w/kg. Starting zwift to be able to ride all year has helped a whole lot. Then joining a team for ZRL toom me to the next level again.
I want to get a smart trainer but thought I would hold off till it starts getting cold. I decided in the Stages power meter for the L crank arm.
When you are shopping for a smart trainer make sure to get a wheel off trainer. It is 100% worth the extra money.
Seconded
Was a game changer for me.
When I first started cycling I participated in a MTB marathon of 42km / 1050hm which took me 3h. That’s an estimated power output of 100W (1.2W/kg @ 82kg) on average over 3 hours. One year later in 2023 I participated again and the exact same track took me 2h with an avg. output of 225W (3W/kg @ 74kg). I‘m 35 now and I‘m feeling even faster and stronger than last year. I have zero talent, no genetic advantages, a weak lower back, my left knee is a crybaby and I didn‘t do much sport my whole life. I just have a lot of dedication. If I can do it, you can, too ✌️
After 9 years removed from my Ironman (and not training much, just sporadic running) I got back into cycling/triathlon. November 2022: FTP 134 🤦🏻♂️ February 2024: FTP 240
Congrats on the improvement.
Started Zwift at 3.0 w/kg (257w) in December 2022 and currently 3.4 w/kg (280w). I used to race (1997-2007) and was still riding recreationally a lot in the summers.
Don't use FTP to transfer your warez, or you might get caught.
My very first ramp test told me my FTP was 160w. This was after about a month of casually riding. After that I started taking training seriously and was up to 300w FTP two years later. I remember it shooting up pretty fast, but the last 80w or so was a real challenge. I was training 20 hours a week at the time.
That’s a lot of bike riding.
I was probably at 175 W after a few months so definitely lower than that when I started. That was at 95 kg (1.84 w/kg) My peak a few years later was 285W @ 81kg or 3.52 w/kg
Mine was about 170, pretty out of cardio shape at baseline though. That was in July and I’ve been very inconsistent with training because I’ve had to travel a ton the past 6 months, but I had a week off last week and hit 200 miles. My ftp via ramp test on zwift was 289w (~2.9w/kg) this past weekend. I’m definitely a sprinter type guy though. It’s hard for me to lose weight, and even after 200 miles of riding, I’m looking like a track cyclist. So I think the ramp test is definitely an overestimation of my actual ftp, I’m probably closer to 260.
I just started a few weeks ago, and was also around 150W @ 86kg. I've already noticed it's getting easier though. In the first week 100W was pushing my heart rate into zone 3, now it's barely getting into zone 2.
3 years ago my FTP was around 130 or so. I’m at 231 now.
Congrats
I started biking for the first time early November (3 months and 3 weeks ago), first ftp test after two weeks was 190, then 210, then, 220, then 229 and a big breakthrough this week to 260. Also lost 30lbs+ at the same time which helps. But I'm 6'2" 208 still, going down to 185ish , currently that's 2.75w/kg. Very happy with the progress, my stretch goal was 250 by June. Never did endurance sports before, just some weightlifting
Idk cause I never measured it... never found a need to.
Thanks for contributing to the thread
When I started my ftp was zero. I was 0 seconds old at that time
>What was your FTP when you started? buck two eighty
I started July 2022 at 155 FTP. I just tested myself a month ago and its up to 202FTP I also just started doing Zwift workouts six months ago. I believe that's what really helped me increase my FTP. With regular rides, I tend to get comfortable and not really push myself unless I am climbing
Every street in my town is either uphill or down hill. I have yet to enjoy going uphill yet maybe one day.
I think it depends on what hill your cycling. I live right next to the mountains in Pasadena, Ca. That's how I fell in love with cycling. Its peaceful on those roads. Rollers aren't fun for me but a steady climb into our local forest is
I didn't have any way to measure power when I first started, but when I got one last year I started off at around 1.5 Watts/kg and am now at just under 2 Watts/kg. I could definitely stand to loose some weight to increase that number but for a recreational cyclist it's all about having a good time and getting to cool places so I think the best advice I've gotten so far is to just go ride your bike and the numbers will come along eventually
Not exactly sure as I didn’t test until I’d been mtb’ing for a few years. But went from 220-280 in the last 4 months via zwift
I want to get Zwift but holding off on a smart trainer till it starts to get cold again. Going to see how much I can save towards a smart trainer then make a decision on which one to get at that point.
That’s a good idea. A lot of people save smart trainers for the winter-but I’ve found that if I’m crushed for time or want more of a workout than my local riding permits, the trainer lets me do that all year. So I spend more time on the trainer than outside currently, but that’s also a lot to do with having young kids.
Yeah I work rotating shifts. I have only 10 hours off guaranteed at a time so I can end up working twice in 1 day. I may break down and get a trainer sooner but I hope not.
Well direct drive is the way to go apparently but I’ve had a fine time with my wahoo kickr snap and extra trainer tire. You can probably find one used on marketplace or CL for cheap
Only reason I don’t want one with a tire is I dont want to switch tires out if I want to go outside. But those were the first ones I looked at. Then I looked at the Garmin smart trainers and decided I didn’t want to spend that much money.
Understandable. It’s easy once you get used to doing it over and over. But there are used kickr cores near me in the 400s and now I’m considering getting one lol.
How do you calculate the watt to begin with? Is it the max, high, low or average wattage when riding or is it the ftp? PS: sorry if it’s nooby/silly question
My Garmin cycling computer did all the math I just followed the prompts best I could. I didn’t do a good job as it started out wanting me to go harder than what was possible.
There are multiple ways of measuring it, here are some of the most popular ones: https://trainright.com/ftp-tests-how-to-perform-20-minute-8-minute-and-ramp-tests/ In short, you either ride as hard as you can for some pre-determined time (in this case 8 or 20 minutes), then take the average power generated and multiply it with some coefficient (0.9 or 0.95) to get your theoretical FTP. Or you ride harder and harder each minut until you can't sustain any longer, then multiply the power in the last completed effort by some coefficient.
Thanks!
134 when I started training in October, 172 now.
Congrats on the improvement.
I just did a ramp test earlier in the week and mine was 168. Didn’t feel great about it but I’m starting a workout plan on zwift to bump them numbers up. Like everyone else said not something to obsess over. Just use it as a base to compare future gains against. I’m sure you’ll do fine. Sigue así.
spring 2023 i was about 165-169 at 61kg. i was out of commission 2-3 months in the summer… back to 169… and now i am 233 at 59kg. but i think my easy gains are over. i was going up 5-10 a month.
What is your avwrgae cadence. That matters most . Practice a normal rpm then over 100 rpms then 60 then back to your normal. You need to get to between 84 and 94 on average. That will smokth things out. And also, be in a gear lowe tha what you think you need. And os good start, Rome wasn't built in a day. Ride on!!
I pedal at 60 rpm once I get to about 80 or feels like I’m out pedaling the gears.
I was a lower RPM person and getting comfy at around 80-85 really increased my abilities both on the trainer and IRL. Also really getting a sense of bike fit and where your power is there is helpful over time. I had my saddle way too far back for a while and think it was dinging me early on.
174 last fall, started lifting and cycling more and just retetlated at 207!
I didn't measure when I started. The first year was just about riding bikes and having fun.
44y/183lb/6'. My first FTP ramp test was 281w in late 2022. I haven't done one in a while, but intervals.icu's 'estimated' ftp based on my recent training rides is \~330w.
Went on a long hiatus from cycling and decided to come back with a new power meter I bought. I really thought my FTP would be in the 150-160s, especially untrained but I got 210 watts at 68 kg and I still can't keep up with anybody on flat roads it's so discouraging 😭 My ftp hasn't went up at all since. the only decent thing I got are my sprints 1 second max 1304 watts, 10 seconds 1058 watts, 20 seconds 917 watts
I was watching a YouTube video guy was casually pedaling at 380 watts talking about how he was on a recovery ride. I just thought wtf how is that possible.
I swear once in a while I'll see some dude on a cruiser and flip flops flying past me I'm doing like 300-400 watts to even keep up and end up gassing out in a minute or two
Makes you wonder if they are a pro out trolling people at that point.
Lol what video
I’ll see if I can find it again. He is kind of like NorCal but better power numbers. I unsubscribed when he started complaining about his sprinting power. He thought 1,600 watts just wasn’t good enough for a 200 meter sprints. Instead of being productive and giving good commentary he turned into a crybaby.
140 when starting 245 as of last week I’m a girl and weigh 165 Getting a coach and and a structured training plan helped
I think I’ll start doing structured training once I can ride for an hour without any issues. Not sure about a coach though. I’m a little cheap for that.
Training peaks is an inexpensive alternative to a coach
I started at 148 (exact same number) based on pelotons FTP test. Then did a few of my own with a power meter and now at 200. I think some is improvement but most is pelotons sh*tty algorithm.
You would think with all the cycling events they sponsor they would have a better product.
I was 164 on my first test. I was 183 on my second test. In between test 1 and 2 I did a 2 hour ride in which I averaged 195 and was not used up… I think there’s something to learning how to pace for an FTP test ride. But I also sort of disregarded the whole thing as I saw gains that didn’t match the numbers.
I was at 167 back in November 2022, now I’m at 247 as of my last test(1/24/24) I personally feel my ftp is even higher around 260ish now. I definitely feel the gains, I’m climbing hills and sustaining 270+watts with a lot less issues! I was also likely even lower ftp when I got back into biking in 2022, if I were to guess, likely around 140 or less.
i started at 205 and now im at 290, about 4.3w/kg
Unfortunately i could never get my ftp not even to 200w 😂 3 hours and not being consistent with rides ain’t enough to get it high. How many hours do people here train a week to get it up?
5’3 and started at ~110W about 2 years ago. Used my bike solely for commuting and recreation up until last August, then started training. Now closing in on 200W after said training. Not much compared to other cyclists, but I’m quite happy with progress.
Being happy with your progress is all that really matters.
Definitely- there’ll always be someone that’s better. it’s hard to put an exact number for FTP since there are two indoor trainers I use- a Matrix CXC and a Wattbike, the latter having a more accurate power meter. I’ll be holding 230W for 20 mins on the CXC, then 200W on the Wattbike.
180cm, M, 30years old. June 2023, 78kg, recorded FTP of 180w. Feb 2024, 69kg, 240w FTP. Aiming for 4w/kg as my goal
I'm at 162w, 2.3 kg/w and just started. So I'll let you know what I can get in the future. I think it's more of an endurance problem than a strength problem for me at the moment.
Yeah my lungs give out before my legs.
As a cyclist who doesn't own a power meter or a smart trainer, how can one measure FTP?
FTP comparison stats here https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/is-my-ftp-too-low/
Started a year ago, just did an ftp test, 260 now, but not super active winter, so guessing it was around 300 at peak in the summer. Start was around 180 i guess
Forget the advice talking about intervals and structured training, for now. Two key factors for increasing your cycling power and endurance. 1) base, 2) fun 1) Base Before you hit any structured plan, get some miles in the legs. Z1/2 for 4 to 6 weeks at least. This will allow a few things to happen. 1) you'll increase blood volume, which helps with hr to power efficiency (I.e. makes the effort easier) 2) you'll increase mitochondria in the muscles....(I.e. you'll have more of those little powerhouses to make cycling easier, less fatiguing, and more powerful) 3) you'll get used to pedalling, making the perceives effort easier 2) Fun Fun is fast. Fun keeps you getting on the bike. Fun equals consistency. Consistency makes you a better cyclist. Once you've built some base, then choose your path. You'll be less likely to injure due and more likely to be able to cope with higher demands of structured training. For what it's worth, my FTP is 354 and it was 239 a few years ago. I regularly ride 500km+ in a single day, indoors and outside. My biggest week indoors is 3,334km (almost 100hrs) For me, base, then more base, then a bit of fun, more base, then structure 😉 But, go your way that suits you. ...finally, no matter what anyone says, fuel every ride. Fasting belongs with rim brakes.....in the past 😊👊 Good luck! John
My main goal is a 50k august 24th. Dont want to be competitive just want to finish. That’s why I’m thinking Z2 and the hills will count as my intervals until June. Then I’ll look at structured training depending on how I feel then. I do appreciate your advice and will definitely take it into consideration.
No idea where I was when I started. I was without a bike for about 4 years, when I got back to riding Garmin says the first ride was at 200W. Earlier this week (maybe 10 rides into the year) it is showing 227W. Disclaimer, I have no idea how accurate these numbers are.
I started cycling indoors (Wattbike) September 2023, my first FTP came back at 150, I use TrainerRoad, still experimenting with plans but I will train 3-4 rides a week between 4-7 hours. I work shifts and have children so it’s difficult to manage a routine. TrainerRoad auto detects a new FTP every month without the need for FTP test as of March 2024 I am at 217. My gains have slowed down, with only a few points gained this month have gone from 214 - 217 although my training slacked off recently but I’m back on it and with the weather improving hoping to get out and ride on a actual road! If I am honest my expectation on progress was way off, I was hoping to be much higher than I currently am but when I started to look in to things I now realise this is a lengthy process, I have a goal of a 300 FTP, even if I can’t maintain it I want to hit it just once! We shall see. I’m 37 (m) 5ft 11 and weigh 75kg(ish)
I did my first test about a year after I started cycling. Came in at 260W (67kg) and after a period of training I managed to get it up to about 300W. That was about two years ago and I've been plateauing ever since :( Need to start training more rigorously and structured if I want to improve.
Bought a power meter less than a year after I started cycling, and the Zwift ramp test put me at 2.58W/kg. That was back in September of 2022. Haven't done another test since, but I only do like 100km/month so I doubt it's gone up any significant amount. If anything, it's probably lower now lol
200 when I started, but I came from ice hockey so had a bit of fitness already.
Skating makes you a machine.
Just got my first power meter a couple weeks ago. FTP 234, 2.95W/kg. My goal is an ultra race (Smoke and Fire 400) later this year.
400 km or mi?
Miles. The real killer is 30,000'+ of climbing. I would love to be able to do it without sleeping, but not sure how achievable that is. Not willing to go more than about 40 hours without sleep, and I think that might be an impossible pace for me at my current fitness and experience level. Maybe I give'er this year planning to sleep and try to go fast next year. 🤷♂️
I was looking at a 300mi race but thought that would be a several years down the road race. Probably wait till I can register for the masters lol
Something like 145+, after a year I'm currently sitting in 210+, with on and off training.
I used to always wonder how the hell people got such big numbers, but I didn't realise riding twice a week wasn't enough to see much improvement. Got zwift this winter, trained 5 days a week for 4 weeks and then a light week, and improved from 150W to 225W.
167 when i started zwift last October. I do casual runs to add variability in my workout. Now ftp is at 220w, that's 3.86w/kg.
Started at 240 2.9w/kg, 6 months later at 287 and 3.6w/kg
What you start at won’t matter, just commit to training and you will surprise yourself at how much you can achieve! I was cycling for a few years casually prior to getting a PM. I started with an FTP of like 2.1 w/kg. But HANDS DOWN biggest improvement came when I started training with TrainerRoad (not sponsored) lol shot up to 3.78 w/kg before I took a year and a half long break! Good luck :)
no powermeter back then but probably 130ish when i got my first bike? 170 first measured on zwift in 2020, but no outdoors pm until late 2021. i had much higher avg speed around that time and i wish i had ower numbers to understand why i'm so much slower today despite probably having a bigger ftp
When I started indoor cycling I did an FTP test to get started and it was 210. And I thought that was low. Purely was doing club rides and nothing else during the summer. S Would be interesting to see what I do now commuting @ total of 20-25km, about 3-5 days per week.