Hi guys, another simple rookie question.
I recently purchased a power meter and did my first FTP test, a 8 minute test. I tried doing it on the longest straight path I have available but I had to turn around because I ran out of road, it was just a 3-second turn. Then, at the end, I had some extra energy and pushed a bit more.
Is it still valid? Does it need to be more stable? Is it advisable to contrast it with a 20 min test or a ramp test?
Thanks in advance!
you should choose one test and stick to it
it is much more about tracking changes from one test to the other than looking at an exact ftp number
i like 20min test more
you sure it is not supposed to be ride twice meaning two 8min intervals?
ramp is ok but for me it always is harder to run inside, outside my ftp is 20w higher.
about the path…safety first, and it can be a loop nearby, does not have to be straight
I think (but it is hard to see from that graph) that you went to east and had to much energy at the end.
but: well done anyways 
I mean it is really about your rpe and learning where your breath changes etc. first test done, paced more or less correctly, next time will be more accurate and second next even more
Congrats on the power meter and choosing to track your progress. It is a good idea t always use the same test, however if you want the best accuracy then doing 20 min test is the way to go.
This is how Drs Allen and Coggan suggest doing it. Note there is a 5 min all effort test before the 20min test. That is supposed to tire you out in order to simulate the full hour conditions as close as possible. I’ve never done them outside, only on the trainer because of the issues you encountered.
Great work on doing your first FTP test!
Ref the testing protocol, I would not recommend any of my athletes to do an 8m test to find there FTP. It’s too short and can be impacted considerably by your anaerobic capacity as an individual and can in turn causes issues when prescribing workouts thereafter - the same goes for the ramp test I find.
Rather, at the very minimum I would want an athlete to do a 20m test, but ultimately would rather see them do a much longer form test, using a Kolie Moore Baseline test protocol (Google it as don’t have link to hand I’m afraid) so we can see true TTE at FTP and a solid number to base training off.
As ever, all of these somewhat depends on your goals etc and what you are training for so consider that in the way you test. Importantly, test consistently and will the same protocol to track progress etc.
I’ll give the Kolie Moore test a try, to get accurate values as you said. Thanks!
Link to the TP article, where he talks about it.
As Kolie would say (paraphrased), put your ego one side; we all want a higher number.
Your FTP is what it is. If you train based on what you want it to be, vs. what it is, you will be heading down the training too hard pathway. It’s also about a 10W range (based on data and theory), so better to train on the lower end for longer.
Here’s the Kolie Moore basic protocol that he posted in the TrainerRoad workout library. Highly recommend it.
Cooldown
Good luck!
It’s not a true test but I find riding a 45m Zwift race usually reliably gets me a new FTP in intervals.icu if I haven’t tested/raced in a while. I try to stick in the lead pack, hold my watts at or above my currently known FTP for as long as I can, and then kick the last mile or so for as hard and as long as I can.
This last time I did 36m above my previous FTP, and that feels like a really solid amount of time to hold and extrapolate an FTP off of.
I’m not going for super accuracy, just a ballpark, and like others have said I usually ride conservatively, especially my endurance workouts I tone them way down just in case my FTP is marked too high.
Performing any kind of such tests should happen preferably with an indoor setup.
This is the best way to generate a consistent and comparable setup for any future tests. Only such setups enable you settling a consistent wattage from start to end.
And at some point it’s way more secure than doing it outside especially when you are capable of push so many watts which makes you fast on flat sections.
Highly disagree, or at least it really depends. For me indoors ftp is circa 30w lower no matter what, which was very frusttrating when I did not know about it. But I started testing it closer after failed first interval from 3x15 at z4. I was so angry I decided to just take my bike off my trainer and just ride ouside just coupe of easy kms to get rid of my frustration at the end I did outside second half of the interval 30w higher, and did other two intervals too 30w higher again, and it was not even that hard.
For now I only have one bike and it is a MTB, so tests and workouts have to be done on MTB. I’d dream of doing the test on a trainer and get consistent output but for now the economy precedes. Same for Z2 workouts, spending 2h at the same gravel path is all but entertaining.
I’ve only had two indoor trainers, but they both read low…which might explain that phenomenon. Poor setup might be part of it too.
I’m stronger inside than out, knowing when and where an effort will end (along with knowing i could quit at any moment) lets me push far harder on the trainer.
I’ve only had two indoor trainers, but they both read low…which might explain that phenomenon. Poor setup might be part of it too.
setup is ok, I have a smart trainer and assiomas for power comparision, both calibrated
I think the problem for me is just I’m very tall (198cm) and no fan can cool my body down when I generate near ftp power or higher. Outside I have no such problems. But ofc it can depend and that was all I tried to say. Best would be to test yourself with the setup as close as possible to the race setup, so if you race on zwift, it should be indoors but if like me you care about your outside results mostly and indoor riding ids just a training when the weather is not helping, it should be done outside.
I’m stronger inside than out, knowing when and where an effort will end (along with knowing i could quit at any moment) lets me push far harder on the trainer.
haha, thats funny 
People are strange and I must say I’m just complete opposite to you, it is to easy for me to quit inside but outside I can dig 3x tiimes deeper just because I know even if completly empty I will somehow come. back home and by pushing during an outside workout I can reach new limits 
I am very glad to read the content of your comment, but there is one thing I do not understand: when this 20 minute test is finished, will it be FTP? Or do you need to continue x0.95?
