FTP & Power Zones
One-page reference for cycling FTP and the 7 Power Zones used in Peloton-style structured training.
What is FTP?
FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is a practical baseline for setting personalised cycling intensity zones. It’s used to scale workouts so “Zone 3” means the same effort for everyone, even if absolute watts differ.
Common Peloton method
FTP ≈ 95% of your average output over a 20-minute FTP test
Retest periodically so zones stay accurate as fitness changes.
Why it’s useful
- Personalised training targets (no more “everyone hold 250w” nonsense).
- Consistent effort language across workouts and plans.
- Clear progress tracking when FTP rises.
Source: Peloton FTP Test Tips
Using this in your app
- Store FTP per user (and optionally per bike / date).
- Calculate zones from FTP and overlay them on power graphs.
- When FTP changes, recompute zone boundaries (historic workouts can either use “FTP at the time” or “current FTP” — pick one and label it).
The 7 Power Zones
Shown as % of FTP. (Exact naming can vary slightly by platform.)
| Zone | % of FTP | Typical intent |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 — Active Recovery | 0–55% | Easy spinning, recovery |
| Zone 2 — Endurance | 55–75% | Aerobic base, sustainable |
| Zone 3 — Tempo | 75–90% | Comfortably hard |
| Zone 4 — Threshold | 90–105% | Lactate threshold work |
| Zone 5 — VO₂ Max | 105–120% | Hard intervals |
| Zone 6 — Anaerobic | 120–150% | Short, very hard bursts |
| Zone 7 — Neuromuscular | 150%+ | All-out sprint effort |