Should You Complete FTP Tests Monthly? Or Is Zwift's Estimated FTP Accurate Enough?
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Current guidance recommends that FTP tests should be completed every 4 - 6 weeks during training plans. But that seems to be a lot of FTP testing. After all, it is a grueling test and causes stress. In addition, if you complete Zwift races, you will have an estimated FTP. But is this estimated FTP reliable? So how often should you complete these FTP tests? Let's find out!
Disclosure: FTP recommendation of 4 - 6 weeks is during training phases. If you were in a 2-month transition phase you would not be recommended to complete FTP tests here. So 4 - 6 weeks for FTP testing does not equal 12 tests annually.
- Contents of This Video -
00:00 - Intro
00:34 - What Is FTP
01:03 - Why FTP Is Important
02:50 - How Zwift Estimates FTP
03:35 - Ramp Tests / 20-Minute Tests
05:06 - Does Zwift's Estimated FTP Match Test Results
06:18 - How Often Should You Test FTP
- Links -
Zwift Power: zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=...
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Excellent described! I only do FTP tests after summer vacation, or after major periods of none cycling.
Thanks! I could go for summer vacation right about now, 😂been stuck inside with below freezing temps for too long.
I agree that if you are not a pro/cat1-2 rider, that you don´t need to take FTP test so often. But 1-2x a year - I would still say min. 4-6x, so every 2-3 months at least. I also do think that since ramp test overestimates and is not great for anaerobic riders, then it is better to stick with the real 20min test. Just take it regularly and get used to it. Or race and get your FTP from there..
I did one r a.m.p test and halfway through it, I got fed up so I just stopped and started doing my usual free ride having said that I'm 70 years of age.
This is better than a coach. Thanks, David. Right now I am dealing with a performance plateau. More than two months with no improvement and sometimes even doing worse than before. My fitness chart is at an all-time high. What do you recommend?
do you have a fitness chart (via TP, intervals, or a tracking app) you could share? What are the goals you are targeting btw? higher VO2, higher FTP, endurance?
Its hard to say without looking at the training data, but it could be something as simple as your body has adapted to the training stress. you may have increased to a better level and kept the training sessions more or less the same, and your body is just getting a maintenance level from it. increasing intervals intensity or time could help.
Or it could be overtraining. If your body was used to being at a fitness level of 50 for the last 2 years, and youve increased in only a few weeks to a 90 fitness level, it could be a shock as your body isnt used to that level or training. Overtraining can be just as detrimental as undertraining.
Thanks for the info. I’m fairly new and I’ve noticed that erg mode feels much harder than free riding at the same power and so I suffer much more during the ramp test than when racing. My estimated ftp results are higher than I feel I can sustain in ERG mode workouts. I’m on a kickr snap. I don’t know if I need to keep practicing a full pedal stroke or if this is common for everyone. Anyone else?
I've never been a fan of erg mode. When you are riding there is a way to turn it off. If you pull up the options with blue icons in middle of the screen, there is one to toggle erg on and off.
I always have issues with erg, either making rpms way to much or little, so I just keep it off.
I think it highly depends how you’re riding. From my experience it makes sense to do a ftp test before you start a training plan. As in my case it was always a different result as the estimated one by zwift and felt ok during the training weeks
Was it very far off of your estimated? Also did you do the ramp test or 20 minute test?
As I have very similar results with the ramp and 20 minute test I only do the ramp because it’s much less body load.
It was maybe 5% only
5% isn't terribly off (although not ideal). I do really like the ramp test though, because I'm able to still ride after words. I just add in some light riding after to get some more time on the bike 😁
So can anyone please tell me that i have recently did my ramp test on erg mode and than after some time at 300 watts I can’t even pedal because everytime after 300 watts my roller become so hard that i can’t even pedal like even on stroke so please can any tell me why it is happening and i always see people doing ramp test and going a bit easy on 300 watts so why there smart trainer is not going hard why? And i have recently got to know about spiral of death but why it is happening with me everytime at 300 watts why not more than that? is there anything that you have to continue apply force on pedal than only it will work but if thats the case than also i am applying power to pedal after 300 watts but my trainer won’t make be do it because it gets so hard like you can’t even pedal so what the solution for this in ftp or ramp test please reply if anyone knows
You should be able to set erg mode to off. In the same menu that you would increase /decrease workout intensity.
I've personally only used erg once because of exactly the issue you described. It got to the point where it was almost impossible to pedal.
Some time ago I heard Nathan Guerra say in a live broadcast that when taking a hairpin, no use push into the hairpin, relax and push when exiting the hairpin. Theory behind was that Zwift more or less adjusts all riders to same speed in the hairpin. Is this also your experience? Could this be tested somehow if the theory is correct?
Thx 👌
Could that have been a specific hairpin. The one at the end of The Mall in London is the only place in Zwift at which enforced braking is applied.
@@ZwiftyZwifter no idea. Didn't hear Nathan say that, but you're probably right 🙂
I've haven't noticed that but also was thinking about it.
I have found on turns the line your avatar is on can make a big impact. If I'm inside line I make up a few spots vs if I'm outside line I anticipate needing to up the power.
I think I could probably pull some sort of data on this, but I would likely need some time to look into pulling the right data for it and then race a course such as one containing the Mall.
@@ZwiftAnalysisNetwork even more strangely, it only happens in one direction, on the Classique direction, where it’s a left hander. Search for any race there and you’ll see the speed go down.
Ramp tests are hard.
Just absolute suffering for about 3 minutes! At least it doesn't last too long though 😂
Exactly. My FTP is so low, ramptest ends quickly. I learned that if I do a ramp test, I program the painlevel in my brain. Then rest for 10-15 minutes and then do a 2nd attempt, I get better result 2nd time, because the painlevel is familiar and know I can last just a little longer...
@@repmortskcab8483 honestly that sounds brilliant. I wonder what the experts at Trainer Road would say about that method. But to me it seems smart since you are tricking your brain into accepting the pain levels.