Manon: Power and FTP are big topics here at GCN, but it's expensive. You can spend over
£3,000 on a new power meter. In this video, I'm going to show you how to work out your
FTP if you don't have a power meter. Don't be under any illusion. It's far easier to
work out your FTP if you do own a power meter, but I have some tips and tricks to work them
out. Here they are. Firstly, we need to understand what a functional
threshold power is. To put it simply, it's the highest average power you can hold for
an hour. That power is measured in watts. You can then use the findings to determine
your training zones. When it comes to working out your FTP with a power meter, you can either
do it on a static train or on the road. If you choose to do it on the road, you should
try and keep the conditions the same. Do on the same stretch of road the next time you
do it. Once you have decided where you're going to do your FTP test, make sure you have
a good warm-up before you start the test. After the warm-up, ride as hard as you can
for 20 minutes. Determine the average power output during this 20 minute period by analyzing
the data on the power meter. Multiply your average power by 0.95 to find out your FTP.
There are many ways you can work out your FTP for free. The first one we're going to
chat about is Zwift. Zwift is offering a 30-day free trial. This allow you to use their online
testing program. All you need is a static trainer. No need for it to have a power meter
in it. Simply a cadence sensor and speed sensor will be enough to work out your power kit
and FTP. Another way you can work out your FTP is by
using Strava. You will need an account, and you will need to pay for a Strava Summit,
which is £18.99 a year. Then from uploading your rides to Strava, it can give you an estimate
of your power FTP. If you'd rather not pay for Strava but you
really wanted to work out your FTP, why not just write for a maximum sustained effort
of 60 minutes, and then upload it to the Strava free account, and that then will give you
an estimate average watts of what power you did for that hour.
Many gyms will have watt bikes in them, or similar bikes that have power. If you have
a gym membership, why not head to the gym and carry out an FTP test there? If you don't
have a gym membership, you can often find bike studios. You can pay a small fee and
carry out an FTP test there. Although if you have any friends that have a static trainer
with power, why not ask them nicely if you can borrow it?
Another great tool is a bike calculator. The bike calculator is an engineering model, that
is if you supply it with the right information. It makes predictions about the system. The
system is you, the engine. Supplying power to the three major forces in cycling, gravity,
running distance and aerodynamic resistance. You will need to ride a climb, the steeper
the better. The less the wind affects you, the better and more accurate the power will
be. You will need to have a good amount of information for it to work. Things like rider
weight, bike weight, tires, position. gradient, headwind, distance, temperature, elevation
and time. You should be able to get most of this information from your bike computer.
Keep in mind, this is an estimate, and it will only work if you enter all the details
correctly. Another good option would be to rent a power
meter. Now, it's not free. It is £47 a month. If you are thinking about getting a power
meter and wanting to test one out before you bought one, this is a great option. If you
want to get the most out of your money, why not do an FTP test every single day of the
month? That'd be well fun. If you're struggling to work out your FTP,
why not try going off heart rate and work out your functional threshold heart rate?
As all you need to do this is a bike computer and a heart rate monitor. Similar to the FTP
test, you just need to carry out a 20-minute all-out test ideally on a static trainer or
on a long climb where there's no stops or corners. It is worth noting that usually most
athletes don't see a change in their functional threshold heart rate over time. If you want
to use this test as a way to track improvements, you'll have to also record another metric.
For example, you could track your average speed or distance covered in the 20 minutes,
so you'll have something to compare your results to the next time you repeat the test.
Hopefully, this will help you figure out your power if you don't have a power meter on your
bike. If you like this video, please give it a big thumbs up.
[beep] In this video, I'm going to tell you some
tips and tricks on how to work out your FTP if you don't own a power meter or you don't
want to spend a fortune on one, but don't be--[laughs]
[00:04:31] [END OF AUDIO]