Functional Threshold Power, better known as FTP, is the basis for establishing individual training zones using power/watts. Now that I'm teaching power based classes I've developed some questions about FTP and asked STAGES Indoor Cycling's Cameron Chinatti to answer them and give all of us a better understanding of Why is FTP Important? What exactly is FTP? and How can I help my students discover their individual FTP?
Do you have video in your studio? If, after listening to Cameron's interview you're all fired up, here are two great videos for running a 20 minute field test for FTP or threshold Heart Rate.
We are planning to have Doug Rusho (another Power expert) in the show soon to give all us Big Box Instructors an abbreviated version of an FTP assessment -OK not FTP exactly, but some benchmark that we can use during a typical class - giving our students some understanding of of where they should be working. Stay tuned 🙂
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John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
Hi Cameron, what type of cadence should I be cueing for the ftp ride? We know that too much resistance or too little will not produce the best power/watts. I know that lactate field tests are conducted at cadences that are around 80-95 rpms. I know that my members on Monday when I conduct the ftp will want some cadence guidance. Thanks so much
Hey Julie!
I’m so sorry I didn’t see this sooner! A good question! Being that the whole idea of FTP is new to your group, I wouldn’t even worry about what the cadence should be. I know that sounds crazy, but the cool thing about using a console is that people start to realize their optimal cadence through experience.
Everyone has different comfort levels at various RPMs, you can always work on expanding that comfort level, but for the most part people will figure out their “sweet-spot” on their own. What’s most interesting to me is, say you have a person that is convinced that they’re working harder than everyone else because their legs are carelessly whipping around at 120+ RPMs, but for some reason the distance and average speed at the end of their ride is not quite what they imagined it to be. Over time this person will begin to dial back on the RPMs and crank up the resistance– then they’ll start seeing a difference! The same thing goes for the gear-grinder that looks more like they’re on the stair-climber than the bike. They’ll realize that they need to take off some load so that they can increase leg turn-over.
Muscle fiber concentration and general training history has a lot to do with people’s preferences, but generally speaking once the info is infront of them, they start to auto-correct for optimal power levels.
Thinking specifically about the group indoor cycling environment…
Even though field tests aim for the range that you mentioned above, it’s not always going to abe the best for your people. I can think of a handful of my riders that can’t sustain 80 RPM comfortably…it’s just too fast for their mechanics and their current level of fitness. So it wouldn’t be fair of me to say, “Now everyone keep your RPM in the test at 85 RPM… or else!” This would make them feel like failures 🙁 So, how I approach this during the test is we aim for them to identify an RPM that they can hold during the duration of the actual “test” portion (the 20minute stage). I’ll ask them to play with it occasionally to see if they can find a better balance between resistance and RPM, but for the most part they’ll figure it out through experience.
I hope that helps!
Cameron