One number. Seven zones. Smarter wattage.
Type your average watts from a 20-minute all-out test. We compute your FTP and split it into the 7 Coggan power zones — the standard for structured cycling training.
Your FTP is 238 W (3.40 W/kg). Train in the zones below to build threshold and aerobic capacity.
Find cycling eventsEach zone is a percent of FTP. Use them to dose effort across the week — most volume in Z2, with weekly stints in Z4 and Z5.
FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the highest average power you can sustain for one hour. It’s the gold-standard fitness metric for cycling. We estimate it as 95% of your average power over a 20-minute all-out test — the standard protocol from Andrew Coggan and Hunter Allen’s "Training and Racing with a Power Meter".
Watts ranges for each zone at common FTP levels. Find the row closest to yours.
| FTP | Z1 | Z2 | Z3 | Z4 | Z5 | Z6 | Z7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 180 W | 0–99 | 99–135 | 137–162 | 164–189 | 191–216 | 218–270 | 272–∞ |
| 220 W | 0–121 | 121–165 | 167–198 | 200–231 | 233–264 | 266–330 | 332–∞ |
| 260 W | 0–143 | 143–195 | 198–234 | 237–273 | 276–312 | 315–390 | 393–∞ |
| 300 W | 0–165 | 165–225 | 228–270 | 273–315 | 318–360 | 363–450 | 453–∞ |
| 340 W | 0–187 | 187–255 | 258–306 | 309–357 | 360–408 | 411–510 | 513–∞ |
Warm up 15-20 minutes with progressive intensity, including 3 × 1 min hard. Then hit a flat road or trainer and ride at the highest sustainable power for 20 minutes — pace it like a long time trial. Cool down. Take 95% of your average power as FTP. Re-test every 6-8 weeks during a training block.
The formulas and ranges above are grounded in the following peer-reviewed literature.
Reference for both the 95% × 20-min-power FTP estimate and the 7 power zones (active recovery → neuromuscular).
View bookA 20-minute effort overestimates one-hour-sustainable power because of anaerobic contribution. The 0.95 multiplier corrects for this. Works for most amateurs; very fit cyclists may need 0.93-0.94.
Yes — power-based training requires direct measurement. Indoor smart trainers measure power; outdoor needs a pedal-, crank- or hub-based meter. Heart-rate-only training uses different zones (see our heart rate zones calculator).
Pure-watts numbers depend on body size; W/kg is the comparable metric. 2.5 W/kg is recreational, 3.5 W/kg is intermediate, 4.5+ W/kg is competitive amateur, and 5.5+ W/kg approaches professional level for males.
Every 6-8 weeks during a training block. Don’t test more often — you need recovery between hard tests. Don’t test less — your zones will drift out of date.