FTP Calculator
Estimate your Functional Threshold Power in seconds — no test required — from your weight and fitness, and see the training zones built from it.
Sex
Used only to refine the estimate. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
The basics
How to find your FTP
Estimate it without a test
The fastest way to a starting FTP is to estimate it. Power-to-weight is remarkably predictable across fitness levels, so your body weight, how you’d describe your fitness, and your sex are enough for a solid ballpark — usually within about 10–15% of a measured result. That’s plenty to set training zones and start riding today; you refine it with a real test whenever you’re ready.
What FTP means
Functional Threshold Power is roughly the highest power you can hold for about an hour. It’s the anchor for structured indoor training: once you know it, every workout can prescribe the right intensity, because zones like endurance, tempo, threshold, and VO2 max are all defined as a percentage of FTP.
Measuring it with a test
When you want your real number, the most reliable way is a field test. A 20-minute test puts your FTP at 95% of your average power for the effort; a ramp test at 75% of your best one-minute power; a full 60-minute test is your FTP directly. Here’s the useful part: any app that runs a guided ramp or 20-minute test — Ride Cave included — does this math for you and sets your FTP automatically, so you rarely have to calculate it by hand. This estimator is for the moment before you’ve tested at all.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find my FTP without doing a test?
Estimate it from your body weight, how you would describe your fitness, and your sex. It is a ballpark, not a measurement, but it is a solid starting point for setting training zones — and you can refine it with a real test later.
What is FTP in cycling?
FTP, or Functional Threshold Power, is the highest power in watts you can sustain for roughly an hour. It is the number structured training is built around, because your training zones are all defined as a percentage of it.
How do I get my FTP from a 20-minute test?
If you rode an all-out, evenly-paced 20-minute effort on a power meter, your FTP is about 95% of your average power for it — a 280 W average is roughly a 266 W FTP. Note that most training apps that run a guided ramp or 20-minute test already calculate and set your FTP for you.
How accurate is an estimated FTP?
A weight-and-fitness estimate gets most riders within roughly 10-15% of their real number — good enough to start training. The most accurate way is still a ramp or 20-minute test, which Ride Cave can run for you and use to set your zones automatically.