FTP stands for functional threshold power. In practical training terms, it is the highest power a rider can sustain for a meaningful hard effort without fading immediately. It is not a perfect physiological constant, but it is a useful anchor for setting training targets.
Most structured cycling workouts use FTP because it converts broad training ideas into specific interval targets. When a workout says 88% FTP or 105% FTP, it is telling you how hard to ride relative to your current ability rather than giving every rider the same absolute wattage.
Why FTP matters in structured training
A good training system needs a repeatable way to scale workouts. FTP gives you that scale. It lets endurance rides stay aerobic, threshold workouts stay demanding but sustainable, and VO2 sessions become appropriately hard instead of random.
That is why FTP shows up in workout builders, training plans, and workout performers. It ties the builder, the plan, and the execution experience together.
- •It personalizes interval targets without rewriting every workout.
- •It helps compare training blocks over time as fitness changes.
- •It makes plan progression easier because workouts can be adjusted in percentages instead of guesswork.
How riders usually estimate FTP
Riders commonly estimate FTP from dedicated tests, hard steady efforts, or modeled training data. The exact protocol matters less than using a consistent method and updating it when your training clearly changes.
If your FTP is set too high, steady workouts feel like survival sessions and you stop completing the plan cleanly. If it is set too low, your harder sessions stop delivering the intended stimulus.
How to use FTP inside VeloWorkout
In VeloWorkout, percent FTP is the most practical target type for structured cycling sessions. It works especially well when you want a workout to remain usable as your fitness changes over time.
Builder is the right place to set block targets in percent FTP. Plans use those targets to schedule sessions, and the performer translates them into execution targets on the day.
- •Use %FTP for most endurance, sweet spot, threshold, and VO2 workouts.
- •Revisit your FTP after a test block or after a clear jump in performance.
- •Do not chase small week-to-week changes unless multiple workouts suggest your targets are off.
When FTP is not enough on its own
FTP is useful, but it does not explain everything. Sprint work, cadence drills, neuromuscular efforts, and strength sessions all need context beyond one threshold number.
That is why good training still uses workout purpose, recent fatigue, and workout type alongside FTP. A plan with only percentages and no context usually becomes too rigid.