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Peloton FTP Test: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Carlos Glover
October 25, 2022

One of the hardest tests you can do on your peloton bike is the 20 minute ftp test. Standing for Functional Threshold Power, an FTP test is a great way to test your fitness and overall endurance. The test seeks to measure your average output of power for one hour of cycling, measured in watts.

As a bike rider, you have to take an ftp test at least once every couple of months. It will help prepare you for your ride on a hilly or mountainous landscape. Based on the results, you might just get to know your body a bit better. It also helped me prepare and train for the first time. I did 100 miles on my bike, and the test gave me confidence and helped me train for it.

In this article we´ll review every detail about the 20 minute ftp test that a Peloton offers.

How To Do a Peloton FTP Test?

  • You´ll find the test as an option for a class on your peloton.
  • Select the start button and begin pedaling.
  • Finish the 20 minutes to get proper results

Tips

You should warm up a couple of minutes prior to taking the ftp test. Having your muscles ready will help you avoid injuries, increase your average power and increase your overall ftp score.

Warm up properly and make sure to conserve energy so that you keep your highest power reserve up until the end.

The ftp test results will determine a big part of your training regime, so do the test properly. If this is your first time on a peloton, do a test ride.

fit female riding an Intenza 550 Upright Bike

FTP Test Use

If you´re looking to measure your fitness level, doing an ftp test is not just a great way to know where you are, but also prepares you to train. A standard FTP test lasts for about an hour. It is challenging and will test you in every way possible. Peloton offers a condensed version of this test called the 20 minute ftp test, which, regardless of duration, is also one of the most intense sessions they have to offer.

Based on the information obtained from an FTP test, the peloton bike´s computer can design a daily workout plan that suits your ftp perfectly. You can make sure you aren't under or over doing it. This is the Power zones program.

To create a different FTP test, Peloton has given the software a shorter duration. This way, the software is more sensitive to data and can adapt your power zone workouts accordingly.

Consistently doing FTP tests will help you build the best workouts. It will prepare you for any challenge you face outdoors. It's also a great way to keep track of your progress and consistently train.

What Are Power Zones?

When riding your peloton bike, the intensity at which you do so is called a power zone. Power zone training is a great way to test your strength. Every power zone has unique features that work with different intensities in the body for a full training.

Power zones are meant to specifically work you out and use a certain percentage of your functional threshold power. Therefore, to have a baseline it is practical that you take the ftp test.

Power Zone Training

Power Zone training has many benefits. The software is programmed to prepare you physically and psychologically, carefully selecting when to challenge you and when you should pause to recover.

A normal test has seven power zones, each representing a different intensity of training. Power zone rides are incredibly straining but the work done is well worth it. You can see your ftp score on the interface as you pedal. Also, take a look at the power meter every now and then to make sure you are giving your max effort.

Should the computer program still prove itself to be too much or too little, you can personally edit power zones to maximize your training to your necessities. You know your body best.

In every single peloton bike, while doing a power zone ride, you´ll be able to program it according to how you´re feeling. Once the ftp test has been taken, you´ll be able to get customized power zones which are specifically designed to get the best out of training.

In your screen display, power zones are represented by seven different colors on the power zone bar, which range from blue to red, with the latter being your highest output. The software is equipped with a target output range to mediate your training intensity. It is based on your average output value from previous training sessions.

Lastly, if you want to get in shape, power zone classes could have a very positive impact on your bike life. They will help you slowly incorporate your body to high productivity workouts, helping you increase your average output.

Person exercising on cycling machine in gym

Power Bar

After taking your first peloton ftp test, you´ll be able to see the power bar during your workouts, allowing you to note the effort you put in during your power zone classes.

If you don't have the bar yet and you´ve already done an ftp test, you can place it the bottom of your screen by following these instructions:

  • To add the bar, click your username in the lower left corner of your peloton.
  • Then click the red gear symbol in the top left corner of your screen.
  • Click on "Preferences" tab.
  • Select Power Zones.
  • Select edit power zones program.
  • Click "Custom value".
  • Place the average output from your ftp test ride.
  • Click "OK".

Taking an FTP test ride every once in a while is a great way to keep your training up to date. It could be that you´ve been training a lot and require a tougher routine. Conversely, it could also mean that you´ve been away from the bike and have lost some progress. This will help the software determine where those personal power zones are.

Benefits of Knowing Your Power Zones

Knowing when to properly use your cycling power might just give you an edge and enhance your training sessions to increase your cycling ability.

To find out how you´re doing within these zones might also help you detect when you're overtraining and working too hard.

Recommendations

There's a community of peloton enthusiasts that love training together, called the "power zone pack. Joining these communities might help keep you motivated and train harder.

These are on average seven zones on the power bar. As you prepare for your ftp, warm up a bit by testing the bike, and spend time checking how the bike responds to your movements.

If your current fitness isn't that good, don´t worry. We all start somewhere, so relax.

If you don't like to warm up, you can try doing it with other people, just like with the "power zone pack" community. Try testing how you feel. If you´re lucky, you might even find a friend.

Young Woman Training with Bicycle in the Gym

Final Thoughts

An ftp test is a great way to begin your biking journey. Once you get your results, you´ll be able to train with a power zone regime. Knowing which power zone you are in will help you improve your energy spending and thus improve your training.

An ftp is a great way to introduce yourself to the world of peloton and slowly improve and prepare for tougher challenges.

Carlos Glover
About the Author
I took up cycling in high school and haven’t looked back since. My love of cycling eventually evolved into an obsession with bicycles. From road bikes to mountain bikes, I have tried them all – and have the scars to prove it! I love sharing my findings with the rest of the cycling world as unsolicited as they may be.
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