Training zones and FTP

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We calculate FTP from the test, distribute power zones according to Coggan, heart rate zones from the threshold according to Friel and from the maximum according to Karvonen, add a three-zone polarized model and watts per kilogram. Everything is recalculated on the fly, the link saves the input data.

What we count

FTP from the test 7 power zones Heart rate from LTHR Heart rate by reserve Polarised model W/kg and goals

Zones are a training markup, not a medical document. If you haven't been tested for a long time, the numbers below lie both ways.

Basics

Weight, kg Where do we get FTP from

FTP, W

Classic: 20 minutes exactly to the maximum after the warm-up, minus 5% for the fact that the hour is still longer.

LTHR (threshold heart rate) Maximum heart rate Resting heart rate

LTHR is the average heart rate for the last 20 minutes of the threshold test, not the maximum for the race. Resting heart rate is measured in the morning, without getting out of bed: it is only needed for the Karvonen method.

Summary

FTP

250 W

Watts per kilogram

3.33 W/kg

LTHR

165 bpm

Entered manually: 250W

A strong amateur, you stay in the main group. This is a landmark, not a verdict.

Watts per kilogram is decided on the ascents, absolute watts — on the plain and in time trial. A gravel race usually looks at both numbers.

Power zones according to Coggan

Seven zones as a percentage of FTP. The percentages are integers and fit together: the top of the zone is the bottom of the next minus one percent. There is a one percent FTP gap in watts between the lines — this is rounding, not a hole in the model.

Zone	% FTP	Watts	What it provides and what intervals
Z1 · Active recovery	up to 55%	up to 138 W	Very easy, conversation without hesitation. Warm-up, hitch, rollback between intervals and the day after the race.
Z2 · Endurance	56–75 %	140-188 Watts	The main volume of the week. Long 2-6 hours, fat as fuel, capillaries and mitochondria. The base lives here.
Z3 · Tempo	76–90 %	190–225 W	Fast group pace, gravel rolling. Blocks of 20-60 minutes. Expensive due to fatigue — do not turn it into a base.
Z4 · Threshold	91–105 %	228–263 W	Work on FTP: 2-4 segments of 8-20 minutes. Grows the threshold directly, but requires freshness.
Z5 · VO2max	106–120 %	265–300 W	Intervals of 3-8 minutes with equal rest. It raises the oxygen ceiling — that's what the breaks are closed with.
Z6 · Anaerobic	121–150 %	303–375 W	Segments of 30 seconds — 3 minutes. Starting accelerations, tumblers on the ascents, the struggle for the wheel.
Z7 · Neuromuscular	over 150%	from 378 W and above	Sprints 5-15 seconds with full rest. The power and technique of the jerk, the average power is not measured.

Heart rate zones from LTHR by Friel

Percentages are based on your threshold heart rate. Heart rate lags behind power by a minute or two and drifts upwards in heat or when you are dehydrated. For short intervals, focus on watts.

Zone	% LTHR	Heart rate	What it provides
Z1 · Recovery	up to 80 %	up to 132 bpm	Light spin, recovery between efforts.
Z2 · Endurance	81–89 %	134-147 bpm	Long volume workouts, aerobic base.
Z3 · Tempo	90–93 %	149–153 bpm	Tempo blocks, group pace, marathon pace.
Z4 · Backup	94–99 %	155–163 bpm	Threshold segments: heart rate rises to LTHR.
Z5a · Threshold	100–102 %	165–168 bpm	Right on the threshold, a time trial for 20–40 minutes.
Z5b · Aerobic capacity	103–106 %	170–175 bpm	VO2max intervals, heart rate is almost maximum.
Z5c · Anaerobic	above 106 %	from 177 bpm and above	Short angry segments, heart rate catches up with power with a delay.

Heart rate zones according to Karvonen

HRSMAX 190, resting pulse 50 — 140 beats of pulse reserve. This is a different model than the zones from LTHR: you can't mix them.

Zone	% of reserve	Heart rate	What it provides
Z1 · Recovery	50-60 % of the reserve	120–134 bpm	Warm-up, cool-down, rollback. Heart rate barely rises.
Z2 · Aerobic base	60–70 % reserve	134–148 bpm	Long steady rides, even breathing.
Z3 · Aerobic endurance	70–80 % reserve	148–162 bpm	Tempo blocks, strong group pace.
Z4 · Threshold	80–90 % reserve	162–176 bpm	Threshold work, breathing is already difficult.
Z5 · Maximum	90–100 % reserve	176–190 bpm	VO2max intervals and finishing sprints.

Karvonen formula: resting heart rate + percentage of (maximum heart rate - resting heart rate). There are five zones here, not seven, and the boundaries do not coincide with the zones from LTHR. Choose one model and stick to it: training 'in the fourth zone' in two models means different heart rates.

Three-zone polarized model

Seiler model: below the first lactate threshold, between LT1 and LT2, above LT2. It really lays out voluminous weeks — most of the time is at the bottom, the quality is at the top, there is little gray mean.

Zone	Boundaries and share	Watts	What they do there
Zone 1 · Below LT1	up to 80 % FTP · ≈80% of the time	up to 200 Watts	The whole volume: long rides, conversation is possible. Lactate almost does not grow, you recover along the way.
Zone 2 · Between LT1 and LT2	80–105 % FTP · ≈5 % of the time	200–263 W	Gray middle: tempo and subthreshold. You get tired noticeably, you grow moderately. In a polarized week, there is deliberately little of it.
Zone 3 · Above LT2	above 105 % FTP · ≈15 % of the time	from 263 W and above	Threshold and VO2max intervals. Two quality jobs a week on fresh legs is enough.

LT1 is taken here for 80%FTP, LT2 for 105%FTP. The exact thresholds are caught by lactate or by breathing in the laboratory, from FTP this is an estimate.

Watts per kilogram

How many watts are needed to reach round values at the current weight, and how many percentages of the current FTP.

Zone	Required FTP	Share of the current	Difference and reference
3.0 W/kg	225 W	90.0 % of FTP	There is already a stock25 W. A strong amateur, you stay in the main group
3.5 W/kg	263 W	105.2 % of FTP	need another 13 W. Fast amateur, fighting for the top ten in the age group
4.0 W/kg	300 W	120.0 % of FTP	need another 50 W. A strong racer, an elite of amateurs
4.5 W/kg	338 W	135.2 % of FTP	need another 88 W. Semi-professional level
5.0 W/kg	375 W	150.0 % of FTP	need another 125 W. Professional level

The levels are signed honestly: this is a benchmark for mass races, not a category and not a sentence. Five watts per kilogram per hour is the level that units reach, and losing weight for the sake of the denominator of a fraction is more dangerous than growing the numerator.

How to test

20-minute — warm-up for 20–25 minutes with a couple of short bursts, then 20 minutes at maximum. A flat section without traffic lights and turns or a trainer: heart rate and power should not jump. The average for 20 minutes is multiplied by 0.95 — you can't hold that much for an hour, hence the minus 5%.

Ramp Test — stepwise increase in power to failure, FTP is considered as 75% of the power of the last full minute. The figure is almost always different from 20 race results: the test is short and strongly depends on the anaerobic reserve. Compare the test with the same test, not with a different race results.

What spoils the test — uncalibrated sensor, heat, lack of sleep, coffee on an empty stomach, too fast start. The first five minutes almost always want to go faster than you can: hold back, otherwise the second half will fall apart.

How often — FTP is reviewed every 4-6 weeks, usually at the end of the block before the unloading week. More often there is no point: the zones do not have time to work out. Less often — and half of the block you will train on outdated numbers.

All these are guidelines for a healthy person, not a medical recommendation. The maximum heart rate is not calculated using the formula "220 minus age" — it is seen in a test or in a race, and the test is done to failure only if everything is in order with health.

Link to this calculation