Original episode & show notes | Raw transcript
Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is a cornerstone metric in cycling because it represents the highest power output you can sustain aerobically for a prolonged period (typically ranging from 30 to 75 minutes). The podcast hosts, Kolie Moore and Rory Porteus, emphasize its importance for several key reasons:
Sets the Aerobic Ceiling: FTP establishes the upper limit for your sustainable power. All your endurance-based efforts, from a steady climb to a long time trial, are performed at percentages of your FTP. A higher FTP means a higher sustainable pace.
Integrates Central and Peripheral Fitness: It’s a holistic measure that reflects both your central cardiovascular capacity (your heart’s ability to deliver oxygenated blood, related to VO2 max) and your peripheral muscular fitness (your muscles’ ability to utilize that oxygen and clear metabolic byproducts like lactate).
The “Race of Truth” Interval: FTP intervals are incredibly revealing. They act as a “canary in the coal mine,” quickly exposing if you are fatigued, under-fueled, or overly stressed, as your ability to sustain that power (your Time to Exhaustion, or TTE) will be the first thing to decline.
The central idea of the podcast is that there is no single “best” way to train FTP. The optimal approach is highly contextual and depends on several factors. The hosts frame this as a “decision tree” where a coach (or a self-coached athlete) must make choices based on the athlete’s specific situation. The primary branches of this tree are:
Point in the Season: Early vs. Late
Training Age: Novice vs. Experienced
Opportunity Cost: What are you giving up to focus on FTP?
This factor dictates the primary focus of your FTP workouts.
During the base or early build phase, your body is typically fresh and highly adaptable. The primary question here is: Should you add time or power to your intervals?
For Less Experienced Athletes: The consensus is to prioritize adding time (duration). For example, progressing from 4x10 minutes to 3x15 minutes, and then to 2x20 minutes. This approach is safer, teaches pacing, and builds a deep aerobic base. It prevents athletes from “overcooking” intervals and accumulating excessive fatigue, which could derail the rest of their training week. The motivational boost from successfully completing a longer interval is also significant.
For Experienced Athletes (The “Auto-Regulation” Approach): Experienced athletes who have a good “feel” for their threshold can be given more freedom to auto-regulate. They can add a few watts if they feel good or extend the final interval. The hosts suggest that if an experienced athlete is consistently adding watts to their prescribed intervals (e.g., doing a 2x20 workout and pushing the power up each time), you can simply prescribe the same workout again, trusting them to continue pushing their limits until they plateau.
As you approach your peak or enter the race season, the context changes. You’ve likely captured the “easy gains” in FTP.
The Plateau Signal: The key indicator that you’ve reached this stage is when your FTP stops improving from threshold-specific work. You might do a block of 3x20 or 2x30-minute intervals, rest, and find your FTP is the same.
Shifting the Stimulus: This is the critical decision point. Continuing to hammer the same FTP intervals will likely only increase your TTE (Time to Exhaustion) at that same power, not raise the power itself. To raise your FTP ceiling, you need a new, more potent stimulus. This is typically when you should introduce VO2 max intervals.
The Role of VO2 Max: VO2 max work directly targets your central cardiovascular system, effectively “raising the roof” under which your FTP can grow. By improving your maximal oxygen uptake, you create more physiological headroom for your sustainable power to increase.
Context is Still Key: The decision to start a VO2 block depends on other factors. If life stress is high or the race calendar is packed, a high-intensity VO2 block could be detrimental. In such cases, it might be better to sprinkle in VO2 sessions more sparingly or have started them earlier in the season.
How long you’ve been training consistently and effectively dramatically changes expectations and approaches.
Low Training Age (Beginner/Intermediate): Athletes new to structured training see rapid and significant FTP gains. The overload required to stimulate progress is relatively small. The focus should be on consistency, building a base, and mastering the fundamentals of pacing.
Advanced Training Age (3-5+ years): Highly trained athletes see much smaller year-over-year improvements. Getting back to their previous season’s peak FTP happens relatively quickly, often with just a few months of sub-threshold and threshold work. To make further gains, the training stimulus must be significantly larger and more potent. This is where more advanced strategies come into play, such as higher volume, more intense VO2 max sessions (like VO2 double days, used very judiciously), and meticulous attention to recovery.
This is perhaps the most crucial and often overlooked factor. Every hour and every ounce of energy you spend chasing a higher FTP is time and energy you cannot spend on something else.
When FTP Plateaus: If your FTP has been stuck for a while despite trying various stimuli, it’s time to ask: What is the opportunity cost of continuing to hammer this?
Shifting Focus: Instead of fighting for a 2-watt gain, that energy could be better invested in areas that will make a bigger difference in your race results:
Repeatability: Improving your ability to handle repeated hard efforts.
Sprinting: Developing top-end power and speed.
Endurance/Durability: Extending your ability to perform well late in a long race.
Race Craft: Improving positioning, strategy, and energy conservation.
Off-the-Bike Factors: Dialing in nutrition, sleep, and recovery.
The Freedom of a Plateau: The hosts frame this not as a failure, but as a form of freedom. Once you accept your FTP is where it is for now, you are free to become a more complete and effective cyclist by working on other critical skills.
To navigate this decision tree effectively, the podcast recommends a simple but powerful exercise: create a priority list.
Identify Your Goals: What do you want to achieve? (e.g., “Be competitive in Cat 3 criteriums,” “Complete a 100-mile gravel race,” “Have more fun on group rides.”)
List Required Skills: What does it take to succeed at those goals? (e.g., high FTP, a strong sprint, bike handling skills, endurance, etc.)
Rank Your Priorities: Where does FTP fall on that list for you, right now? If you’re getting dropped on climbs, FTP is a high priority. If you’re making it to the final sprint but have no kick, sprint power is the priority.
Invest Your Energy Accordingly: This list will guide your training focus and help you manage the opportunity costs, ensuring you’re investing your limited time and energy in the areas that will yield the greatest return.
Over-Unders (e.g., 90%/105% FTP): These are simply a subset of threshold training. They are useful for race-specificity (simulating surges on climbs) or for athletes who find them more engaging. The exact percentages aren’t critical; the principle is to challenge your lactate-clearing capabilities.
Increasing Time-in-Zone vs. Interval Duration (e.g., 6x10 vs. 1x60): The hosts advocate for a middle ground. While breaking up the work allows for more total time-in-zone, there is a clear benefit to progressing towards longer, continuous intervals (15-20+ minutes) to build muscular endurance and mental toughness. The absurd extremes (60x1 minute or 1x60 minutes) are generally less effective for most athletes than a more balanced approach like 3x20 or 2x30 minutes.
Maximum TTE: While theoretically possible to extend TTE to extreme lengths (the hosts speculate a max of around 90-100 minutes), this requires hyper-specialized training. For most cyclists, once TTE extends beyond 60-75 minutes, the opportunity cost becomes too high, and the focus should shift to raising the FTP itself.
FTP Maintenance During Race Season: You don’t need to progress your FTP intervals every week in-season. The goal is maintenance, not building. A “6 or 7 out of 10” RPE threshold or sweet spot session once every 1-2 weeks is often sufficient to maintain your FTP while leaving energy for racing and recovery.