Cycling plan to raise your FTP
FTP is the power you can hold for about an hour — and the reference for every cycling zone. The plan leans on sweet spot and threshold work, because those raise it most efficiently.
- Minimum weeks
- 6
- Ideal
- 10
- Maximum
- 16
Who it is for
For a cyclist with a power meter or smart trainer who wants to go faster in a time trial or on climbs.
Who it is not for
Without a power meter the plan still works, but prescribes effort rather than watts. Less precise, still useful.
Sessions you will find in the plan
Sweet spot
Fifteen-minute blocks at 88-94% FTP. The best return on recovery cost in cycling — you can still train normally the next day.
Threshold work
Ten-minute blocks at 95-105% FTP. Direct work on lifting the threshold itself.
VO2max intervals
Four minutes at 110-120% FTP with equal recovery. They raise the ceiling everything else sits under.
Big-gear strength work
Five minutes at 50-60 rpm. Builds pedalling-specific strength during the base phase.
A sample week in the build phase
This is an example with four training days. With a different number of days the plan arranges sessions differently, but the rules stay the same.
What the plan enforces for you
- The long-ride ceiling follows the goal: 3 hours for a time trial, up to 5 for a long-distance event.
- Two hard sessions never fall on consecutive days.
- In a deload week the quality session drops to sweet spot — threshold work alongside recovery rides is not a deload.
- With no FTP on file the plan prescribes perceived effort rather than numbers it has nothing to derive.
Common questions
Where do I get my FTP?
From a 20-minute test: ride 20 minutes as hard as you can hold, and FTP is 95% of the average. In the panel under Tests and zones you just enter the test result — we do the conversion.
How often should I retest?
Every 6-8 weeks. Zones built on a stale FTP stop matching reality and training drifts either too easy or too hard.
Other plans
Generate a plan for your race date
Pick a race from the catalogue or enter your own, tell us the days you have — the plan counts backwards from race day, with phases, deloads and a taper.
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