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Cycling · Test

20-MINUTE FTP TEST

Warm-up, 5 min hard opener, recovery, 20 min max steady

Time · 1 hDifficulty · Difficulty 4 of 5 — Very hardVery hardInspired by · Hunter Allen

THE STORY

Coach Hunter Allen's FTP test: a 20-minute time trial, with 5% taken off the average power to estimate FTP. His protocol puts a 5-minute all-out effort beforehand, so the estimate isn't inflated by fresh anaerobic capacity.

Sources

  1. What is FTP? — Hunter Allen Power Blog, 2013

WHAT IT TRAINS

It sets your FTP — every %FTP target in this library depends on it.

WHO IT'S FOR

Any rider with a power meter or smart trainer. Retest every 6–8 weeks.

HOW TO DO IT

  1. 01Warm up 20 minutes including 3 short spin-ups.
  2. 025 minutes hard (all-out but even), then 10 minutes easy.
  3. 0320 minutes as hard as you can hold evenly.
  4. 04Cool down 10–15 minutes. FTP ≈ 95% of your 20-minute average power.

SCALED VERSION

A ramp test is gentler for new riders — or do the 20 minutes without the 5-minute opener.

Build the scaled version in Forge →

TARGETS THAT FIT YOU

Every target is a percentage of FTP. Your Garmin applies it to the FTP saved on your device or in Garmin Connect, so the same workout fits every rider — keep your FTP up to date.

THE WORKOUT, STEP BY STEP

CYCLING1h 07min

20-Minute FTP Test

Warm-up, 5 min hard opener, recovery, 20 min max steady · Inspired by Hunter Allen. · Fit File Forge Workout Library: www.fitfileforge.com/workouts/library/20-minute-ftp-test

WARMUP20 minTarget: 50-75% FTP

Build from 50% to 75% FTP; include 3 × (1 min spin-up at 100 rpm, 1 min easy).

INTERVAL5 min

Hard all-out, even effort.

RECOVERY10 minTarget: 48.5-51.5% FTP

Easy.

INTERVAL20 min

Time trial as hard as you can hold evenly; FTP ≈ 95% of average power.

COOLDOWN12 minTarget: 48.5-51.5% FTP

RELATED WORKOUTS

NOT HERE? DESCRIBE IT.

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