CyclingFTP and power testsIntermediate 75 min

20-minute FTP test (Allen and Coggan protocol)

The 20-minute FTP test is the most widely used field test: 5 minutes all-out to take the edge off, then 20 minutes as hard as you can. Your FTP is 95% of your average power over those 20 minutes. 75 minutes in all, done fresh.

Written by Pierre Halloo · Updated 25 October 2026

Session profile13 blocks

At a glance

Duration: 75 min
Main target: 100–110%FTP5 Z5 · VO2 Max
Time at target: 20 min
Estimated load: 75
Structure: 20′ at 100–110% FTP
Level: Intermediate
Equipment: Power meter · Smart trainer

The session in detail

FTP

Time in zone

Z132 min
Z218 min
Z525 min

What the targets mean

The session's targets, in watts for three reference FTPs
Target	Zone	Time	FTP 200 W	FTP 250 W	FTP 300 W
110–125%	5VO2 Max	5 min	220–250 W	275–313 W	330–375 W
100–110%	5VO2 Max	20 min	200–220 W	250–275 W	300–330 W
60–75%	2Endurance	3 min	120–150 W	150–188 W	180–225 W
45–55%	1Recovery	22 min	90–110 W	113–138 W	135–165 W

Put this session on your bike computer or watch

Do the test from your bike computer, guided block by block. Then enter your new FTP and every session follows.

Try this session

What this session is for

This test doesn't make you fitter: it measures. It gives you your FTP, the power you can hold for about an hour, which anchors every power-based session you do. The 5 all-out minutes beforehand dip into your anaerobic capacity, so the 20 minutes mostly reflect your endurance at threshold; the 95% rule then brings the 20-minute effort back to an hour. It is an estimate, not a direct measurement: 95% is an average, and your true FTP may sit either side of it.

Who it's for

Riders with a power meter or a smart trainer who already know how to pace a long effort. If you have never held 20 minutes flat out, the ramp test is easier to get right: it paces itself. If you don't know your FTP yet, enter an estimate: during this test the targets are only guides.

When to do it

At the start of a training block, or every 4 to 6 weeks: a common guideline. Do it fresh, after one or two easy days, never the day after a hard session. Repeat it in the same conditions (time of day, equipment, route) so two results can be compared. Once your FTP is updated, every watt target moves with it: a good moment to reset your block.

How to do it

Warm-up
20 min
5′ at 45–55% FTP + 5′ at 56–65% FTP + 10′ at 66–75% FTP
20 minutes building from very easy to steady. Don't go looking for fatigue: the warm-up prepares the test, it shouldn't cost it anything.
Activation
10 min
3 × 1′ at 60–75% FTP, 1′ recovery + 5′ at 45–55% FTP
Three one-minute spin-ups at high cadence, between 100 and 120 rpm, without pushing the power, with an easy minute between each. Then 5 easy minutes. The point is to wake the legs up, not to load them.
Activation
5 min
5′ at 110–125% FTP
5 minutes all-out, by feel. On a smart trainer, turn ERG mode off so you control the power yourself. This effort deliberately takes the edge off your freshness: that is what makes the next 20 minutes measure your endurance at threshold rather than your punch.
Recovery
10 min
10′ at 45–55% FTP
10 genuinely easy minutes. Drink, breathe, settle your position: there is no room for improvising in what comes next.
Test
20 min
20′ at 100–110% FTP
20 minutes as hard as you can, at steady power. Start slightly below your target, hold it, and only lift in the last 5 minutes. If your current FTP is right, your average will land around 100–110% of it. Outdoors, pick a long steady climb or a flat road with no stops or junctions: every slowdown skews the result. Note your average power over the 20 minutes: that is the number that counts.
Cool-down
10 min
10′ at 40–55% FTP
10 very easy minutes. Then the maths: your FTP is 95% of your average. An average of 260 W gives an FTP of 247 W.

How it should feel

The first minutes of the test feel easy: that's the trap. From around the 12th minute, holding the power takes all your concentration, and you finish empty. Guide: 9 to 10 out of 10. If you finish with something left, your result underestimates your FTP.

Common mistakes

Going out too hard

The classic: a superb average for 5 minutes, then a long slow death. Power that fades clearly over the 20 minutes gives a lower average than a steady effort. Start a little under your target and save something for the end.

Testing tired

A test the day after a hard session measures your fatigue, not your FTP. Keep one or two easy days before, eat as you would before a hard session and stay hydrated.

Changing conditions between tests

A different power meter, another bike, the turbo one time and the road the next: two results only compare under the same conditions. Zero your power meter before you start, too.

Leaving ERG mode on

On a smart trainer, ERG mode imposes a power: the opposite of an all-out effort. Turn it off for the 5 minutes and for the 20.

When to skip it

Before you start

A power meter or a smart trainer, the same one from one test to the next.
Being able to hold a steady 20-minute effort: if not, start with the ramp test.

Skip it if

You did a hard session yesterday.
You are ill, coming back from a break, or unsure about your health: get medical advice before a maximal effort.

Origin and evidence

Level of evidence

Moderate evidenceLevel 3 of 5

Protocol described by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan in Training and Racing with a Power Meter (VeloPress, several editions): 95% of 20-minute power as an estimate of the power you can hold for an hour. It is often attributed to Hunter Allen rather than Coggan. Other tests use other factors: 90% of the 8-minute average for Carmichael, 75% of your strongest minute for the ramp test. Several studies have compared FTP estimated this way with laboratory markers, with reasonable agreement on average and differences from one rider to another. The % FTP targets for the warm-up and the efforts are Wattson choices; on the two all-out efforts they are only guides. Bottom line: the reference field test, an estimate rather than a direct measurement.

Sources

Allen H., Coggan A., Training and Racing with a Power Meter, VeloPress

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate FTP from a 20-minute test?

Multiply your average power over the 20 minutes by 0.95. An average of 260 W gives an FTP of 247 W. Use only the 20 minutes of the test, not the 5 all-out minutes or the warm-up. The 95% factor is an average: depending on your profile, your true FTP may differ from it.

What are the 5 all-out minutes before the test for?

They dip into your anaerobic capacity. Without them, part of the 20-minute effort would rely on reserves you can't draw on for an hour, and your FTP would come out too high. It is the sequence described by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan. Depending on the version, the recovery that follows lasts 5 or 10 minutes; here, 10.

20-minute test or ramp test?

The 20-minute test asks you to pace a long effort, and is often seen as closer to riding at threshold. The ramp test paces itself and is short; it suits you better if you have never held 20 minutes flat out. What matters most is sticking with the same test from one time to the next, so your results compare.

How often should you retest FTP?

Every 4 to 6 weeks, or at the start of a training block: a common guideline, not a rule drawn from studies. Repeat it in the same conditions (time of day, equipment, route). Between tests, if your threshold sessions get clearly easier, that is also a sign your FTP has moved.

Can you do the FTP test on a turbo trainer?

Yes, and it is the simplest way to hold a steady effort: no stops, no junctions. Keep the room well ventilated and turn ERG mode off for the two all-out efforts. Then keep using the turbo for your next tests: an indoor result and a road result don't always compare.

Take it up a level with Wattson

An intuitive workout editor to build cycling and running sessions in no time, then sync them to your watch or bike computer: Wahoo, Garmin, Suunto or Coros.