Hey! I think I have seen a ramp test protocol somewhere with 3 minute duration steps, but cant find it anymore. Does anyone know what percentage of last step i should use to get my FTP?
//Viktor
3 minute steps are typically used when doing a VO2max test, not for FTP determination. There is no TR workout equivalent that I’m aware of. VO2max testing is usually done in a lab by wearing a face mask so you can directly measure the volume and gas concentrations of inspired and expired air.
There are several different ramp test protocols.
1 minute ramp
2.5 minute ramps
6 minute ramps.
The longer ramps are better when you actually also take blood lactate measurements, it’s the one i had to do when i went to a cycling lab. It does mean the test takes 45-60 minutes to complete, brutal.
I made a 2.5 minute test in TR with the workout creator.
With the 2.5 minute test, you take your maximum 2.5 minute power (easy to get from the graph in TR) and multiply it by 82.5% to get your FTP estimate.
The question is, why do you want another step test protocol, the TR ramp test exists and is automated. And now also you can do AI FTP prediction.
I think the Garmin test is 3 or 4 minute steps.
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Thank you for your answer! My ramp test FTP is far lower than my 20min FTP so i would like to test something else.
82.5% of the last 2.5 minutes. Here is a 2016 post from GPLama, probably the first time I came across the ramp test method for estimating aerobic power and using that to estimate pacing for a longer 20+ minute ftp test.
@ViktorJ FWIW ramp tests have been around for a long time, well studied, and are fairly accurate at estimating maximum aerobic power (MAP) which is roughly your 4-6 minute power at VO2max. “Fractional utilization” is your FTP as % of MAP. This can vary widely between athletes, and why a fixed percentage of the last step on a ramp test is merely a guesstimate at ftp.
If you go looking on Pubmed you can find a lot of different studies looking at tradeoffs of different step sizes (1-min, 90-sec, 2-min, 2.5-min, 3-min, etc.) and ramp rates. Here is one that provides a historical perspective:
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then why not do the 20 minute test if that is your preferred method?
Or use AI FTP detection?
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Ah yes, my mistake, its the 2.5 minute max power, not 1 minute in this case. Updated my post
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