Kolie Moore's FTP test protocol

Great! Next weekend it is! As I do really like this testing.

It’s not only a test but also a very solid workout.

And to be serious, I think KM said on the latest podcast that testing should be every 8 weeks or so.

If the watts feel right for the workout, then I’ll totally hold off doing to the test.

I’m just happy that I’m not so worked up or dreading a test now!

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Attempting the Progression 1 test tomorrow morning instead of the ramp test on the schedule. Going resistance mode as I want to feel my FTP.

I’m excited! Looking forward to seeing where my FTP is plus my TTE which I want to start using as an improvement metric in my training

Didn’t think I’d ever say that I’m excited before an FTP test.

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Don’t hold me to that. Maybe in that podcast I didn’t get it across as well as I wanted that you may want to read other signals that you’re improving before doing another test. I think most people I’m coaching right now have only done… two? tests this year. Maybe up to three.

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At the end of TR ramp test, I was nauseous as if seasick. At end of KM test (outside) today, I was extremely tired and depleted but still able to ride 8 miles back to my car at a relatively normal pace. The KM FTP was 20 points higher than my recent TR Ramp Test of 211. Also, the result was 10 points higher than previous indoor KM test using erg mode. I plan to use KM instead of ramp going forward. Overall, pleased with progress for a 68-year old cyclist.

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First time doing the KM Progression 1 test today after my first 4 week training block with TrainerRoad. Very happy with the result. Followed it up with 70 minutes of Endurance work.

FTP: 275w to 292w (+17w / +6.2%)
WEIGHT: 73.2kg to 71.8kg (-1.4kg / -1.95%)
W/KG: 3.76w/kg to 4.07w.kg
TTE: 30min 30sec

First time engaging with structured training and first time in the 4w/kg territory for me. Pumped! I haven’t ever been in this territory before. It seems trusting ‘the process’ is well and truly paying off. I have definitely learnt a lot about myself physically and mentally as a cycler the last month.

To those new to the protocol here are my musings:

  • I found this a much better way to test FTP than the ramp test. As others have said in this thread, it was intense and you push yourself, but I found that I felt a lot better off the bike and more ‘refreshed’ per-say. Can see myself recovering a lot better from this test than the ramp test.

  • I also like getting the TTE metric alongside the FTP metric because that is something that I would like to focus on as well in my training. You don’t get that with a ramp test so that is another positive for doing a test like this.

  • I did the test on Resistance mode and chose to not do it in ERG mode. I have been toying with doing it on or off ERG mode and decided to do it in Resistance mode as per the KM article and being able to ‘feel’ your FTP etc. Found it to be a very useful way of doing it. For me anyway - just my N=1. Others prefer it in ERG mode.

  • The previous week was an Endurance week where I did noting but 10hrs in Zone 1 (Sieler Zones) but I had the weekend off so came into the test with a full 2 day break.

  • I usually ride fasted but fuel for VO2 and Anaerobic sessions - pasta the night before and fruit and toast before the sessions. I fueled the same way for the Progression 1 test this morning.

All in all, I will be using the KM Progressions for the FTP tests moving forward. Thanks @empiricalcycling for making his thoughts and learnings public and also to @alexgold123 for making the tests in his workout group.

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Today I tried the Kolie Moore baseline. I did the LSCT Warmup first, then straight into the baseline test.

My current TR ramp test FTP is 273. Zwift has been telling me my FTP is in the 290s, so, I decided to see if this is true by setting the Kolie Moore test intensity at 107% (target FTP 292).

I made it 20 minutes into the baseline test after a 20 minute LSCT warmup, although I suspect the exhaustion was mental as much as physical after a long busy weekend. I believe the baseline gave me a valid result, so I’m setting my FTP at that result (282 FTP) and we’ll see how the next block of training goes.

Personally I’d want to get to 35-40 mins before I’d be taking it to be my ftp.

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You can’t base your FTP on a 20 minute effort, that was a major point of the article. There doesn’t seem to be an agreed definition of a minimum TTE at FTP, but 35 minutes is the shortest I’ve seen thrown around.

The other main point of the article is that you should be able to feel the tipping point. So maybe that’s what you felt - I’ve no reason not inclination to question that - but for anyone else reading, a 20 minute effort does not constitute a valid long-form FTP test.

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Thanks for the reply. Combined with the LSCT Warmup it ended up being a 40 minute total effort, is that not valid?

I’ll keep an eye on workouts at “new” FTP and then try the Kolie Moore again in a few weeks and see what happens.

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Warmup is not a part of the test. If you could hold the power for 20 min it is definitely not your FTP. 30 min (or better 40) is bare minimum to call it FTP.

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You can try that, for sure, but in my experience TrainerRoad doesn’t necessarily give you a good feel for what different zones should feel like due to the lack of any long intervals at or below FTP in most of the plans.

When basing my plans on the ramp test, I could still complete 98% of the workouts in SSB for example - 10 minutes slightly above threshold is doable after all - but it was soul-destroyingly hard and my progress came to a grinding halt. This was with an FTP 3-7% too high.

So if it was me, I would redo the test, and start wayyy lower than you think you should, like 250W maybe. Hold that for 20 minutes. Then slowly ramp your effort up, like 1W/minute at most, until you feel the effort start to change drastically. Then back it back down a few W just to be safe, ride until you’ve got a minimum TTE and start ramping up again just to feel what it’s like over FTP.

You don’t have use the average power of the test as your FTP btw - if you spend a decent amount of time at a steady wattage and can feel a drastic change if you go up 5W, you can call that your FTP.

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Ok, I had a test scheduled for today. So I went on a ride and tried this:

I don’t think I fully captured the spirit of the test, while I was pretty tired, I still had legs to try another hill after the descend, albeit much reduced intensity.

Seems like FTP could be in the 232-239 range, probably good to use the lower bound or 230.

Any comments?

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How did it feel in the 230-239 range?

It felt ok. I did push the HR to 186 (Max 192)… Controlling watts outside is harder. I felt strong at the beginning and wasn’t paying attention to the head unit, ended up doing 3 minutes at 300+ watts, so pacing wasn’t optimal. I feel 230 is apt, I could have pushed it a bit longer towards the end, but that wouldn’t have materially changed anything.

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Sounds like 230 is a good place to peg it at then. As Kolie has said, you lose very little by under-estimating a bit, vs over-estimating where you can pay a hefty price in terms of recovery etc.

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You’ll never know it to the watt, and it doesn’t even exist to the watt physiologically. Call it 235w, but when doing FTP work aim for 225 to be safe (and there are zero downsides to this).

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Interested in trying the KM inspired ramp test. I cannot find it in the workout list. Does everyone have to recreate it following the principles discussed in this thread, ,or is it some way of gaining access to it?

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You should be able to go here and join the team that has the different test progressions.

This might be a bit nit-picky but it isn’t a ramp test.

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