If you want to improve your functional threshold power (FTP), indoor cycling is a great path to take.
When following a structured workout, modern smart trainers have removed the guesswork and effort of intervals thanks to their ERG mode’s automatic intensity adjustment. The controlled nature of indoor riding also means you don’t have to deal with drill-ruining outside influences such as traffic, terrain or weather.
And when it comes to testing your FTP, a turbo trainer makes it possible to get an accurate, uninterrupted measure in a safer environment when riding on the limit.But another key benefit of indoor training when targeting your FTP is access to coach-made workouts and plans on training platforms such as Rouvy.
Unlike other apps, Rouvy prioritises realism, offering you the chance to ride and train on real-world routes.Whether you’re just starting your FTP journey or are an experienced rider looking to break through an FTP plateau, there is a wealth of easy-to-follow sessions available, where you’re guided on-screen from the first pedal stroke to the last.
Here, we explore how using Rouvy can help improve your FTP and transform your cycling fitness, and get the most out of riding both indoors and outside.
Learn more: Find out which Rouvy training plan is right for you
Ride little and often
Although the ‘T’ in FTP stands for ‘threshold’, improving your hour-long maximum effort doesn’t simply mean solely riding on your limit.
It’s important to spend time in all of your training zones, with lower and higher intensities also crucial pieces of the FTP puzzle.
The key thing that will bring about any improvements is consistency. In fact, if you’re new to structured training, simply riding regularly will bring noticeable gains.
Rouvy makes this easier than ever. The platform has a whole suite of workouts, ranging from recovery to anaerobic sessions, starting at less than 30 minutes in length.
Combined with the accessibility of indoor training – where you can jump on the turbo and get your workout done, rather than dealing with the time-consuming side effects of IRL riding – it’s never been easier to keep your training consistent.
Over time, you’ll need to gradually increase the duration and frequency that you ride to keep your body and fitness adapting, but Rouvy makes this straightforward, with each workout displaying its difficulty, duration and training stress score.
Plan ahead
While riding consistently will get you so far, adding structure to your training can revolutionise your adaptations.
Not only does it remove the guesswork for those not familiar with drilled workouts and their individual aims, but it can provide the best bang for your buck timing-wise when it comes to squeezing out fitness gains from every minute of riding.
It can reduce wasted hours where you’re riding at an intensity that's too low to have a significant impact, as well as preventing you from going too far into the red and putting yourself at risk of overtraining and, in extreme cases, damaging your performance through excessive fatigue.
Starting a basic training plan will help to boost your FTP – even if that’s not its primary purpose. Rouvy has 25 official training plans that include something for every ambition and ability, and it can also seamlessly sync and import workouts from third-party training platforms like TrainingPeaks and HumanGo.
Be focusedr
If your sole focus is increasing your FTP, an FTP-focused plan is the way to go.
Traditionally a gruelling undertaking, most workouts will include intervals that hit all parts of the intensity pyramid, pushing you and your fitness to new heights.
Rouvy has seven different plans targeted at improving your FTP – from the all-out Rouvy Specialized MTB four-week plan that requires only three hours per week to the six-week Push Harder plan that develops your resilience gradually over four hours per week.
Each should lead to a significant improvement in your FTP, with an FTP ramp test or 20-minute test at the end of your training block the moment of truth.
Sample plan
Below is a week-by-week overview of Rouvy’s Build Your FTP plan. Developed by Jakub Kadlec from the Rouvy Specialized Cycling Team, it’s four weeks long and requires a maximum of four hours’ training per week.
Week 1
- Rides: 3
- Total duration: 3hrs 8 mins
- TSS: 186
The first week starts with a relatively easy activation ride that includes a warm-up and four 30-second anaerobic sprints.
The difficulty starts to ramp up with four 10-minute tempo efforts that get you used to sustaining higher intensities, before the week’s final session includes three 12-minute under/over blocks ridden at a tempo intensity but featuring 60-second above-threshold efforts every fourth minute.
Week 2
- Rides: 3
- Total duration: 4hrs 11 mins
- TSS: 248
After being eased in, week two continues where week one left off with more 12-minute under/over blocks, albeit the overs are now at an anaerobic intensity and last between 30-60 seconds.
A longer second session builds the endurance and tempo zones of the pyramid, while the third workout is a toughy with five eight-minute intervals at FTP with four minutes of easy spinning between each effort.
Week 3
- Rides: 3
- Total duration: 3hrs 21 mins
- TSS: 203
Week three starts with the plan’s first short, sharp sprint intervals, which can improve the muscular strength of your legs.
Three 10-minute tempo intervals in workout two keep the aerobic base building, while another round of eight-minute FTP intervals for the week’s finale should start to feel slightly easier than the previous week.
Week 4
- Rides: 4
- Total duration: 3hrs 13 mins
- TSS: 229
It’s possible to drag your FTP up from above with hard-but-short VO2 Max efforts, and the plan’s final week introduces these into the equation.
The second workout is arguably the hardest of the whole plan – styled on a criterium, it features a 41-minute block that builds from tempo to just under threshold with regular 20-30 second sprints at zone 6 before concluding with an all-out 30-second effort.
The penultimate session features more VO2 Max intervals before the final workout can act like an activation for your legs before undertaking a ramp or 20-minute FTP test.
