How to Actually Raise Your FTP: What Should You Focus On First?

Most cyclists who want to raise their FTP start with the wrong question.

They ask: “What’s the best FTP workout?”

Should I do 3×20 minutes? Over-unders? VO2max intervals? Sweet spot? Supra-threshold? Longer threshold? Race simulation?

Those are all useful workouts in the right context. But the better question is not, “What workout is best?”

The better question is: Why is your threshold limited right now?

That answer changes everything.

FTP is not one single system. It is the result of several systems working together: your aerobic ceiling, your ability to use a high percentage of that ceiling, your lactate production and clearance, your durability, your fueling, and your ability to keep producing power when the ride gets hard.

That is why simply doing more classic FTP intervals does not always solve the problem. A workout like 3×20 minutes at FTP is not useless. It can be very effective. But it is not magic, and it is not always the missing piece.

For some athletes, FTP will not move because their aerobic ceiling is too low. For others, they can ride steady but fall apart when the race becomes variable. Some can do one great 20-minute effort but cannot hold strong power after two or three hours. Others can surge well, but they cannot keep pressure on the pedals once fatigue builds.

So instead of randomly copying workouts, you need to identify the limiter.

3×20 Is Not Dead — But It Is Not the Whole Answer

There is a trend now to dismiss traditional FTP work as outdated. That goes too far.

Classic threshold work still has a place. Long intervals around FTP are useful when the goal is to extend time to exhaustion, improve pacing, and teach yourself to hold sustained power. If you are preparing for long climbs, time trials, breakaways, gravel races, or any event where you need to sit near threshold for a long time, threshold work matters.

But the outdated part is thinking that raising FTP only happens by riding at FTP.

If you always do 3×20, you may become better at doing 3×20 without actually moving the system forward. You might improve comfort at that power. You might improve pacing. You might even extend how long you can hold your current FTP. But if the limiter is your aerobic ceiling, your ability to handle surges, or your ability to ride above threshold, more 3×20 may not be the best next step.

Threshold riding is often the expression of fitness. It shows what the system can currently do. But to change the system, you may need to train above, below, or around threshold.

The Four Main Tools

For most amateur cyclists, threshold development can be divided into four major tools.

First, VO2max work raises the ceiling. This is your top-end aerobic capacity. If the ceiling is too low, FTP has limited room to grow.

Second, over-unders improve your ability to handle fluctuations around threshold. Racing is rarely steady. Group rides, gravel, MTB, rolling road races, and crits all require you to go over threshold and then recover while still riding hard.

Third, supra-threshold work pressures FTP upward. This is controlled riding slightly above threshold, often around 102–108% of FTP. It teaches yourself to live just above FTP without turning every effort into a full panic.

Fourth, longer threshold and TTE work extend the power. Once you have raised the ceiling and improved your ability to handle pressure, longer threshold work helps you prove and extend the new level.

The mistake is doing these in the wrong order, or doing only one of them forever.

** Also please note, this is in terms of THRESHOLD DEVELOPMENT. If you cannot handle fluctuations or race demands you may actually need Anaerobic work! See here***

The Best Order for Most Amateurs

For many amateur cyclists, the best progression looks like this:

1. Aerobic base and durability first
2. VO2max plus over-unders
3. Supra-threshold
4. Longer threshold / TTE

That does not mean every athlete follows the exact same plan. But as a general framework, it works very well.

You first need enough aerobic durability to handle training consistently. If you cannot ride endurance without falling apart, you probably do not need a huge VO2max block yet. You need repeatable aerobic work, better fueling, and more consistency.

Once that foundation is in place, VO2max and over-unders pair well together. VO2max work raises the ceiling. Over-unders teach the body to deal with fluctuating power and lactate dynamics while that ceiling is being raised.

Then supra-threshold work becomes the bridge. Now that you have more room above FTP and better ability to handle pressure, you can start nudging sustained power upward.

Finally, longer threshold work consolidates the gain. This is where 3×20, 2×30, 1×45, or even 1×60 minutes become useful. Not as the entire training philosophy, but as the phase where you extend and express the new threshold.

A simple way to say it is:

Raise the ceiling and improve lactate handling, then pressure threshold upward, then extend the new threshold.

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Step 1: Do You Have Enough Durability?

Before picking interval workouts, ask a basic question:

Can you train consistently and finish longer rides without falling apart?

If the answer is no, start there.

Signs durability is the limiter include fading badly on two- to four-hour rides, endurance pace feeling harder than it should, needing multiple days to recover from normal training, or seeing power drop late in rides even when the effort is not that hard.

This athlete does not need fancy workouts yet. They need repeatable work.

The focus should be endurance volume, tempo, low sweet spot, fueling, and consistency.

Good workouts might include:

  • 2–4 hour endurance rides

  • 3×20 minutes tempo

  • 2×30 minutes sweet spot

  • Long rides with the final hour steady endurance or tempo

This is not flashy, but it works. If you cannot absorb normal training, piling hard intervals on top just turns the plan into survival.

Step 2: Is the Aerobic Ceiling Too Low?

Once you have enough consistency and durability, the next question is whether your ceiling is limiting you.

This is common with athletes who do a lot of tempo, sweet spot, and threshold. They can ride steady. They can complete 2×20 or 3×15 near FTP. But their FTP has plateaued, and they struggle when the pace lifts.

Signs the ceiling may be too low include poor 3–6 minute power, lack of punch on short climbs, struggling when the group accelerates, or having 5-minute power that is not much higher than FTP.

This is where VO2max work matters.

Good options include:

  • 5×4 minutes hard with 4 minutes easy

  • 6×3 minutes hard with 3 minutes easy

  • 4×5 minutes hard with 5 minutes easy

  • 2 sets of 10×30/15s

The goal is not just to suffer. The goal is to accumulate time at high oxygen uptake and raise your aerobic ceiling.

If the ceiling is low, stop obsessing over threshold. Raise the ceiling first.

Step 3: Can You Handle Fluctuations Around FTP?

Over-unders are one of the most useful workouts for race-focused amateurs.

The reason is simple: racing is not steady.

Even if your FTP is solid, you can still get dropped if you cannot go above threshold, settle back under, and keep producing power. The “under” is not true recovery. The under is where the work happens.

Signs this is the limiter include being able to ride steady threshold in training but blowing up in races, group rides, MTB, gravel, or rolling terrain. You may get dropped after repeated accelerations, or you may be unable to recover at 90–95% after a surge.

Good workouts include:

  • 3×12 minutes: 2 minutes at 95%, 1 minute at 105–110%

  • 2×20 minutes: 3 minutes at 92–95%, 1 minute at 105–108%

  • 4×10 minutes: 1 minute over, 1 minute under

  • 3×15 minutes: 30 seconds at 115%, 2:30 at 90–95%

The key is not making the under too easy. If you drop to soft-pedaling between surges, the workout becomes a different stimulus. The goal is to recover while still riding hard.

For a lot of amateurs, over-unders should come earlier in the progression, alongside VO2max work. They do not have to disappear later, but they are especially useful when you are teaching yourself to handle pressure around threshold.

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Step 4: Can You Ride Slightly Above FTP Without Cracking?

This is where supra-threshold work fits.

Supra-threshold is not the same as VO2max work. It is not a full gas 4-minute effort. It is controlled pressure just above FTP for 8-12 minutes (give or take a few).

Signs this is the limiter include being able to do VO2max work reasonably well and having decent 3–5 minute power, but struggling with 8-12 minute hard climbs or efforts slightly above threshold. You can ride at 95%, but 103-108% feels impossible.

This is the bridge between VO2max and threshold.

Good workouts include:

  • 4×8 minutes at 105–108%

  • 5×7 minutes at 105%

  • 3×10 minutes at 102–105%

  • 6×6 minutes at 106–110%

For many riders, I prefer starting with the longer and slightly lower end of the range, like 3×10 minutes at 102–105%, rather than turning everything into a smash fest. The goal is sustained pressure, not just proving you can suffer.

This teaches yourself to live just above threshold without blowing up. Over time, that can help pull FTP upward.

Step 5: Can You Hold the Power Long Enough?

Once you have the ceiling, handle fluctuations, and can tolerate pressure above FTP, longer threshold work becomes very important. 

This is the consolidation phase.

Signs this is the limiter include testing well for 20 minutes, completing 10–15 minute threshold intervals, but struggling to hold strong power for 40–60 minutes. You may fade late in climbs, time trials, breakaways, or long races.

Now classic threshold work makes sense.

A progression could look like:

  • 3×15 minutes

  • 3×20 minutes

  • 2×30 minutes

  • 1×45 minutes

  • 1×60 minutes

This is where 3×20 belongs. Not as the entire answer, but as part of the process.

The point is to extend usable duration. A rider’s FTP is not very useful if they can only express it in a clean test environment. The goal is to make the power available when it matters.

Using FTP as a Percentage of 5-Minute Power

A practical way to screen this is to compare FTP to 5-minute power.

The formula is simple:

FTP ÷ 5-minute max power = rough utilization ratio

For example, if you have a 300w FTP and a 400w 5-minute power, you are at 75%.

This is not lab-perfect. Five-minute power is not pure VO2max. It includes anaerobic contribution. Some athletes can produce a big 5-minute effort because they have a strong anaerobic system. Others are bad at testing 5 minutes and under-report their ceiling.

But as a rough tool / screening exercise, it is useful.

If FTP is under about 75–78% of 5-minute power, you probably have enough ceiling and need to improve utilization. That may mean more sustained aerobic work, supra-threshold, over-unders, threshold progression, or durability.

If FTP is around 80–85%, you are in a normal-to-good range. The next step depends on race demands and durability.

If FTP is 85% or more of 5-minute power, you may already be close to your ceiling. You likely need more VO2max work to raise the roof.

Again, do not make the decision from one number. Use the number as a clue, then compare it to your actual race and training performance.

A Simple Weekly Template

Most amateurs do not need three brutal interval days per week.

A simple structure works better:

Tuesday: Key intensity
VO2max, over-unders, or supra-threshold depending on the block.

Thursday: Support workout
Tempo, sweet spot, threshold, or endurance.

Weekend: Long ride
Mostly endurance, sometimes with tempo or threshold late.

That is enough for many athletes. One very focused hard day, one moderate day, and one durable long ride can create a lot of progress without burying the rider.

The biggest mistake is stacking too many hard sessions and then wondering why you cannot complete the important work.

The Takeaway

If you want to raise FTP, do not just copy the hardest workout you can find.

Identify the limiter.

If you fade on endurance rides, build aerobic durability.

If you are durable but plateaued, raise the ceiling with VO2max.

If you can ride steady but racing destroys you, use over-unders.

If you can touch above threshold but cannot sustain pressure, use supra-threshold.

If you can hit the number but not hold it long enough, extend threshold and TTE.

Threshold is not one workout. Threshold is the outcome of the whole system.

The smarter you are about identifying the limiter, the more effective every workout becomes.

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Brendan HouslerComment