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Ramp test vs 20-minute FTP test: which one should you do
Ramp test or 20-minute test: how Zwift, TrainerRoad, TrainingPeaks and Wahoo turn each into an FTP, what the research found, and which to pick.
At a glance
Short answer: Do the ramp test if you're new to testing or bad at pacing: it's shorter, and Zwift and TrainerRoad turn it into your FTP by taking 75% of your best minute. Do the 20-minute test if you can pace a long, hard effort: the apps take 95% of your average, and studies found it gives nearly the same result each time. Whichever you pick, stick with it, because the two can give different numbers and research suggests both can land above what you can really hold for an hour.
Who it's for: road and gravel riders setting training zones on a smart trainer this winter.
Already have a result? Our FTP calculator takes a 20-minute or ramp result and gives you watts per kilo and all seven training zones.
FTP in one line
FTP (functional threshold power) is roughly the most power you can hold for an hour. Zwift calls it "the maximum power (measured in watts) that you can sustain for an hour." Nobody wants to test for an hour, so both tests are shortcuts.
The two tests side by side
| Ramp test | 20-minute test | |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | Power goes up every minute until you can't keep going | Warm up, then ride as hard as you can, evenly, for 20 minutes |
| Your FTP is | 75% of your best 1-minute power | 95% of your 20-minute average |
| Trainer mode | ERG: the trainer sets the power | Slope or resistance: you set the pace |
| The apps suggest it for | Zwift: "perfect for beginners" | TrainerRoad: "seasoned riders who have a good sense of how to pace well" |
How the apps turn a test into a number
Zwift. The ramp adds 20 watts a minute "until you can no longer turn the pedals", and "Your FTP is your best one minute power multiplied by 0.75." Ramp Test Lite adds 10 watts a minute, for "smaller or less experienced riders". Zwift's standard test is built around a 20-minute all-out effort.
TrainerRoad. The ramp is its "preferred method": "We take 75% of your best one-minute power." Ride above the target in the final minute and "the app will reduce your result by a small amount". For the 20-minute test it multiplies your average "by .95".
TrainingPeaks. Take your best recent 20-minute power, from a test or a hard race or workout, and "Multiply that value by 95% to get your FTP."
Wahoo SYSTM. Wahoo's Half Monty is a ramp, then 20 minutes held inside a heart-rate range rather than all-out. Wahoo says the plain 75% rule "doesn't take into account athletes who are more anaerobically fit" (riders strong in short, very hard efforts) and gives FTP estimates that are inaccurate "for 17% of athletes".
The app you ride decides which test you get. Our indoor cycling apps guide compares them.
What the research found
The 20-minute test repeats well. In a 2019 study of highly trained athletes, two tests on separate visits agreed to within 13 watts up and 17 watts down. A 2025 study of 22 trained men called its repeatability "excellent", and a 2022 study of 11 trained riders put the test-to-test error at 3 watts.
But 95% isn't an hour for everyone. In the 2019 study, 17 of 19 highly trained athletes held their 95% figure for 60 minutes. The 22 trained men lasted 42 minutes on average, give or take 17. A 2023 study of 13 cyclists stopped at 40 minutes: only 7 got that far, and the other 6 lasted 26 minutes on average.
The ramp test has barely been studied. We found no full peer-reviewed paper testing the 75% rule against a 20-minute or one-hour effort. The only head-to-head we found is a weak source: a short study summary in a student-research journal, not a full peer-reviewed paper. In it, researchers at a Montreal university tested 32 amateur riders (2024) and found ramp FTP averaged 242.94 watts, 20-minute FTP 225.16 watts and real one-hour power 204.97 watts. The three rose and fell together, but the authors advise against using either shortcut to set training zones.
Which one to do
- New to testing, or never paced a hard 20 minutes: ramp test. Zwift points beginners there, and it's TrainerRoad's recommended test.
- You pace well: the 20-minute test. It has the most research behind it.
- Punchy, with a strong sprint or one-minute effort: by Wahoo's account the 75% rule can read wrong for you, so try the 20-minute test, or Half Monty if you ride SYSTM.
- Workouts feel too hard or too easy afterwards: TrainerRoad suggests nudging FTP in 2 to 5% steps.
- Every time: same test, and go in rested. TrainerRoad says to "choose a format that you will stick with" and to be "reasonably recovered".
How often to retest depends on who you ask: TrainerRoad says every 4 to 6 weeks, Zwift every 6 to 8.
Related on Pedal Brief
- FTP and power zone calculator
- The best indoor cycling apps
- Winter indoor trainer setup checklist
- Printable heart-rate zones card
- Printable TSS card
Sources and notes
Where the sources disagree
- Ramp test for steady riders. TrainerRoad's ramp FAQ recommends the ramp even for time triallists and triathletes, over "a poorly paced 8- or 20-minute test"; its 20-minute page calls that test "usually more ideal for seasoned riders". Wahoo's "17% of athletes" comes from its own Full Frontal data, not a published study.
- Does 95% last an hour? McGrath et al. (2019): 17 of 19 did. Gough et al. (2025): 42 ± 17 minutes. Wong et al. (2023), capped at 40 minutes: 7 of 13 reached it. Wong et al. suggest McGrath's athletes were simply fitter.
- Better percentages. Lillo-Beviá et al. (2022): 95% sat 12 ± 7 W above the lab steady-state marker; 91% matched it. Gough et al. suggest trying 80 to 90%. Brisebois-Boies et al. (2024): 86% for the 20-minute test and 63% for the ramp.
- Inside the ramp summary. It calls one-hour and 20-minute FTP "différents" (204.97 vs 225.16 W) while reporting p = 0.171, above its own p < 0.05 cut-off.
- Gough et al. wording. Title "trained cyclists"; discussion "recreational cyclists".
What we could not confirm
- A full peer-reviewed ramp vs 20-minute study. The only head-to-head is the Brisebois-Boies et al. summary (Université du Québec à Montréal authors) in a Université de Limoges journal of student research. Treat it as a weak source: a one-page summary, not a full peer-reviewed paper with methods and data we could check.
- Zwift's 20-minute percentage. Its article gives none.
- MyWhoosh's formula. Its FTP page lists a 20-minute test and a ramp test, not how either becomes an FTP.
- How much TrainerRoad trims. Only "a small amount".
- Women and new riders. Gough et al. and Lillo-Beviá et al. tested men only; Wong et al. had 2 women of 13, McGrath et al. 7 of 19. None tested new riders.
Sources
- App help pages: TrainerRoad Ramp Test FAQs, TrainerRoad 20-Minute and 8-Minute FTP Tests, Zwift: How to Measure Your Cycling Fitness Effectively, TrainingPeaks: How to Calculate Threshold Values, Wahoo: The Half Monty fitness assessment, Wahoo: Fitness Assessments in the SYSTM app, MyWhoosh: What is FTP
- Research: McGrath et al. 2019, Int J Exerc Sci, Gough et al. 2025, Journal of Science and Cycling (PDF), Wong et al. 2023, Journal of Sports Sciences, Lillo-Beviá et al. 2022, J Strength Cond Res (abstract), Brisebois-Boies et al. 2024, RSE2R (study summary, in French)
All checked 31 October 2026 (Europe/Copenhagen); the TrainerRoad and Wahoo pages re-checked 1 November 2026.
Disclosure: Pedal Brief may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This version has no affiliate links. We have not run these tests in a lab. App formulas come from each app's own help pages and research figures from the papers themselves, linked below and checked on 31 October 2026 (the TrainerRoad and Wahoo pages again on 1 November). Full disclosures.