{"id":9094,"date":"2026-01-27T09:39:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T08:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?p=9094"},"modified":"2026-02-03T09:47:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T08:47:27","slug":"ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/","title":{"rendered":"FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks: Should You Do Them in January?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>January is peak testing season. New year, clean calendar, fresh legs (or at least fresh intentions). Training platforms prompt it, coaches schedule it, and riders brace themselves for twenty minutes of truth. The question isn\u2019t <em>how<\/em> to test FTP (Functional Threshold Power). You already know that. The real question is whether January is the right moment to do it, and what the number is actually worth.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because more watts are satisfying. But they\u2019re not always the goal.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What FTP testing is really for<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/what-ftp-really-means-to-cyclists\/\">Functional Threshold Power<\/a> is not a trophy. It\u2019s a tool, a way to anchor training intensity and track long-term development. Used well, it improves training precision. Used poorly, it creates anxiety, false narratives, and bad decisions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FTP testing should answer three questions:<\/p>\n<ol style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<li>Where should my training zones sit right now?<\/li>\n<li>Is my aerobic system responding over time?<\/li>\n<li>Am I pacing and fuelling threshold work correctly?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it\u2019s not doing at least one of those, the test is noise.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Is January a good time to test?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Sometimes. Not automatically.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">January sits at an awkward point in the season:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Base work may still be underway<\/li>\n<li>High-intensity systems are often under-trained<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue can be residual from December consistency rather than freshness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you test in January, you\u2019re measuring <em>current specificity<\/em>, not seasonal potential.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>January testing makes sense if:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019re starting a <strong><strong>structured training block<\/strong><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>You need to <strong>reset zones<\/strong> after time off<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re working with a coach or plan that depends on accurate numbers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>January testing is questionable if:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019re deep in aerobic base work<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re fatigued but consistent<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re likely to compare the result emotionally to last season<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A \u201clower\u201d FTP in January is not a failure. It\u2019s often a sign you\u2019re training the right systems.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Which FTP test actually makes sense?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no perfect test. There are only appropriate ones.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>20-minute test<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Rewards pacing skill and pain tolerance<\/li>\n<li>Sensitive to anaerobic contribution<\/li>\n<li>Best for experienced riders who know how to suffer evenly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Ramp test<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Low skill requirement<\/li>\n<li>Strongly influenced by VO\u2082max and repeatability<\/li>\n<li>Can overestimate FTP in punchy riders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Long steady-state (40\u201360 min)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Closest to physiological reality<\/li>\n<li>Logistically hard<\/li>\n<li>Mentally demanding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For January, simpler is often better. The goal is <strong>usable zones<\/strong>, not proving toughness.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Interpreting January results without sabotaging yourself<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>This is where most riders go wrong. A January FTP test should be read alongside:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Heart rate response<\/li>\n<li>Perceived exertion<\/li>\n<li>Durability over multiple days<\/li>\n<li>Ability to repeat work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>If FTP is flat but:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Endurance rides feel easier<\/li>\n<li>Sub-threshold work is more repeatable<\/li>\n<li>Recovery between sessions improves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are getting fitter. Even if the number disagrees.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why more watts isn\u2019t always the goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Early-season training should prioritise:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aerobic depth<\/li>\n<li>Metabolic efficiency<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue resistance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Chasing FTP too early often leads to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Premature intensity<\/li>\n<li>Plateaued progression<\/li>\n<li>Burnout before spring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>A rider who holds the same FTP but improves:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Time to exhaustion<\/li>\n<li>Decoupling in long rides<\/li>\n<li>Power late in sessions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026 will outperform the rider who forced a January peak.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Better benchmarks than FTP in winter<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>If you want data without the stress, consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Heart rate drift on long rides<\/li>\n<li>Average power for a fixed endurance route<\/li>\n<li>Repeatability of tempo efforts<\/li>\n<li>Subjective fatigue trends week to week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These reflect <em>usable fitness<\/em>, not just peak output.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>So. Should you test in January?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Test if:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You need zones<\/li>\n<li>You can interpret the result calmly<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re prepared to train off the number, not chase it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t test if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019re using it as motivation<\/li>\n<li>You expect validation<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re likely to force training to \u201cfix\u201d the result<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fitness is built quietly in winter. FTP tests are just snapshots and January is a foggy lens.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More watts will come. The work that earns them usually doesn\u2019t announce itself with a new PR in the first week of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>January is peak testing season. New year, clean calendar, fresh legs (or at least fresh intentions). Training platforms prompt it, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":9101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-9094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-the-latest"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should You Do FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks in January?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is January is the right moment to do FTP tests and fitness benchmarks and what is the number actually worth?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks: Should You Do Them in January?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is January is the right moment to do FTP tests and fitness benchmarks and what is the number actually worth?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - United Kingdom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-27T08:39:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-03T08:47:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"990\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"stefanos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Monica Buck\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/\",\"name\":\"Should You Do FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks in January?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-27T08:39:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-03T08:47:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/84999a2480736036327b20df387758b6\"},\"description\":\"Is January is the right moment to do FTP tests and fitness benchmarks and what is the number actually worth?\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp\",\"width\":990,\"height\":660,\"caption\":\"Indoor cycling\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/\",\"name\":\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - United Kingdom\",\"description\":\"\u0160koda WeLoveCycling - United Kingdom\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/84999a2480736036327b20df387758b6\",\"name\":\"stefanos\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87b880c9e71a3c94c40fe5d7dfde73548cad8d6ade8b45486021a0d3245237e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87b880c9e71a3c94c40fe5d7dfde73548cad8d6ade8b45486021a0d3245237e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"stefanos\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/author\/stefanos\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Should You Do FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks in January?","description":"Is January is the right moment to do FTP tests and fitness benchmarks and what is the number actually worth?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks: Should You Do Them in January?","og_description":"Is January is the right moment to do FTP tests and fitness benchmarks and what is the number actually worth?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/","og_site_name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - United Kingdom","article_published_time":"2026-01-27T08:39:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-03T08:47:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":990,"height":660,"url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"stefanos","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Monica Buck","Est. reading time":"2"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/","name":"Should You Do FTP Tests and Fitness Benchmarks in January?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp","datePublished":"2026-01-27T08:39:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-03T08:47:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/84999a2480736036327b20df387758b6"},"description":"Is January is the right moment to do FTP tests and fitness benchmarks and what is the number actually worth?","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2026\/01\/27\/ftp-tests-and-fitness-benchmarks-should-you-do-them-in-january\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/18\/2026\/02\/Indoor-Cyclist-profimedia-0980727083-CVR.webp","width":990,"height":660,"caption":"Indoor cycling"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/","name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - United Kingdom","description":"\u0160koda WeLoveCycling - United Kingdom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/84999a2480736036327b20df387758b6","name":"stefanos","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87b880c9e71a3c94c40fe5d7dfde73548cad8d6ade8b45486021a0d3245237e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/87b880c9e71a3c94c40fe5d7dfde73548cad8d6ade8b45486021a0d3245237e8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"stefanos"},"url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/author\/stefanos\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9094"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9120,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9094\/revisions\/9120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9094"},{"taxonomy":"global-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global-categories?post=9094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}