Describe your riding
Add your goal, experience, weekly hours, and available days. Include race dates and training numbers if you have them.
How it works
A plan built from your week
Your goal sets the direction. Your available time and current training set the starting point. Coaching rules shape the weeks between them.
Build the training block
FTP500 increases load gradually, separates hard days, schedules recovery, and tapers for your main race.
Follow today's session
Every workout has a purpose, duration, intensity, and practical instructions. Open it and ride what is written.
Review changes
When you miss training or your calendar moves, preview an updated schedule before applying it.
Why FTP500
Structured coaching without a subscription
Ready when you are
Enter your training details and open your detailed training block. Annual plans also include a season outline.
One clear price
Pay for the plan you choose. Nothing renews automatically.
Checked against firm rules
Weekly increases, recovery, hard-day spacing, race dates, and available time all have defined limits.
Grounded in completed training
Updates use your session logs, imported rides, plan dates, and upcoming workouts.
The coaching behind it
The rules behind the plan
Progressive overload
Load rises in manageable steps, not sudden jumps.
Periodization
Preparation, base, build, and peak phases give each block a clear purpose.
Planned recovery
Regular easier weeks give you time to absorb the training.
Race taper
Volume falls before the event while short, sharp efforts remain.
Beginner guide
Cycling training terms
Use this glossary when a workout label or training number is unfamiliar. You do not need to memorize it to follow the plan.
- FTP — Functional Threshold Power
- An estimate of the power you can sustain for about an hour. FTP500 uses it to set your power zones and workout targets.
- Load points
- An estimate of training load based on duration and relative intensity. Roughly 100 load points equals one hour at FTP. It is a planning measure, not a score to chase.
- Relative intensity
- Ride intensity relative to your FTP. A value of 1.00 is around FTP intensity; 0.70 is considerably easier.
- Long-term load
- A rolling estimate of longer-term training load, weighted over roughly six weeks. It reflects consistent work, not health or race performance directly.
- Short-term load
- A rolling estimate of recent training load, weighted over roughly one week. It rises after demanding training and falls with recovery.
- Form balance
- Estimated fitness minus fatigue. A positive value usually means fresher; a negative one means more accumulated fatigue. It is a training guide, not a medical measure.
- Training load
- The total stress from training. Longer rides add load, and harder riding adds more load per minute than easy riding.
- Max heart rate
- The highest heart rate you can reach during very hard exercise. It is personal and is not the same as threshold heart rate.
- LT1 — Aerobic threshold
- The first lactate threshold. Below LT1, riding is generally easy and sustainable, making it a useful ceiling for recovery and endurance work.
- LT2 — Anaerobic threshold
- The second lactate threshold, close to your hardest sustainable steady effort. FTP500 can use it to anchor threshold workouts.
- RPE — Rating of Perceived Exertion
- How hard an effort feels on a 1–10 scale. Easy is around 2–3, threshold 7–8, and very hard intervals 9–10.
- Power zones
- Personal intensity ranges calculated from FTP. They turn labels such as endurance, tempo, threshold, and VO2max into watt targets.
- Zone 2 / endurance
- Comfortable aerobic riding that still allows full sentences. It builds endurance and forms much of a balanced plan.
- VO2max
- Your maximum aerobic capacity. Short, very hard intervals can improve it, but they need generous recovery.
- Cadence
- Pedaling speed in revolutions per minute (rpm). Cadence describes leg speed, not effort on its own.
- Periodization
- Organizing training into phases such as preparation, base, build, peak, and recovery, with a clear purpose for each block.
- Progressive overload
- Increasing training gradually enough to prompt adaptation without sudden jumps in load.
- Recovery week
- A planned lighter week that lets you absorb the previous training. It is part of the work, not a week lost.
- Taper
- Reducing volume before an important event while keeping some intensity, so fatigue falls without leaving you flat.
- A, B and C races
- Event priorities. A is your main peak, B gets a smaller taper, and C is treated mainly as training or experience.
Questions before you start
Can I import rides from .fit files?
Yes. Imports give the plan more accurate training-load data, but they are optional. You can also log workouts manually.
What makes the plan personal?
Your goal, experience, weekly hours, available days, and race dates shape the schedule. FTP and recent training load refine the workout targets when you provide them.
Can I start for free?
Yes. Every account includes one complete one-month plan. No credit card is required. Later purchases include one new plan and the features shown for that option.
How long can a plan be?
Monthly access builds one month. Annual access builds up to one year. Stacked monthly access can extend the block up to the same one-year limit.
Can I update the plan when my schedule changes?
Yes. Flexible options include plan-change credits, and any paid plan can add another for €5. Describe what changed, review the proposed schedule, and apply it when you are ready.
Does the cycling training plan work for beginners?
Yes. Select the beginner level and the plan starts with aerobic base work before adding harder sessions. Volume and intensity stay within beginner limits.
Build your first plan
Start with one month free. No card required.