FTP Test: The Mirror Before the Road (How to Use It Right)

Blog - Inside the Ride • CIS Training Systems • FTP + Execution

FTP: The Mirror Before the Road

Stop testing power. Start testing who’s in charge when it hurts.

If “FTP” to you is a number to chase, a screenshot to post, or something you round up because it feels good—pause. Before watts, ask a better question: What story are you bringing into this test? The story you carry into the room decides what the test teaches you—or what it hides from you.

FTP is the mirror: the line reveals control, attention, and truth—before it reveals a number.

FTP is the mirror: the line reveals control, attention, and truth—before it reveals a number.

Where do you sit in this?

• The Chaser: You open hot, fade late, and call it grit. You love the sizzle, not the stew.
• The Round-Up Artist: You bump the number for confidence and then train a rider who doesn’t exist.
• The Avoider: You skip testing because you “already know” your fitness—or because file honesty feels scarier than the work.
• The Builder: You care less about spectacle and more about a clean, steady line you can repeat next Tuesday.

If you recognize yourself in the first three, perfect. This conversation is written for you.

Coach lens (non-negotiable)

Here’s my lens, and it’s non-negotiable: I don’t test my athletes to find a bigger number. I test to find a steadier rider. And steadiness isn’t luck—it’s EQ. I coach with EQ-i® because emotional intelligence governs performance under load. For me, FTP is the first EQ checkpoint.

• Impulse control: can you settle instead of launch?
• Stress tolerance: can you hold the middle when the work gets boring and loud?
• Reality testing: can you finish with a decision, not a collapse?
• Self-regard: can you set the number true—no rounding for validation?

Coach David-ism:

“FTP isn’t a crown. It’s a compass.”

Indoors isn’t punishment; it’s clarity. The room strips away luck so you can see pattern. Not “Can I hit a moment?” but “Can I hold a promise?”

What FTP Is

FTP is a conversation with control. The number is only the transcript. The real test asks:

• Can you choose steady when your body votes for spiky?
• Can you stay present when the work is quiet and uncomfortable?
• Can you keep promises you made to yourself three minutes ago?

Think of FTP as the edge where effort meets honesty—where we learn if your engine has a driver or just a loud passenger.

What FTP Isn’t

• Not a personality test. Bigger watts ≠ bigger rider.
• Not a highlight reel. If your best minute sneaks into “steady,” that’s theater, not truth.
• Not the internet. Screenshots can lie. Shape doesn’t.
• Not indoors vs. outdoors. Terrain is decoration; attention is direction.

Coach David-ism:

“Breathe first, brag later.”

Three Lies We Tell Ourselves About FTP

1. Lie: Bigger is better. Truth: Repeatable beats remarkable. Quiet consistency changes seasons.
2. Lie: Testing is separate from training. Truth: Every steady ride is a pop quiz on attention.
3. Lie: The right protocol solves everything. Truth: Protocols are tools. Presence is the craftsman.

Why Most People “Fail” FTP

Because they’re trying to prove something to the world, not to themselves. Proving breeds surges. Surges breed fades. Fades breed stories. Stories rewrite the number—and get posted anyway.

Learning looks different: steadiness → trust → progress you don’t have to defend.

How to truly improve FTP (the performance stack)

FTP doesn’t rise because you suffered more. It rises because the system improved: engine + repeatability + surge resilience. Real FTP improvement is a stack: endurance raises aerobic contribution, stamina extends time-on-target, and speed/power touches improve surge tolerance and recruitment—so the steady line holds when racing gets loud.

Steady is a skill: build the line, then build the season.

Use the FTP Mirror Tool

Make FTP repeatable and honest. Set test intent, pacing standards, cadence rules, and a 60-second post-test debrief— so your number reflects a steadier rider, not a louder story.

How CIS Solves This

CIS training turns FTP into race-day performance: cadence discipline, effort control, surge → settle skill, and true recovery resets—then verified through coaching review. Workouts + Coaching + Execution = Results.

Open the FTP Mirror Tool Explore CIS Training Systems Elevate My Execution

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