Setting up your training zones for heart rate and power is easy with 20 minute field test data — and CoachCat does most of the work for you. Ride your 20 minute field test, upload your ride, and CoachCat finds your 20 minute power, detects your FTP, and updates your zones automatically.
Finding Your 20 Min Power
Keep your warm up, test effort, and cool down all in one file. That way you can see how the rest of the ride may have affected your test — and when the ride syncs, CoachCat automatically pulls your peak 20 minute power and average heart rate from the effort. No digging through data fields required.
Calculating Your FTP
From your 20 minute power, subtract 5% to arrive at your FTP. For example: from a 224 watt 20 minute effort, subtracting 5% gives you a 213 watt FTP. CoachCat does this math for you and recommends your new FTP automatically, or you can enter your 20 minute power into our training zones calculator to determine your zones. We'll also use your average heart rate from the test — note that we do not subtract 5% for heart rate.
Setting Your Zones in CoachCat
In CoachCat, go to Profile > Training Zones. Enter your FTP and threshold heart rate at the top of the chart and CoachCat calculates every zone from there — including the all-important Sweet Spot zone at 83-97% of FTP (for a 213 watt FTP, that's 178-207 watts). And whenever CoachCat detects a new FTP, your zones update right along with it.
Setting HR Zones
For heart rate, enter your average heart rate from the 20 minute field test as your threshold heart rate (remember: no 5% subtraction for heart rate). CoachCat calculates your heart rate zones from there, with the Sweet Spot heart rate zone falling at 90-100% of your threshold heart rate.
With your zones set, CoachCat shows you how much time you've spent in Sweet Spot and every other zone on a group ride, race, or hill repeat day!
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