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How to Find Your Rowing FTP

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What FTP means

FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power. It's the highest average wattage you can sustain for about one hour on the erg.

Rowers think in pace (time per 500 meters), not watts. But FTP is measured in watts because the relationship between pace and power isn't linear — it's cubic. A small change in pace means a big change in watts. Using watts as the base makes zone calculations more accurate.

The app shows both. Your FTP is stored as watts. Your workout targets display as pace.

Why it matters

Every structured workout uses intensity as a percentage of your FTP. A "Zone 2 at 70%" workout means 70% of your FTP wattage, converted to a pace target.

Without an FTP test, the app uses a default of 150 watts (roughly a 2:14/500m pace). That might be too easy or too hard for you. An inaccurate FTP means every single workout target is wrong.

Test early. It takes 20 minutes.

The two tests

20-Minute Test

The standard. Row as hard as you can sustain for 20 minutes. Your FTP is 95% of your average watts over that period.

The 5% discount accounts for the fact that you can hold a higher pace for 20 minutes than for a full hour.

How to pace it:

  • Start at a pace you know you can hold for the full 20 minutes
  • The first 5 minutes should feel controlled, not all-out
  • Increase effort slightly at the halfway point if you have room
  • The last 2 minutes should be everything you have left

The biggest mistake: going out too hard. If you sprint the first 5 minutes and die, your average drops below your true threshold. A steady, hard effort produces a more accurate number than a fast start followed by a collapse.

Ramp Test

An alternative for people who hate pacing. Intensity increases every minute until you can't hold the target anymore.

The test starts at 80 watts and adds 20 watts per minute. You row at 80W for the first stage, then 100W, then 120W, and so on. When you can't maintain the target pace for a stage, the test is over. Your FTP is 65% of the last stage you completed.

Pros: No pacing decisions. You just follow the target until you fail. Cons: Slightly less accurate than the 20-minute test. Favors people with good anaerobic capacity.

Which one to pick

  • New to rowing or never tested before: Ramp test. It's simpler and doesn't require pacing experience.
  • Experienced rower: 20-minute test. More accurate, and you likely have the pacing discipline for it.
  • Hate long sustained efforts: Ramp test. It's progressive, so the hard part is short.

After the test

RowCraft calculates your FTP automatically from your test results. Every workout target updates immediately.

Here's what your FTP unlocks:

  • Zone 2 (Aerobic): 60–75% of FTP. Your steady state pace. You'll row here most of the time.
  • Zone 3 (Tempo): 75–85% of FTP. Harder than comfortable, sustainable for 20–40 minutes.
  • Zone 4 (Threshold): 85–92% of FTP. Race-effort territory. Intervals, not continuous rows.
  • Zone 5 (Max): 92%+ of FTP. Sprint intervals. Short and painful.

For a deeper look at what each zone does to your body, see Heart Rate Zones for Rowing, Explained.

A concrete example: if your FTP is 200 watts, your Zone 2 target is 120–150 watts. On the Concept2, that's roughly 2:18–2:05/500m. Without a test, you'd be guessing at these numbers.

When to retest

Every 6 to 8 weeks, or after completing a training plan cycle.

Your FTP changes as your fitness improves. If you've been training consistently for 6 weeks and your workouts feel too easy, your FTP has probably gone up. Retesting keeps your targets accurate.

Don't test too often. Once a week is pointless — FTP doesn't change that fast, and the test itself is taxing.

Common questions

Can I use my 2K time instead? Roughly. Your FTP is about 81–85% of your 2K watts. But this is an approximation. A direct test is more accurate.

My test felt terrible. Should I retest? If you had a bad day (poor sleep, low energy, bad warmup), yes. One bad test doesn't define your fitness. But don't retest just because the number was lower than you hoped.

Do I need a heart rate monitor? Not for the FTP test itself — it's power-based. But a heart rate monitor helps validate your zones during training. If your heart rate is consistently too high during "Zone 2" workouts, your FTP might be set too high.