Power zones for a 250W FTP

The seven Coggan power zones — the canonical zone model every power-meter-based training system uses — calculated for an FTP of 250 watts. Plus common workout targets (sweet spot, threshold, VO2max, over-unders) in watts so you don’t have to do arithmetic on the bike.

Coggan zones at 250W FTP

Zone	Name	% FTP	Watts	Purpose
z1	z1Active Recovery	0–55%	0–138 W	Promote recovery; shake out fatigue without adding load.
z2	z2Endurance	56–75%	140–188 W	Build aerobic base — mitochondrial density, fat oxidation, capillary growth.
z3	z3Tempo	76–90%	190–225 W	Extend endurance with a harder stimulus; race-pace for long events.
z4	z4Lactate Threshold	91–105%	228–263 W	Raise FTP; improve lactate shuttling and sustainable power.
z5	z5VO2max	106–120%	265–300 W	Increase maximal aerobic power; push VO2 ceiling.
z6	z6Anaerobic Capacity	121–150%	303–375 W	Develop anaerobic system; critical for surges and attacks.
z7	z7Neuromuscular Power	151%+	378+ W	Train short-duration maximal efforts — sprints, jumps.

Common workout targets at 250W FTP

These are the ranges you’ll see most often in structured training. Save this page or bookmark it as a quick reference.

Sweet spot (88–94% FTP)

220–235 W

Threshold (95–105% FTP)

238–263 W

Over-unders (88% under / 105% over)

220–263 W

VO2max (106–120% FTP)

265–300 W

Anaerobic (120–150% FTP)

300–375 W

Recovery (40–55% FTP)

100–138 W

Example sessions at 250W FTP

Six staple structured sessions written out in watts for this FTP — the same template you’d see in a well-built training week, from base to top end. Every target comes straight from the prescription bands our coach trains against, not rounded guesswork.

Endurance

90–180 min steady

Aerobic base — the foundation everything else is built on.

150–188 W

Sweet spot

3 × 12 min, 5 min easy between

Most of the threshold benefit at a fraction of the fatigue cost.

220–235 W

Threshold

2 × 20 min, 8 min easy between

Raises sustainable power — the work that lifts FTP itself.

238–263 W

Over-unders

4 × 10 min (alternate 1 min over / 2 min under)

Trains lactate clearance for surges and rolling terrain.

220 W under · 263 W over

VO2max

5 × 4 min, 4 min easy between

Pushes the aerobic ceiling — the engine's top end.

265–300 W

Anaerobic repeats

6 × 90 s, 3 min easy between

Max-effort anaerobic power for attacks, bridges, and short steep climbs.

300–375 W

What a 250W FTP tends to suit

Trained at 70 kg

This is the broad middle of fit, regularly-training amateurs — strong group-ride riders and the back-to-mid of local categories depending on weight. Sweet spot and threshold work drive most of the gains here, with VO2max blocks added in the weeks before a goal event to lift the ceiling.

Is a 250W FTP good?

Absolute watts don’t set a category on their own. What matters on a climb is power-to-weight, so add your weight and see where 250W places you against cyclists who train with power. The table shows the same placement at four reference weights.

Your weight

Compare against

Where a 250W FTP places a rider against cyclists who train with a power meter. Percentiles compare best 20-minute power, so 250W is read as the 263W effort it implies.
Rider	W/kg	Percentile	Where that sits
60 kg man	4.17	76th	Strong Amateur
70 kg man	3.57	48th	Trained
80 kg man	3.13	27th	Recreational
90 kg man	2.78	15th	Recreational
60 kg woman	4.17	82nd	Strong Amateur
70 kg woman	3.57	48th	Trained
80 kg woman	3.13	31st	Trained
90 kg woman	2.78	19th	Recreational

How these zones are calculated

Every number on this page anchors to one value: your FTP of 250 watts. The seven Coggan zones are fixed percentage bands of FTP — Endurance is 56–75%, Threshold is 91–105%, VO2max is 106–120%, and so on — so the watt ranges above are just 250 multiplied through each band and rounded to the nearest watt. Change your FTP and every range scales with it. That’s why getting the FTP number right matters more than any single workout: it’s the divisor under your whole training week.

Not sure 250W is still right?

Connect your rides and we read your FTP from your power curve as it moves during your free 14-day trial — no ramp test, no 20-minute test — then build the week around it.

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