Empirical Cycling Podcast Watts Doc #57: Finding FTP By Feel Is Easier Than You Think
Sep 24, 2025
Coach Kyle Helson, a seasoned contributor in endurance sports, dives into the interplay of perceived exertion and threshold testing. He discusses how athletes can intuitively gauge their functional threshold power (FTP) by relying on their experiences rather than fixed models. They explore fascinating insights on RPE drift, the limits of critical power tests, and provide practical tips for pacing and testing strategies. Trusting one's sensations over rigid metrics is emphasized, ensuring athletes stay in tune with their bodies and performance.
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Swimming Built Kyle's RPE Sense
- Kyle described learning perceived effort through years of swim interval training without instant power feedback.
- That background made mapping heart-rate zones to cycling intensities intuitive for him.
Models Are Useful But Not Reality
- Models are approximations and can misdefine the phenomenon they represent.
- Don't mistake a convenient test rule for the true underlying physiology.
Power Curves Are Domain-Limited
- Power-duration relationships fit only within limited domains and break at extremes.
- Treat critical power and similar models as local fits, not universal laws.
