CoachingAnswer

HOW DO I IMPROVE MY THRESHOLD POWER?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

Improve threshold power with two targeted sessions a week — long intervals of 10–20 minutes at 95–105% of FTP, with short recoveries — built on a base of genuinely easy aerobic riding. A focused 8-week block typically raises FTP 5–10% in amateurs who weren't already doing threshold work. The limiter is almost never effort. It's that most riders train just below threshold, in the grey zone, where the adaptation never properly arrives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

2×20 minutes at 95–105% FTP, twice a week, is the highest-return threshold session for most amateurs.
Threshold is your lactate-clearance ceiling — train it just at or fractionally above, not 10% below.
Grey-zone riding (the moderate-but-not-hard pace) suppresses threshold gains more than any other error.
An 8-week threshold block on a real aerobic base typically moves FTP 5–10% in previously undertrained riders.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The rider whose FTP has stalled for months

You train consistently, you're not new to structure, but the FTP number hasn't moved in a season.

The time-crunched amateur who needs the highest-return session

You have 6–8 hours a week and want to know which sessions actually raise sustainable power.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Threshold power is the number most amateurs obsess over and the one most of them train wrong. Here's the thing nobody tells you: the problem is rarely that you're not working hard enough. It's that you're working hard in the wrong place — somewhere between tempo and threshold, the grey zone that feels productive and delivers almost nothing. Anthony has come back to this on the podcast repeatedly, and the World Tour coaches all say a version of the same thing.

Stephen Seiler's research is the clearest frame for it. Threshold sits at the top of your sustainable aerobic range — the point where lactate production and clearance balance. To push it up, you have to spend time right at it or fractionally above, with the rest of your week genuinely easy so you arrive fresh enough to hit the target. John Wakefield, who coaches Roglič at Bora, describes the same pattern: hard days hard, easy days easy, and the threshold work protected by everything around it.

The good news is that for a rider who's never done structured threshold work, the gains come fast. An 8-week block of two threshold sessions a week — 2×20 at FTP, building to 3×15 or over-unders — on top of an honest Zone 2 base will move most amateur FTPs 5–10%. That's a fixable problem. You don't need more hours. You need the right two sessions, and the discipline to keep everything else easy.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Professor Stephen SeilerExercise physiologist, University of Agder; codified 80/20 polarised training
Sustainable threshold power rises when you train at or just above it on a small number of quality days, supported by a large base of genuinely easy riding. The most common amateur error is filling the week with moderate-intensity efforts that fatigue the rider without delivering the specific threshold stimulus.
Hear it: 80/20 Training to Ride Faster | Dr Stephen Seiler
John WakefieldWorld Tour coach, Team Bora-Hansgrohe; coaches Primož Roglič
Threshold development at the top level depends on the contrast between hard and easy days. The threshold sessions only work if the riding around them is easy enough to arrive recovered. Amateurs who blur that contrast — moderate every day — undercut the exact adaptation they're chasing.
Hear it: How Team Bora Build Endurance: John Wakefield on Ultra Cycling Training

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Run the 2×20 as your foundation session
After a 15-minute warm-up: 20 minutes at 95–100% FTP, 5 minutes easy, then a second 20 minutes at the same power. Hold the power steady — the back third of each rep should feel honestly hard but completeable. Do this twice a week with 48 hours between.
Progress with over-unders once 2×20 feels controlled
After 3–4 weeks, swap one session for over-unders: 3×12 minutes alternating 2 minutes at 105% FTP with 2 minutes at 90% FTP. This trains lactate clearance while still riding hard — the specific demand that raises threshold faster than steady work alone.
Keep every other ride genuinely easy
The threshold sessions only pay off if the rest of the week is true Zone 2 — conversational, nasal-breathing pace. If your easy rides creep into tempo, you arrive at the threshold sessions fatigued and unable to hold target power. Slow the easy days down.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKETraining at 85–90% FTP and calling it threshold work.
FIXThat's sweet spot, not threshold. To raise FTP you need time at 95–105% FTP. Sweet spot builds a base for it but won't push the ceiling on its own.
MISTAKEDoing threshold sessions four or five times a week.
FIXTwo quality threshold sessions a week is the ceiling for most amateurs. More just accumulates fatigue and degrades the power you can hit. Hard days hard, easy days easy.
MISTAKERetesting FTP every two weeks and chasing the number.
FIXAdaptation takes 4–8 weeks to show. Test at the start and end of a block, not constantly. Frequent testing replaces training time with testing time and tells you nothing new.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long does it take to improve threshold power?

A structured 8-week block of two threshold sessions a week typically raises FTP 5–10% in riders who weren't already doing threshold work. Riders with years of structured training behind them see smaller gains — 2–4% — but those still translate to faster sustained efforts.

What's the difference between threshold and FTP?

FTP (functional threshold power) is the practical estimate of your physiological lactate threshold — the highest power you can sustain in a quasi-steady state for roughly an hour. In training terms they're used interchangeably: improving your threshold means raising your FTP.

Is sweet spot or threshold better for raising FTP?

Sweet spot (88–94% FTP) lets you accumulate more total time at high intensity with less fatigue, which builds the platform. Threshold (95–105% FTP) provides the specific stimulus that pushes the ceiling. Most effective blocks use sweet spot to build volume early, then sharpen with threshold work.

How many threshold intervals should I do per session?

Aim for 30–40 minutes of total time at threshold per session — typically 2×20, 3×12, or 4×10 minutes. Beginners can start at 2×15. The total time at intensity matters more than the rep structure, as long as each rep is genuinely at threshold.

Can I improve threshold power with Zone 2 alone?

Zone 2 builds the aerobic base threshold work stands on, and in completely untrained riders it nudges FTP up early. But once you're trained, Zone 2 alone won't push threshold. You need specific time at or just above FTP to raise the ceiling.

Should threshold intervals be done indoors or outdoors?

Indoors on a smart trainer is easier to control — you hold exact power without descents or junctions interrupting the rep. A steady climb works well outdoors. Either is effective; the priority is holding the target power consistently across the full interval.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

80/20 Training to Ride Faster | Dr Stephen Seiler

How Team Bora Build Endurance: John Wakefield on Ultra Cycling Training

Race Winning Interval Training | Roadman Cycling