I recently did a VO2 max session. kosciuszko +4 and bailed out before the end. In my end I thought I failed the workout but looking at the anaerobic score provided by WKO tells a different story:
Question: While I do realize the later section in the workout (endurance section post workout) is giving a great value for such a workout, is the number of VO2 max repeat too high?
Being in the build phase of the plan where adaptations is what I am after, I am wondering if I am looking at the impact of the session the wrong way (repeatability vs adaptations). Most of my VO2 max sessions hit the 10 so I assume I am spending enough time in relevant VO2 max buckets to trigger adaptations.
Never heard of WKO5 before and it looks like a pretty cool tool but after looking through their site and googling it I still have no idea what WKO stands for.
I believe WKO development was mainly led by Dr. Andrew Coggan and Hunter Allen. It has been mentioned on the forums several times. I dont know what the initials in the name stand for but the tool is extensively used by athletes and coaches. Its not free though and is owned by TrainingPeaks.
IIRC, the âWKOâ is a simple abbreviation for âWorkoutâ. Might have heard that on one of the old âoriginâ podcasts with one or more of the grandfathers of training. The number added to the end is the version number (WKO5 is the fifth and latest version).
108% isnât VO2. I donât know what the actual benefit of doing 5 minutes at âhigh thresholdâ would be. Generally would just do 2x20 at threshold or over/unders in 20-30 min blocks.
Do you have good short/medium/long duration max efforts to feed the power duration curve? Many of the interesting features in WKO rely on a well fed PDC, and those max efforts are typically not produced with TR trainer rides in Erg.
For example right now in early base my PDC is not well fed, I havenât done proper FTP test recently, and so Iâm using HR for zone2 and tempo workouts. Canât really trust some WKO features until I do a max medium and long efforts.
+1, same on using HR for Z2, although I normally stay on top of the max efforts. (see below, the residuals needed for the curve are 1 min or less and the PD curve does not look odd to me).
Iâve seen Coggan say that if there is any âgreyâ zone, it is around 105-110% of FTP. Too high to be optimal for training FTP, but too low to be optimal for training VO2max.
Arenât Seilerâs 8 minute efforts in that %ftp ballpark, and werenât they the type of intervals that gave the best results when compared to 4 x 4mins and 4 x 16mins?
Itâs hard to say how hard Seilerâs subjects actually trained, since they were able to self-select the intensity and the only measurements taken were % of peak HR and blood lactate.
Anyway, I donât know why you believe that study any more than you would believe this earlier one, which found no improvements as a result of 4 x 8 minute intervals.
Itâs the first time Iâve seen this study so not really a question of believing one study over another.
Sorry, Iâm not accustomed to percentages of peak aerobic power in the study youâve linked. Is this the same as VO2 Max? If so, then the 8 minute efforts are below ftp.
At least with the Seiler study I know that 4 x 8 mins full gas is around 105-110% ftp for most cyclists.
âPeak aerobic powerâ as defined by Stepto would be equivalent to TRâs highest 1 minute power. The subjects in the 4 x 8 minute group would therefore have trained at approximately 85%/75% = 113% of FTP.
Coincidentally (or really, probably not), Seilerâs subjects self-selected an intensity of 113% of VT2 for their 4 x 8 minute intervals.
IOW, both studies used very similar, if not essentially identical, training prescriptions, but had opposite results. Thatâs actually not all that surprising, given the small sample sizes and cross-sectional nature of the comparisons (which is why you should never hang your hat on a single study).
Here is one place Coggan as at least implied that training only somewhat above FTP is less than optimal.
OK, I see the discussion kind of drifted toward VO2 max zone, so I did another workout today Dade+5. This a 9x 2.5min at 120% FTP. Here is what the data looks like:
So, by minute 50, I had accumulated enough time above threshold to make this a very effective anaerobic training workout and could have switched to the Z2 portion, without making myself more tired than needed, unless the extra VO2 max intervals serve a bigger purpose. If so, thatâs really what I am interested in learning.
