Failing indoor VO2 max workouts?

Training
1

I’ve recently started doing VO2 max workouts - a much neglected area of my training (I really don’t enjoy them).

I’ve started very simply with 5 2-minute intervals with 5 minutes rest inbetween. The target power is 120%.

I find these doable outdoors - they’re not easy but they’re doable. My power fluctuates a bit as the road surface and slope changes, but on the whole I’m at or just above the power target.

I’ve just moved indoors (due to weather) and it’s a totally different story on the trainer. I struggle to get halfway through the interval :frowning: It’s a tad frustrating to say the least.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

A bit of info about my indoor setup:

  • I have a good fan for cooling
  • My trainer and my outdoor power meter do agree with each other
  • I’m riding in resistance (not ERG) mode so I can vary cadence and gearing
  • I’m shooting for 105+ RPM for the interval
2

cooling and practice

more fans the better, maybe lower your target indoors a bit and build up to it.

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3

When was last time you did workout indoor?

Every autumn/winter when heading indoors, it takes couple weeks before I get used to it again. Until then, I struggle also with higher intensities.

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4

Going from outdoors to indoors will take some adjustment. I had the same exact thing happen to me a couple of years ago and I couldn’t believe how hard I struggled on my first indoor interval session. It did get easier pretty quickly though. Just keep going and lower the intensity if needed.

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5

Do you have music or videos going? If youre trying to do VO2 max intervals staring at the wall, that’s a recipe for losing your mind :exploding_head:

6

That vo2 max was the first one :sweat_smile:

7

Test your 5-minutes power indoor and then do the vo2 based on 95% of your 5-min.

You’ll also find some cool information here in regards of vo2 sessions.

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8

I think that is the answer. Coming back to the trainer after a while of not using it is always a shock to me and others I know too.

I can’t explain why, but it is a thing.

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9

:cry: My time in the barrel is coming up soon. And it’s gonna suck for a while, or always.

10

Hard rock :v::sweat_smile:

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11

You’ll find lots of threads on the topic but outside you benefit from more natural cooling and inertia, etc which makes it easier to deliver power outside. You’ll maybe need to rethink your indoor FTP.

12

Sounds like you may be doing this, but seek to maintain 100+ cadence. It will take some time to adjust.

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13

I went through a time when I almost never finished my planned VO2 workouts. The only times I could finish them was when life wasn’t as busy, my job wasn’t busy, I’d slept well, wasn’t fighting any bugs, and had eaten well in the recent medium-term.
The rest of the time, they were simply too difficult and I couldn’t sustain power numbers that were based on tests I’d done when I was feeling fantastic. (As in, I was using my best test results to set my workout targets, but on most days, I wouldn’t have been able to repeat the test results.)
My advice is to drop your target power a bit so you can finish the workouts.

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14

It can certainly be tough moving from outside to inside – especially with harder sessions like VO2 workouts.

If your cooling/fan setup is dialed in, I’d agree with the other athletes in here recommending that you start off with lower power targets. You could also try increasing the duration of your rest intervals.

A TR workout like Faro does both of those things – it’s 5x2 minutes at 109% with 10 minutes of rest between efforts.

As you adjust to doing your workouts inside, you’ll likely be able to work back up into higher percentages of your FTP/longer intervals/shorter rest periods. It can just take some time during the transition, which is totally normal!

Hope this helps – feel free to let us know if you have any other questions. :slight_smile:

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