How many VO2 workouts in a week?

Just curious as to how many V02 workouts can you do in a week without fatiguing too much. I have a pretty good base in general and im starting the SS MV base vol 2 which has one Vo2 workout in it so would it be ok to substitute a SS effort for a Vo2 session. Maybe it is too early in the season for this. Working towards peaking in June time.

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You’re right - it probably is too early in the season.

Whatever Build plan you choose will have plenty of vo2. Even some of the Build workouts that don’t look like vo2 workouts might get you into high percentages of your vo2 max.

Be patient! If you add too much now, you’d basically just doing continual Build plans until June and that could burn you out just when you want to peak.

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You’re instinct is probably correct, here!

The only caveat I would offer is that you may feel your threshold fitness is developed to the point where VO2 work is needed to progress further. You know, when your FTP threshold starts to be a meaningful percentage of your VO2max power…let’s say 85%. Then you may need VO2max work to give yourself ‘more room’ to increase threshold.

I’ve never been in that situation but I hear it’s not uncommon! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I’ve had 3 VO2 workouts in a week superscribed for about an hour TiZ and did that for two weeks. Got a pretty good bump from it. I was always ready for the weekend endurance ride during that though.

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Exactly. I have done very little vo2 stuff ever and i just feel as if my ftp needs a little help even if only something different to shock the system a bit.

The Base plans work you up to the real VO2max workouts in Build. Without adequate muscle endurance, it can be very difficult to complete certain workouts, e.g. 9x3min @ 120%.

Well, ok, then. I don’t do more than one VO2max a week.

Some folks on this forum advocate a ‘VO2 intervention’ approach where you focus on VO2max 3x a week for a couple weeks. I’ve never done that.

Ronnestadt advocated a periodized VO2max approach where you do 3x VO2max work (in that case 4x4min with 2min rest, I think?) in a single week then three weeks of 1x VO2max work per week…

Just throwing some different ideas out there.

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two different questions, as doing 1 vo2max workout won’t make you peak too early for June, but I’d ask yourself why you are doing it.

Vo2max is really use it or lose it, so if you’re not building that up in a way to use, it’s probably better to use that time to develop more aerobically with less fatigue.

But yes, if you’re looking towards June, leave the vo2max for now, no real point unless you’re mostly indoors and things are getting stale or monotonous.

Good luck!

Bob Hickson says 3 - as many weeks in a row as you can muster, but at least 10.