Iām self coached. Just come off a good sweet spot block.
Iām going to target vo2 next with the goal of āraising the roofā before a block of threshold.
Iām starting with 5x2 minute intervals.
My questions:
vo2 really takes it out of me. Iām thinking either 2 vo2 workouts a week OR pair on vo2 with something else less fatiguing. Either way Iāll do a long endurance ride on the weekend. If I was going to pair vo2 with something what would it be?
What biophysical changes do people look for after a vo2 block to know it was successful?
Biggest thing Iāll always shout from the rooftops is the takeaways I took from Kolie Mooreās podcast episodes on VO2max (Watts Doc #24: Listener Questions on VO2max Training and RĆønnestad 30/15s - Empirical Cycling):
Spin fast. I target 108-112rpm. I used to do my VO2max intervals at a normal ~90rpm. Definitely more leg fatigue there and noticeably less heavy breathing. Higher cadence makes the intervals more effective (and you should absolutely be able to feel it) and puts less stress on your muscles.
To answer your first question, if I was going to pair VO2 with anything itād be just more Z2 spinning. I think the general consensus is that cramming multiple energy systems into one ride is counterproductive, but I could be wrong there.
There are folks more qualified than me to answer question 2 (and really all of your questions), but in general I think I tend to see a slight decrease in resting HR and decreased HR during steady state work intervals after doing VO2 work, but keep in mind Iām a huge slouch who rarely gets much past noob gains these days lol
Having done a Koli Moore block as prescribed last year I can tell you this. Less is more. If you do 2 x VO2 per week, do nothing else other than Easy endurance riding and keep your volume solid, always taking the bias towards taking more rest.
You wont feel the affects of the block while youāre doing it but the fatigue will find you down the track if youāre not careful or used to that type of work.
You say you want to move on to a threshold block after? I would reconsider that and maybe do your VO2 block, followed by a tempo block then do your threshold block when you are sure you are recovered.
Sweet Spot / Tempo / Endurance work in the offseason to get some volume back.
January/February - 3 week VO2 Block. 3 VO2 workouts per week for 3 weeks (9 total) then a recovery week. Plenty of other reading on this approach.
But, where Iāve seen the biggest gains come are from the Threshold work following the VO2 Blocks. I FTP test, then do 2x3 week blocks of FTP and Over/Under Intervals - 2 Intensity workouts per week progressing TiZ and overall volume / TSS. Lately its been one steady FTP workout and one O/U per week.
The Threshold after VO2 is pretty common, you do need to make sure you give yourself time to recover after VO2 though, so respect that recovery week, even if you need to stretch it out a little longer.
You can us a 3 minute test to assess VO2max changes. Not the 3 minute all-out test you can use to assess critical powerā¦but just a 3 minute effort where you work at a constant but maximal work rate.
IME, I donāt think you need to do a full tempo block but I agree that you should maybe have some tester workouts after a week or week and a half of recovery and Z2 to make sure youāre fully recovered.
The first time I did a concentrated VO2 block it was like 3-5 weeks before I saw the real bump in my FTP as the fatigue fell away. So be patient, keep the volume up but donāt push too hard while youāre still recovering.
Anyone have any insight on the benefits of doing a VO2 block followed by a Threshold block vs a more traditional TR 8 week Build with mixed VO2 and Threshold workouts?
Totally n=1. I find vo2 really fatigues me (thatās vo2 as per Kolie Mooreās recommendation - 2+min intervals). That does make it hard to combine with longer threshold workouts and both seem to suffer.
As per above suggestions Iām going to do a vo2 only block. Hopefully the benefit is being able to do the work well!
The structure that Iāve used is a concentrated VO2 Block, followed by concentrated Threshold Blocks. Not combined.
The theory is that those Threshold blocks after VO2 are whatās helping you ārealizeā or develop most of the gains as opposed to the VO2 itself, and that tracks with my experience the past two years.
VO2 is 3 weeks x 3 workouts, Threshold 3x2. Extra Z2 added in both. I have to cut out leg lifting in the VO2 entirely, and severely limit it or cut it out in the Threshold block too.
Instead of 5x2 minute (10 minutes TiZ) you may want to try closer to 20 minutes TiZ. 3x6min, 4x5min, 5x4, 6x3:30, 7x3 - check out the other threads for the details on this type of progression.
Testing / Benchmarking Changes: 5 Minute Test Before / After VO2. Long Form FTP Test / Check Before / After Threshold.
