This is a great point about the different types of VO2 work that can be done, but it doesn’t fully address the original question, which was about the benefit of very low level “VO2 Max” workouts, like Cuervos, which is 2.5 minutes at 106% with 4 minutes off. Can you share what the thinking is there? I’m guessing it’s something like, “yeah, that doesn’t really address improving your body’s actual VO2, but it IS work in the training zone known as “VO2 Max, so technically, it’s labeled properly”?
I’ll give a thought - there is a Progression Level component and working yourself up to it. With VO2’s there’s an element of teaching yourself to suffer, so someone more novice, off the couch, or just hitting an FTP bump, these might be more appropriate starter workouts. Mark it easy or moderate, you’ll start getting bumped.
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Check out the description for McMicken which is 4x4.75 @ 106%. It was given to me in a Specialty phase and the description says there is a noticeable drop from the typical VO2 workouts but the intent is to build greater muscle endurance and mental toughness.
There are thousands of people who use our plans. A lot of these low-level workouts are great intro workouts as @BCM mentioned. 
Not every workout in the library is 100% focused on immediate gains. For some, those low-level workouts will be difficult and somewhat shocking if they’ve never pedaled a bike that hard before. 
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I think this is what Eddie meant by neuromuscular improvements. It’s like the person going to the gym and trying to bench press for the first time in a year. At first they “feel” weak because the lack of brain/muscle connection. A couple workouts later, they have progressed quickly (“beginner gains”). New riders or riders that have not trained in that zone for a while, perhaps need to get those “beginner gains” by improving that neuromuscular fitness. I’d think this is a main feature of progression levels.
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Cuervos is only a level 3.2 workout… I’d be surprised if that is served up much unless FTP is set too high or the athlete is particularly poor at VO2 max type workouts.
These workouts have to exist for the adaptive training system as a whole to function - but I don’t think Cuervos would be productive for most people.
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First, if you don’t trust the process why don’t you write your own workouts?
Second, TR uses “vo2 max” loosely. That can refer to a power above threshold, not the physiological state.
They may be prepping you for harder work later. You should mark such workouts as easy if they are easy. Your progression will increase and you’ll get harder next time.
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despite what Garmin might tell me. And fwiw on-offs do get me into high % of max heart rate towards end of sets, and more so in later sets. Notwithstanding, that it doesn’t appear to always be the intention as above.
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i’m grown to learn there’s not really such thing as being “bad” at vo2 workouts, it’s knowing how to dial in the appropriate effort for the individual, properly recovering between intervals vs adhering to some rigid time standard, and accepting that power will fall in later efforts
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The key imo to short/shorts or micro interval, as my coach called them is a lot of them stacked together where the off is shorter than the on. Eg 3-4 sets of 13x 40/20", 16x 30/15s typically 120 - 130% ftp or even higher if you use % of ftp
Fair.
What I was alluding to is that a progression level of 3.2 is relatively low - I think an athlete with a “middle of the bell curve” power profile would be doing level 6ish VO2max workouts assuming a correctly set FTP.
“Bad at VO2 workouts” was a poor choice of words 
Going FULL SEND on interval one of five KLAXON! 
Come join my club. 
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This is something that I disagree with.
The way I’ve done my VO2 block the past two years is max effort intervals of 3-4min length and resting AT LEAST 10min between intervals to allow full recovery so that each interval can be as hard as possible.
If I were to do a workout like this I might start at a higher HR and might even reach higher HRs faster but I think my legs would be too fatigued to actually hit the highest effort levels in subsequent intervals. Which IMO is where a lot of the gains are found (for a VO2 workout).
Maybe this is something correlated with anaerobic capacity and I just need much much more rest since I’m doing these intervals at ~140% of FTP where someone who is able to hit max effort at 115% and is more aerobically leaning can get away with less rest. But IMO you should be rested enough to hit each interval with as full capacity as possible in order to elicit as close to VO2max as possible.
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Hmmm, on the basis of n=1 I disagree. And that includes times when I’ve verified/ sense checked “FTP” with the KM Protocol, or the old TR school way with Lamarck or even a 20 minute test. I am bad at VO2 Max workouts, to the degree I find them a mental challenge at this stage.
Also, there’s multiple threads on here saying that TR is wrong to base VO2 Max on % of FTP at all 
No but if the Vo2 workout assigned feels easy or moderate it’s not going to give you enough stress to begin increasing your Vo2 max.
Go look at the RPE they were riding at for both the short and long intervals.
Certainly not going to suggest that my n=1 holds more value than your n=1.
If level 3 VO2 max workouts are productive for you then there certainly no harm in that
But the original question of this thread was what is the point of this level of VO2 max workout - I do think that for a lot of people the answer is that they won’t be productive - those people should be doing higher level VO2 workouts.
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I wouldn’t say this is unique to TR. 5 zone and 7 zone training models frequently refer to zone 5 as the vo2max zone. And there is nothing about that demarcation that would tell you are in a Vo2 max state.
But back to @fourfingerdan point about them having to be demanding to create adaptations, I think we overcomplicate training. riding your bike more will create adaptations. Being in a specific zone is not necessary to train. If that was the case, you’d have to ride above FTP to improve your FTP. That’s not the case. You can ride in zone 2 and improve your FTP. You do have to push yourself harder than last time, but in what direction whether it be duration or intensity, its not specific. volume seems to be the answer for those with time. Intensity “may” help for those without time, but regardless, I don’t think you need to hold your mouth just right while doing intervals upside down to become a better upside down rider, you just need to be consistently doing more than last time. In my mind, these easy VO2 workouts aren’t valuable, not because they don’t put you in a VO2Max state, but because the TSS is next to zero. It’s not even a workout. However, what feels like a workout to me and what feels like a workout to someone coming off the couch is different.
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Here’s my HR trace for 3 sets of 30 / 15s. As you can see my HR doesn’t get much chance to drop during the shorter recovery. These will get me sustained over 90% max HR, old school 30/30s won’t.
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There’s nothing magical at training at VO2max, other than it’s another good pace to train at.
Here is a good article by Steve Magness on the matter:
And another discussing if the “VO2 workouts” really even train at VO2 but why they are still important: