TR easy VO2 workouts - is there any point?

Training
41

They most likely will if you raise the intensity. You will then accumulate a larger oxygen debt, which in turn will take longer to clear.

1 Like
42

?

Gonna disagree (at least based on the way I’m interpreting your post, maybe you mean it differently), a well done block of VO2 work can help cyclists bust through plateaus and gain like 20w of FTP, I’ve observed it with someone and I have friends who’ve had similar results when they did coach directed vo2 blocks

3 Likes
43

Tried that, but it just didn’t work as I recovered too well during the 30 secs off.

1 Like
44

You left out the rest of my comment… “its a good pace to train at.” :sunglasses:

Steve Magness mentions in the articles I posted (and also mentioned in the posts above by @BCM and others) that getting to VO2 max in a workout is challenging and keeping it in that range is even tougher. But there is certainly value there… after all, “it’s a good pace to train at!”

In the end… more is always more.

45

I’ve also seen that (on myself). But that wasn’t due to “me utilizing the maximum amount of oxigen”. It was just “me training/improving my anaerobic energy system”.

And so I think the whole issue are not the workouts in TR or anywhere else, the issue is the confusing naming, “VO2Max”, which refers to Coggan level 5, a lab test, a physiological state, a certain specific power in [W], a training protocol used in scientific studies or whatever else ones bias might prefer.

A better name imho might be “high intensity training”, “anaerob training”, “supra threshold training” or “fasttwitch training”.
But then I guess there would be people claiming “TR is bad because it has no Vo2Max!!!”

I hope that also answers the original question regarding the sense of an “easy Vo2Max workout”:
The sense is to provide progressive overload between doing easier and harder workouts than that.

In any case, not your Vo2Max makes your faster, your ability to generate and hold power above FTP does (among many other things).

2 Likes
46

Just for fun, asked ChatGPT about physical/mental bottlenecks ordered by impact in 1h near-FTP effort. It gave me long answer, but it boiled down to this:

How Important is VO2max in a 1-Hour Effort?

VO2max plays a supporting role in 1-hour performance:

  • It sets the ceiling for aerobic power, but the fraction of VO2max utilized (FTP as %VO2max) is more critical.
  • For most cyclists, improving lactate threshold and muscular endurance will yield greater gains than increasing VO2max.
  • A cyclist with an unusually low VO2max (e.g., below 50-55 mL/kg/min) will benefit more from raising it, but beyond a certain threshold (e.g., 65+ mL/kg/min), its direct relevance diminishes compared to specific FTP training.

Practical Focus

  1. Prioritize improving FTP (via sustained threshold intervals and volume in Zone 2).
  2. Work on fatigue resistance with longer intervals or tempo rides.
  3. Enhance efficiency with aerobic base training.
  4. Address VO2max only if it’s markedly low compared to peers.

To me, this is very relatable. I have felt 2 qualitative shifts in fitness:

  • starting structured training in first place (original TR SSBHV plans) that improved muscular endurance, and
  • bumping Z2 volume considerably after 3y of training, improving lactate clearance → fixed burning sensations during higher intensity stuff → I have to stop prolonged unsustainable efforts because muscles get tired, not because it feel terrible
47

On VO2 Max workouts actually most high intensity workout. My legs are dead long before my heart rate is up, I’m only a beginner and just getting started it’s set my FTP at 124, my VO2MAX targets are around 140…I can do the intervals and feel the burn but my heart rate is at a fairly steady 135-140

1 Like