VO2 work is my weak spot but looking back at my notes for Taylor -2 I was worried about it but found it to be quite doable. Spencer +2 was a struggle but I completed it. I’m now on Sustained Power Build and Bashful +1 was the first workout I bailed on but yesterday I managed Bashful +2. It was the short recoveries in Bashful +1 that were my downfall. Looking back at Taylor it was much, much easier than either of those.
I suspect that the 30 second efforts in Taylor weren’t enough to stress me but the 60 seconds on, 30 seconds off in Bashful +1 tipped me over the edge. Going back to a 3:2 work-recovery ratio gave me enough time to get back on track.
I think taylor all the way to spencer are all a bit too easy.
If you want to have some real fun, let me recommend this:
Today I’m actually going to trial my own workout for the first time as I’ve been finding these very doable.
6x5minutes at 112% with 5 minute recovery followed by endurance. Really thinking that maybe next time I try and do a vo2max progression I will soley do the 2:1 work recovery ratio 1:1 and 3:2 just don’t exhaust me.
“As an alternative to the above, one could use the average power during a maximal, steady effort lasting approximately 5 min as an estimate of the minimal power elicting someone’s VO2max. The assumption in this case, obviously, is that the duration chosen (whatever it happens to be) represents the maximal duration that individuals can be expected to exercise at precisely 100% of VO2max. As with the approach described above, however, differences between individuals in their ability to generate energy anaerobically complicate selection of the appropriate duration. Specifically, while a cyclist with a low anaerobic capacity might only be able to maintain this intensity for much less than 4 min, another with a high anaerobic capacity could sustain it for well over 6 min. Again, the variable contribution from anaerobic energy metabolism tends to restrict the accuracy with which VO2max can be estimated using this method.”
I also found this. 30/30s at 125%/85% put the 30 second rolling average at 120%/100%, which tickled the 105-120% VO2max zone, but only for 17 seconds at a time.