VO2Max workouts first thing in the morning

I’d suggest maurten drink and cliff gels or blocks with caffeine. Extend the warmup by 5 min. Have half the botttle and one gel before you start. Repeat a gel after each set and see if you can make it.

That seems like an insane amount of carbs/fuel to be putting into your system just to get through a 60 min ride that really only has you doing at most 20 min of real work.

I would personally not do this as I don’t think my guy could handle it, it would be expensive, and I would be fearful of training my body to become sugar dependent when I should be able to do these workouts fasted or minimally fueled.

The general consensus is that your body should have enough glycogen in the morning to get through a 60-90 minute workout as long as you’re not intentionally fasting. I’ve heard this from Chad, Trevor Connor (Velonews), and several other coaches.

I’m not an expert, only speaking from 3 years of training via TR…There is nothing wrong with downing a small bite pre-ride though to stave off hunger pangs, but I would not advise cramming in 100g+ of carbs just to do a 60 minute VO2 max workout.

Wow, you have it really dialed in :smiley: Not just on demand but the type as well. Here here sir!

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@anthonylane Its interesting and I don’t have the answer but seems most of the 1 hr VO2 Max workouts are around 600 calories (for me at my FTP) and if I recall we have approx 700 or so stored when we wake up (maybe less) so you’re finishing pretty spent. I’m guessing some fueling for these efforts isn’t a bad idea And Im by far not an expert either but I thought I heard some in-ride fueling for these efforts will help with recovery and adaptation

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Even if you did consume the 100g of carbs in 1 hour you’ve still created a caloric deficit that would have to be made up at some time during the day. If you are trying to shoot for a deficit, doing it by timing the deficit around intense workouts may not be a solid plan for most people.

Speaking only for myself here, but I don’t and never have (187 TrainerRoad rides) eaten on the bike. Just like Travisza I routinely ride them in a semi-fasted (haven’t eaten since 9pm the night prior) state and am well and able to complete every workout, but not without difficulty simply due to the fact that VO2max workouts are damn hard. Especially those that have you holding 115-120% for greater than 2-min.

I do 99% of my rides in the morning so I recover after the ride with a large breakfast and go about my day. I don’t find that there is a benefit to fuel on the ride in terms of helping with the next. I think that complicates things way too much, and I don’t like eating food on the trainer. Have your post-ride meal and eat a well balanced diet the rest of the day and you’ll have all the carbs you need for the next workout.

I’m not sure your idea of having 700 calories on board is accurate. We store A TON of fat that can also be utilized for energy.

Play around with what works for you, but I am leery of folks recommending that you onboard gels and sports drinks to get through a workout that has you doing at most 20 minutes of work. Seems really excessive.

If it were me, I’d start with a high, easily digestible carb pre-ride and go from there. My inclination is that it VO2max work doesn’t come easy for you not because of lack of fuel, but because of your physiological makeup. In other words, I have my doubts about a gel or a banana being the silver bullet to your VO2 woes.

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drink fluids copiously and consume 30 grams of carbs night before. Wake up and drink 500 ml of electrolyte solution and consume additional 20 gm carbs 20 minutes before your first hard interval. Keep clothes on through first interval at least to get body temp up. Lower body temp in morning impacts performance. Stick with it it gets easier

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@anthonylane Meh I dont know I think your most accurate statement is “Play around with what works for you” Ultimately your experience doesn’t matter because it is highly individualistic and youre an n of 1. Sugar vs fat % burning is derived both from training and genetics (see Friel and others) and VO2 Max workouts burn much more sugar than a threshold or SS or tempo. Personally (n of 1) I know I can do Endurance up through SS semi-fasted fine. Suprathreshold and VO2 Max I’ve done it both ways and almost always perform better towards the end fueled.

Also, since you mentioned it what I’ve heard fairly consistently, including the folks on TR including Amber, regarding post workout nutrition is very simple sugars/high GI index (to spike insulin) and protein is better than a large meal which isnt quickly digestible. So maybe you’d adapt different depending on your post ride nutrition, who knows?

As far as your comment about VO2 woes, things aren’t black and white, you can hit or not hit targets but that doesn’t mean one strategy vs another wont help (ie you still miss your targets because of your abilities but not as badly)

Personally, my woes other than the fact that by definition theyre hard (I’m sure like many), they vary depending on many more factors that fueling (rest, life stress, a new FTP , and most importantly for me I think hormonally) I definitely need more early morning workouts under my belt as I feel half asleep on the bike initially. I know Chad has covered the hormone aspect (cortisol levels I believe) . I know more than fueling my VO2 Max performance is noticeably different 20 mins after waking vs an hour after waking vs mid day

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Same here!!!

Man, I swear my FTP is like 20 watts lower early in the morning. At 5am I suffer throught VO2 intervals that later in the day when I’m adequately rested and fed I cruise through.

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