this is not correct
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Perhaps I should have said “necessarily.” It’s true for me cause I’ve done it, but I’m 71 so YMMV.
That’s a very odd result, especially at age 71. Mind providing more details re. the measurements?
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how did you measure this?
For you it maybe didn’t but I think in general it does. Well done for your VO2max increase though 
Time for a 70 at 70 challenge?
I have yet to have an athlete that did a focused VO2max block that did NOT see an increase in FTP within 2 months after. Now, my older athletes (in their mid-60s) do not see the same increase in general as my younger (less training history) athletes, but they all have seen it. I’ve also seen that in practice many older athletes benefit from doing VO2max-type work frequently and in a less concentrated dose (vs. a three-week block). The benefit being less fatigue incurred for similar gains.
Note: I am not taking VO2max measurements, so I will not come out and say, “VO2max goes up => FTP goes up”, but I have a strong sense that that is the case in my practical experience… and I think some physiologists probably will come right out and say that as a general rule (though there may be some exceptions as in all things).
The real issue in this thread, in my opinion, is that this athlete was not really training VO2max, but instead was doing some stuff for some time above threshold in the “VO2max zone”, as is the case with many TR “VO2max” workouts.
that’s interesting! these past 3 weeks I’ve done threshold work and did a vo2 block just prior in late June/early July, so now I’m expecting to profit soon and will blame you if i don’t lol
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Well, the “magic” is in the “how”, not the “what”. 
If you did 3 weeks of TR workouts in the VO2max zone, I reserve the right to say I told you so about their VO2 workouts. 
i thought you knew me by now! no i do my own thing lol my “plan” is generally a progression of twice a week at 6x3, 5x4, and 4x5 over a block, full gas no erg.
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For your 60+ athletes, what does a VO2 block look like roughly?
Depends on the athlete’s background, but pretty straightforward: 2 or 3 hard-start/high cadence VO2s/week and then the rest is endurance like 55-60%. That said, I probably won’t prescribe those any more, instead favoring consistent MAP/VO2 work throughout the year rather than block periodization for older masters.
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Using a Garmin Edge 830 riding outdoors on steep slopes at the end of a ride. So maybe a totally relative thing, but all the same source.
I suspect that I should think of my VO2Max as recovering rather than as increasing. Awhile ago I lost 40 pounds and a lot of strength. My original VO2 Max was 35 and awhile ago was 42. The problem I have is that I don’t ever gain strength, so periodically I will hit a peak and injure myself (knee, back, shoulder) and each time there is a recovery process (I’m getting used to that now). So in the last three years as part of recovery I’ve done lots of slow time on the trainer and body work on things like stabilizer muscles. As I did the long slow work my resting heart rate went to 55. So now I can ride up hills that used to make me get off, my back is good for an hour in the drops, etc., but no change in FTP. I think the weird start-stop-recover pattern, while enabling cardiac fitness, is not the best program for strength.
Obviously I shouldn’t make cranky pronouncements when I really have no idea what’s going on. It’s just that I feel amazingly better and the VO2Max is up but my last FTP is still below that of 2 years ago.
Chhers, Ed
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I saw more benefit from doing harder intervals with higher ‘recovery’ blocks. So, instead of going with the 125/130 watt, I’d pump it up to 160 or even 180 (for a 227 FTP though I test higher). Make the recovery ‘easy’, but not at all too easy. Make it ‘work’, but lighter. When you can rock those higher/heavier intervals with a higher recovery, you should be better prepared for kicking it on tougher rides, inside or out. I’m no expert on training, but makes a lot of sense to me. I noticed that I was able to put out more and not blow up. 
“off topic”
How would you adjust the recovery target power? My FTP is 244 (ramp test), and the resting periods are 98w. it’s too low that even the turbo has been having a “hard time” to reach it. About 150w would be ideal.
Just turn off Erg and use whatever power you want
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In the lower left, you can adjust the difficulty up and down. (I also use Zwift, and have created TF workouts in Zwift so I can ride them the way I want, adjusting power demands to make it worse, or better. I have also made them longer)
The one thing that has been a ‘problem’ for me is that so many of the longer rides that I see have such ridiculously long recovery intervals. One ride had 10 minutes of 91 watt recovery, and had 6 or 7 of them! The ride was so boring, and useless (IMO) because of the HUGE number of pointless intervals. I was trying to punish myself and do a long workout, and I get that I needed ‘recovery’ intervals, but 10 minute intervals? I joked that I’d fall asleep on those. So I created one TR workout I was about to ride in Zwift, and made the recovery quite a bit higher and rode that. It was more punishing, but doable for me. (Should TR add a way to select the recovery effort ‘size’ so that for those rides like I ran into, riders can make tailor the workout for a more realistic ride?
I’ll try to find that workout on Strava, it was a couple months ago.
Thanks for the replies/ideas.
Either changing the % of effort or ERG off would work. The issue for me is my desk is far from my bike, and honestly I don’t like that much to change/touch my desk/laptop while I’m completely soaked in sweat. So ERG off since the start would be ideal.
I have a VO2 max for today which I’m eager to do outside if the wheatear improves, if not, I’ll try ERG off.
Just for the record, there is no such thing as “too low” for power during a recovery interval in workouts like this. Just move your legs.
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In my case, this translates as “desperately drop a big fistful of gears and try to keep rpms in double figures” 
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