Sharing my data - VO2 Max intervals

Each of you have received an email from me explaining each of the training zones with a brief description of each. I send that out whenever I update your training zones. Today, I will focus on Zone 5-VO2 Max.

By definition, VO2 Max is the MAXimum volume (V) of oxygen (O2) that your body is able to utilize during one minute of exercise. An athlete's VO2 Max has long been considered to be the best indicator of cardiovascular endurance and aerobic fitness. Testing for VO2 Max is primarily reserved only for elite athletes as it requires a laboratory environment.

Cyclist rank pretty high among the fittest athletes in endurance sport. There is room for debate but only rowing and XC skiing are more demanding. That is because rowing and skiing add the use of the upper body in addition to the legs. Therefore, more muscles are demanding oxygen and driving even higher fitness levels. Yeah, we can pump the bike with our arms but it is not nearly as demanding as pulling an oar or driving a ski pole to produce forward motion.

Training in the VO2 Max zone produces numerous important physiological changes at a greater rate than training in other intensity zones. Specifically, training at Zone 5-VO2 Max increases our blood plasma level. The body increases blood volume in order to transport oxygen to the working muscles. Slow twitch muscles, or muscles most used for endurance, get stronger at a faster rate. Another huge benefit is that the heart increases its stroke volume, pumping more blood with each beat. Finally, muscles add capillaries to increase the transfer of oxygen.

In order to improve our VO2 fitness, we have to push ourselves well beyond the intensity we usually ride. When just out on a ride, we may only be in our VO2 Max training zone when climbing. At any other time, we'd have to initiate a pretty serious effort to get in that training zone. Efforts in the Vo2 Max zone are understood to last up to 8 minutes. Beyond that and often before, you will begin to slow down whether to like it or not. Dropping down into Zone 4-Threshold.

In this installment of Sharing My Data, I have a VO2 Max Workout that I did a few weeks ago. I started in Lambertville, NJ and targeted the roads headed up and out of the Delaware River valley. I didn't have an exact route in mind. Just a couple climbs I thought would be adequate. I wanted a climb with a shallow grade that took 5 minutes to complete. It would be fine if the climb was longer. I would just turn around and return to the beginning. Hill Repeats baby!!!

I started the workout with some sprinting efforts, Big Gear Wind-Ups. These sprints are done in nearly the biggest gear from a track-stand or crawling start. The task is to increase cadence and speed as quickly as possible. This is actually a Zone 6 and 7 effort (I'll save that for another time). At a slow start, these really stress the muscles promoting strength and muscle recruitment. Your body twists like a worm as you give it everything you have. Stopping when you reach 90 RPM or fatigue to the point that you are no longer accelerating.

Then I went to seek out a good VO2 Max climbing. I started my first VO2 Max interval on a great stretch of road. Unfortunately, I learned that it was too short. I crested the top at 3 minutes and killed myself to keep my power up until I reached a red light at 4 minutes. "Nope! Too short for this workout. Gotta find another climb."

I had another in mind although it was not ideal. A busy county road with little shoulder. Not great when you have to turn around and repeat it a few times. I got to the base of that climb and continued my workout.

Although I did not love the road, it turned out to be absolutely perfect for my intervals. Just enough grade to stimulate the correct intensity. The climb began to flatten just as I reach the five-minute point. I would do the remaining intervals here.

I still had one last challenge. My relatively new crank-based power meter does some type of calibrate function if I back-pedal continuously. For years, I would back-pedal between hill repeats in order to keep the blood flowing and recover. It has just become habit. One that I often tell my clients to do. I may have to change that behavior.

As I began the last interval, my power was notably down. Enough that I knew something was wrong with the meter. I did not hesitate. I just pushed on. By this time I knew exactly what to expect and just kept going. I would continue based on my perceived exertion. If you look at the data graph, you can see my heart rate, speed, distance, etc. were identical to the previous intervals.

To wrap this email up, always remember to read your workout descriptions well in advance. It may require some local knowledge to come up with the correct roads or route in your area. Some are flat, others hilly. Create various routes in your area to accommodate the demands of your workouts.

In this workout, I was multitasking as I started with the sprint efforts. Always look for ways to incorporate more into a workout. There are days when we want to just ride around and build endurance. Always consider getting more from your training time. These sprint efforts are preparing me for more demanding efforts to come in the future. They also create fatigue. That makes the later VO2 Max intervals more demanding although not hindering my ability to do them properly. When time allows, throw in a little something from another workout. I don't mind overachievers. If unsure, reach out to me for help.

Don't hesitate to improvise during your workouts. I thought that first climb would be perfect and I was wrong. I was forced to cut my first interval short by one minute. That would have to do for the first interval but I was not satisfied. Plan B was 25 minutes away but I decided the intervals were too important to skimp. At the end of my workout, I had overcome unexpected challenges. I was cooked and ready to go home. That is a satisfying feeling.

Thanks for your attention.