VO2 Max Booster Program – VO2 Max Test
Welcome to my series: VO2 Max Booster Program
This training program will dramatically boost your race performance in only 14 days. The training program can be used by any cyclist, but riders with a SRM or PowerTap mounted on their bike will get the best value.
This training program will dramatically boost your race performance in only 14 days. The training program can be used by any cyclist, but riders with a SRM or PowerTap mounted on their bike will get the best value.
Whenever you begin a new training program, it is good to know your starting point. It makes it easier for you to track improvements and evaluate your training routine.
Maximum Power Test
Before you start training for VO2 max improvements, it is a good idea to do a five-minute all-out test to estimate your average watt at maximum oxygen consumption. There are other tests, but I think this one is so simple, easy to use and very reliable. You can do the test on a stationary bike or on the road if you are the lucky owner of a power meter.
Once you have performed a five-minute all-out test, you can begin to train, and when you have trained for a couple of weeks it will be easy to monitor your progress.
On Day 1, you will have to do a test to figure out what your starting point is. The best way to do this is to perform a VO2 max test, e.g. five-minute all-out test. Most people can maintain their VO2 max for about 3 to 8 minutes. So a five-minute test will come close to VO2 max for most people. Notice how many watts you can perform.
If you do not have a power meter then use an ergometer bike. If power meters or ergometer bikes are not available, then you can perform the test on a track or a steady hill to see how far you can ride in five minutes. But I highly recommend you do some kind of power monitoring.
Please Notice These Values When Testing
- Power Output. The most important measurement in a power test is power
- Body Weight. It is important to notice your body weight when you do the test because it influences your performance
- Heart Rate. It is also recommended to wear a heart rate monitor, so you can evaluate whether you pushed yourself harder in the VO2 max test after finishing the VO2 Max Booster Program
- Temperature
- Time of day
Day 1
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
5min easy rolling
5min VO2 max test
30min Easy/medium rolling
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
5min easy rolling
5min VO2 max test
30min Easy/medium rolling
Day 2 – Intervals targeted for VO2 max
Today we will start with the real part of the VO2 Max Booster Program, the part that makes this training program outstanding and helps you to increase your VO2 max in only 14 days.
One of the secrets behind this program is time effective focused interval training. Working with higher intensity means you need less time toi achieve similar results. Also it is worth remembering that well trained cyclists need training close to their VO2max to continue improvements of this important physiological parameter.
Day 2
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
10 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% VO2 Max
30min Easy/medium rolling
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
10 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% VO2 Max
30min Easy/medium rolling
Day 3 – Reduce Volume, Increase Quality
One of the secrets behind this program is time effective focused interval training. Working with higher intensity means you need less time to achieve great results.
As you can see, most of the training days only last one hour. I know one hour is not much, in fact many riders take trips of two, three or even more hours when they hit the road. I understand the reasons: it is really nice to spend hours with your friends on the road when the weather is beautiful.
Nevertheless, reducing training volume is one of the central points in the VO2 Max Booster Program. Reducing volume is the key to increasing the quality of your training. Doing shorter workouts makes it easier to complete the training program as you have planned it and they allow you to focus all your concentration on maintaining the correct power output during the intervals.
As a consequence of reduced training time (and thus increased attention/motivation), it makes sense to increase the overall intensity of your workout, so you will receive great results in less time. Interval training is often a lot easier to do indoors. When you don’t have to pay attention to traffic, you can spend all your time concentrating on maintaining the correct power output, cadence or heart rate during the intervals. That is difficult outdoors, especially if you are not familiar with interval training.
Day 3
Total time: 1hr training
10min incremental warm up
3 x (5+10min) 90% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
5min Easy rolling
Total time: 1hr training
10min incremental warm up
3 x (5+10min) 90% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
5min Easy rolling
DAY 4 - INCREASE INTERVAL
Now you have completed the first three stages and as you probably already have discovered there are many intensive rides. In fact, you are going to complete high intensity intervals more often than you are used to.
As a rule of thumb, you should train hard every second day if you want to become stronger. If you do it more often you will over train.
“Here is a reminder of what impacts your overall training load: frequency, duration and intensity.”
If you train more frequently, ride with a higher intensity (more races, more intervals) or simply just ride more, you will force your body to adapt to these challenges. This way you can reach a higher level of fitness, but your body will not allow you to increase the total workload too fast. Good cyclists make use of these buttons to turn the workload up and down all the time.
“Remember that it is the consistency that makes you a strong cyclist, not just one hard week of biking. Using small adjustments over time, you can configure a more challenging training program that will make you a better cyclist.”
In the VO2 Max Booster program, we decrease the duration of each ride, which means your body needs less recovery time before the next hard training session. When you do frequent intervals (but not too many of them), it is possible to tackle high intensity intervals every single day.
Actually, you could train twice every day if you did some proper planning. It is clear that the risk of over training gets bigger if you train that often, but this example is just to show you that the classic two-interval days and one race day per week is common but definitely not the only way to achieve great results.
Keep up the good work and enjoy your extra free time!
Day 4
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
6 x (40+20sec) 95% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
4min easy rolling
6 x (40+20sec) 95% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
4min
6 x (40+20sec) 95% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
14min easy rolling
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
6 x (40+20sec) 95% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
4min easy rolling
6 x (40+20sec) 95% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
4min
6 x (40+20sec) 95% / 50% of your VO2 Max test result
14min easy rolling
Keep up the good work and enjoy your extra free time!
Train on recovery days and interval training on recovery days. The latter is very likely the most promosing. VO2 max intervals on rest days. Did I really say that? Yes, in this strongly accelerated VO2 Max Booster Program you will have to train high aerobic intervals on every single day. Recovery days are no exception!
Why? Yesterday I wrote that if you train more frequent, ride with a higher intensity (more races, more intervals) or simply just ride more, you will force your body to adapt to these challenges. That is also equal to a longer recovery period after each training session. So if we want a shorter recovery period after each training, we will have to reduce intensity and duration.
Normally people eliminate all intervals on their rest days, but is that really necessary? What if you instead reduced the duration to a minimum and kept a small amount of intervals would that be possible? Yes that is absolutely possible and you’ve got a great chance to test it out. A short amount of VO2 max intervals will keep your aerobic and anaerobic enzymes at a high level while the reduced training volume ensures you get enough recovery.
Get a new training program for free if this doesn’t work
I know this VO2 Max Booster Program might sound controversy in your ears, but give it a chance and experience what these changes can do to your VO2 max in only 14 days. If you perform the training program as scheduled then I promise you will achieve improvements in your VO2 max. If not then send me your power meter files and I will deliver a new training program for you for free.
I know this VO2 Max Booster Program might sound controversy in your ears, but give it a chance and experience what these changes can do to your VO2 max in only 14 days. If you perform the training program as scheduled then I promise you will achieve improvements in your VO2 max. If not then send me your power meter files and I will deliver a new training program for you for free.
Day 5
Total time: 30min training
10min incremental warm up
20x(15+15sec) 100% / 50% VO2 max test result
10min easy rolling
Total time: 30min training
10min incremental warm up
20x(15+15sec) 100% / 50% VO2 max test result
10min easy rolling
DAY 6 VO2 Max Booster Program – Time Effective VO2 Max Intervals
OK, you are getting a picture of what this training routine is all about. Maybe you had sore legs at the beginning of this training program, but now you are getting familiar with this kind of training so don’t worry. Yesterday you took a walk in the park: 30min with just a few VO2 max intervals helping you to recover from the initial workouts in the VO2 Max Booster Program.
Hopefully your legs feel better today because now you are going to begin the serious part of your 14-day trip towards a larger aerobic engine. Today’s workout will take you a step further and introduce you to a more comprehensive VO2 max interval session than you’ve tried before.
Day 6Total time: 1hr training10min incremental warm up
5min 70% VO2 max
3min 75% VO2 max
2min 80% VO2 max
5x(30+30sec) 100 / 50% VO2 max
5min 50%
5x(30+30sec) 100 /50% VO2 max
5min 50%
5x(30+30sec) 100 /50% VO2 max
5min 50%
5x(30+30sec) 100 /50% VO2 max
5min easy rolling
This is a super hard VO2 max interval session that will dramatically boost your VO2 max. It is time effective and guaranteed to change your view of what interval sessions can do for you. Go for it!
DAY 7 VO2 Max Booster Program – Avoid Failure Training
Would it be better to do an extra interval if you had the legs for it? One of the most difficult questions to answer is when is the right time to stop doing intervals. More intervals will normally inspire your body to grow stronger. So, if you can maintain the correct intensity for an extra interval then you will probably get even stronger.
But I have to underline the importance of not burning out. If you are unable to complete that extra interval you will have to pay for it. There are both psychological and physiological debts you have to pay afterwards. Therefore, I always recommend you steer well clear of failure training.
That means you have to stop intervals BEFORE you are unable to maintain the correct power output.
On Day 7, you are the one to decide when you have had enough. I would like you to stop the intervals at the point where you are completely sure that you could do one extra interval if you had to. This is not an easy job because you are supposed to push yourself very hard, but not too hard. This is a skill that characterizes many successful cyclists and is something that develops over many years.
Day 7
Total time: app. 1hr
10min incremental warm up
5min 70% VO2 max
3min 75% VO2 max
2min 80% VO2 max
10min 60% VO2 max
?? x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% VO2 max (close to your max repetitions, but no failure training)
15min easy rolling
Day 7
Total time: app. 1hr
10min incremental warm up
5min 70% VO2 max
3min 75% VO2 max
2min 80% VO2 max
10min 60% VO2 max
?? x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% VO2 max (close to your max repetitions, but no failure training)
15min easy rolling
