VO2 Max Training, Ranges, Workouts

1. What is VO2 Max Training?
2. VO2 Max Ranges (time, watts, heart rate, repeats)
3. VO2 Max Workouts and Improvement

1. What is VO2 Max Training?

This guide is created to help you understanding VO2 Max zone in cycling, what ranges you should use for intervals and gives you precise workouts for beginners and advanced cyclists. VO2 Max is the first zone above “Threshold” zone it starts from 105% of your FTP and ends on 120%. Intervals in this zone become very hard and you need to be “fresh”, well recovered and very focus on every repeat. It is not recommended to do those intervals in the base period of your training plan to avoid overload and burnout.

2. VO2 Max Ranges

It is very important to do any type of intervals in the right zones if you go to hard or to easy you are not developing a specific zone. Your body needs a proper physical load and time range to be able to improve exact energetic systems.

Power and heart rate zones for VO2 Max are:

• 105% – 120% of Functional Threshold Power.
• => 106% of Functional Threshold Heart Rate.

If you don’t know your FTP go to this article to set up one for you.

Time range of interval is:

• 3 – 8 minutes.

Number of intervals in one workout:

• 2 – 10 intervals.

3. VO2 Max Workouts and Improvement

Examples of VO2 Max workouts, to improve your ability in this training zone. Below you can find 2 workouts for beginners and more advanced cyclists, both of them are available to download, base on power and heart rate zones.

Beginner workout:

• Start with easy 10 min warm-up
• 3 x 1 min – cadence 120 with 1 min easy between
• 10 min active ride – 70% of FTP
• 4 x 3 min – 105% – 120% of FTP with 3 min easy between
• 15 min recovery

Advance workout:

• Start with easy 10 min warm-up
• 3 x 1 min – cadence 120 with 1 min easy between
• 10 min active ride – 70% of FTP
• 4 x 4 min – 105% – 120% of FTP with 3 min easy between
• 8 min easy ride
• 4 x 4 min – 105% – 120% of FTP with 3 min easy between
• 15 min recovery