Ask a Coach: I hate VO2 max sessions - how can I make them bearable?

There’s no certainty in this world except death, taxes and – for us cyclists – torturous VO2max sessions. There’s no escaping the fact that top-end work, however deeply unpleasant it might be, is a training essential. Usually completed sparingly towards the latter part of a training block, VO2max workouts turbo-charge your performance, giving you a potentially race-winning edge on the big day. But before we start dreaming of podium positions, we’ve got to actually complete these intervals in a way that yields the greatest possible dividends. Here’s how to approach those dreaded red blocks of work… 

Jon Sharples

To create this article, we spoke to Jon Sharples - lifelong cyclist and the founder, director and head coach of Trainsharp Cycle Coaching (trainsharp.co.uk)

In layman’s terms, VO2max intervals are short bursts of very hard work (approximately 106- 120% of your FTP, or Zone 5), which stimulate adaptations that enable you to tolerate so-called oxygen debt, climb better and ride harder for longer. These intervals pull your threshold power up from above, adding the icing on the cycling fitness cake.

In terms of duration for each block of work, the range is between one and five minutes. Efforts of less than two minutes are liable to make you just go too hard, leading to fewer cellular changes within the muscles. My favourite, therefore, is three-minute efforts at first, building up to four-minute efforts. These are optimal because you get everything out – long enough but not too long. Depending on experience, aim to complete between three to six of these intervals.

VO2 max is really hard

Training at this intensity starts to smart more or less from the outset. The first minute is OK-ish, you can do it and you might even feel like you’re going too easy. After a minute, the biochemical byproducts of the hard effort begin to take hold, causing discomfort. In the third minute, you’re pulling funny faces and hanging on in there. And then in the fourth minute you really want to stop. 

If you’re new to VO2max sessions, you should be wary about how you go about them – manage your expectations. This form of training is hard, as it must be, since cycling is a really tough sport. It’s about endurance. You’ve got to give it time and be patient. As with all things, practice makes perfect. The more you do, the better you become at them. Physically you will be better equipped and mentally you’ll be more resilient and better at pacing your efforts. 

In general, people prefer riding outside but completing this high-end work indoors will garner the optimum outcome, crucially in a safe manner. It’s easy to lose yourself in the heat of a hard effort and be distracted from external factors (like cars!). Training indoors also gives you the choice to pick out some of your favourite high-energy tunes and drown out the sound of your groans

Embrace VO2 max sessions

There’s no silver bullet, no short cuts – VO2max intervals are by definition very demanding. If you don’t experience acute discomfort throughout the session, it’s time to increase the power. But there are coping strategies we can employ to make VO2max a little more tolerable. Embrace the discomfort, as it’s a natural part of pushing your limits. Focus on the present interval, not the whole workout. Break the session down into segments in your mind and focus on one interval at a time, not the time remaining in the session. This helps keep you mentally engaged. 

Nutrition is very important for these workouts, as maintaining stable blood sugar levels is essential for optimising performance. Aim to consume a carbohydrate-rich meal or snack one to three hours prior to the workout. Foods like wholegrain toast with peanut butter and a banana will provide easily digested calories. If your VO2max session is lasting 60 minutes or longer, you should take some portable food such as energy bars, gels and sports drinks, aiming for 60-100g of carbs per hour on these longer rides.

Tips for nailing VO2 max sessions

Fuelling is key: These are big efforts – your carb stores need to be brimming at the start, and may need to be topped up during.

Go hard: These are very high intensity intervals – you need to be above your FTP (though beyond 120% is too high) 

Get the duration right: Beginners should start with shorter intervals at a power that is a slightly lower percentage above their FTP 

Break it down: Breaking down your intervals into sections, be it minutes or verses of your favourite banging pop tune, will help bolster mental stamina 

Play music: Drown out your naysaying psyche with an upbeat, high-tempo pop or dance playlist 

Focus on the why: Keep at the forefront of your mind why you’re doing these intervals – to make you a faster cyclist

Try this VO2 max session 

This is a tough session, but very effective 

Warm up with a 22-minute total ramp from Zone 1, peaking with two minutes at Zone 4, and then back to Zone 1 for five minutes. Now you’re ready...

Main intervals – four sets of: 4 minutes @ VO2max 4 minutes recovery @ Zone 1 This is a hard session, so ensure you are not too fatigued going into it. 

Stay within the set power targets, aiming to accumulate a large amount of time at your top aerobic power. Be strict on the recovery time too