What is VO2 Max Training?

Written by Jim Levesque, Head Coach at Grit Endurance. Learn more about Jim’s background here!

First off, what is VO2 max?

VO2 max is a term that’s often tossed around, but what does it mean, and why should you care about it?  This blog is meant to help you understand the basics in as simple terms as possible, and I will go deeper into the more advanced nuances of VO2 max in a another article in the near future…

Your VO2 max is the maximum volume (V) of oxygen (O2) that you can consume while exercising.  This is often defined in overall terms (3 liters for example), or in relative terms (40 ml per kg of body weight). 

Why does it matter?

All aerobic exercise, which is basically anything longer than a couple of minutes, requires your body to utilize oxygen to break down carbohydrates or fats and convert them into energy.  The more oxygen you can consume, the more carbs and fats you can break down, and the more energy you can then create to run, bike or swim faster!  Think of your VO2 max as the size of your engine, while your overall endurance and technique is your gas mileage.  A bigger engine is very helpful, but it’s not all that matters.

Do you need to know what your VO2 max is?

While it can be beneficial to do a VO2 max and metabolic test in a laboratory, it is not necessary.  You can and should still train to improve your VO2 max, even if you don’t know what your actual number is.  It is actually very easy to figure out what your estimated bike power and pace at VO2 max efforts are, by doing time trials in the 3 to 6-minute range.  As your VO2 max improves, you should not only see your output improve at the 3 to 6 minute range, but also at efforts of longer durations as well.

How do you improve your VO2 max?

All aerobic training will have a positive impact on your VO2 max, so training consistently over long durations of time (months and years) will help you improve the most.  But with that said, specific targeted training blocks focused at efforts near your VO2 max can drive increases quickly.  For most athletes, this effort is around 115-130% of your lactate threshold pace or power, or in simpler terms, it’s a near maximal effort of 2-4 minutes, repeated several times.  The most important thing is that each interval needs to be long enough, or the rest needs to be short enough, to keep the effort aerobic (using oxygen for effort).  Intervals of under 2 minutes with plenty of rest will have you training mostly your anaerobic system (where oxygen is not needed for energy creation).  An example of a VO2 max progression on the bike could start with 2-minute intervals, then move to 2:30 the following week, 3 minutes the following week, and so on.

In conclusion, it’s ideal to train all areas of your physiology, from VO2 max to max power/speed to threshold to aerobic endurance. And It takes a well thought-out and structured plan to hit all these areas with the right frequency and duration that will help you reach your goals.  If you want to learn more about how our coaches can help you accomplish this, please reach out to set up an intro call! In the meantime, stay tuned for the follow up artilce that is coming!