Now we are so close to the finish that I’ve decided to publish the final stages of the program.
I have not mentioned yet the principle of overreaching, which helps us achieve progress. Distinguishing overtraining from overreaching is important because overreaching is a very natural process when you train. Unfortunately, many riders use the term “overtraining” for both overreaching and overtraining, which is why many riders wrongly diagnose themselves as overtrained.
The problem is that if you are really in an overtraining situation, it can take several months before your performance is back at 100%. However, if you have overreached in a specific period, a week or two is usually enough to get you back on track.
This principle is often used in tapering protocols, where training volume is reduced during the last two or three weeks before a big event. However, Overtraining syndrome does not happen overnight or in a week. It takes six to eight weeks or even longer to develop.
Read more on overtraining and overreaching here.
Day 11
Total time: 1hr
15min incremental warm-up
6 x (3+2min) 85% / 50%
15min easy rolling
Day 12
Total time: 1hr
12min incremental warm up
3min 80%
3min 50%
2x(3+3min) 100 / 50%
10min 50%
2x(3+2min) 80 / 50%
10min easy rolling
Day 13
Total time: 40min
20min incremental warm up
5min 85%
5min 50%
10min easy rolling
Day 14
Total time: 1hr15min
20min incremental warm up
8 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50%
7min 50%
8 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50%
7min 50%
?? x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% (Maximum number of intervals possible!)
10min easy rolling
Congratulations! You’re have completed the VO2 Max Booster Program!
Afterwards, I recommend you to take some easy days, maybe a day off, to recover from this overload of VO2 max intervals. Remember what I said about overreaching? You are not overtrained now, you are overreached, and in the next couple of days, you will begin to super compensate for the last 14 days’ impressive workload.
5min max test to find your new VO2 Max
When you have had 4-6 days with easy training, it is time to do a new 5min maximum test to track your progress. I would appreciate it if you share your results with the readers at Training4cyclists.com by posting your results in the comments section.
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View Comments
.. and now? :-)
Let me explain: I read on some article on pubmed that VO2max plateau after 6 weeks of dedicated training. Your booster program only lasts 2 weeks, so there should be another 4 weeks of training. Will it come soon? What are your thoughts about?
Simone,
I'm not planning to publish 4 more weeks. I guess most people who have read the series about VO2 max training now have an idea of how they can improve (and continue to improve) their VO2 max. I have other projects that I plan to publish, so hang on. :-)
It's clear that you gain the best results in the first 2 weeks and less in the following. It's right that you will meet some kind of a plateau, but it doesn't mean you can't get further. If that was the case we should stop our VO2 max training after only 6 weeks.
Scientific research shows us that well-trained athletes need training close to their VO2 max to secure further progress. We're talking about small, small improvements, but these small steps have a huge impact on performance for elite riders (and everyone else).
Best regards,
Jesper
Hello Jesper, many thanks to share for free such a traning program :-) I will probably have a look at it next winter and I hope I will send you good results. My question is about the 50% recovery intensity (based on 5mn power). I use a powermeter, and during my previous workouts in march, N*(30s@100%+30s@X%), I aimed rather X=35-40% to recover, just pedaling. Is this intensity of 50% is really important for the goal of the program (increasing VO2Max) as the recovery intervals are more difficult, or a smaller value for X can be used?
Thanks !
Jesper, Thank you very much for publishing this program! I found it extremely chanllenging but rewarding mentally and physically. I have only just completed the program yesterday so will come back in some time to offer the results of my test.
Of particular note -- I was able to complete all of the training program exactly as specified except for Day 12. I was not able to complete the final set of 2x(3+2min) 80 / 50%, in fact only partial of the 1st 3 mins and none of the 2nd.
Again, thank you!
-Tom
bugno>> The 50% helps you to maintain a high oxygen uptake in the recovery periods. You get more time with high VO2 uptake. Actually there is research indicating that it is possible to maintain VO2 max throughout the 30seconds recovery if you keep it at 50% VO2 max. That's really interesting.
Tom>> It's very challenging, no doubt. You've done a great job so far, I look forward to hear from you again with some positive test results.
Have a nice day!
Jesper
Damn, Day 12 was *hard*! Puff pant :-)
i have had alot of success in the early season with the vo2 intervals, especially the 30 on, 30 0ff. usually started them in january and continued up til first races of the season at the end of march. i am about to do a 3 week stretch now of your vo2 intervals for the cyclocross season that get under way in middle of sept. i ahve never really targeted the cross season, but want to see a better consistency and hope the intervals help with this.
john mccormick (canada)
I have modified this program as a running program and am currently on day 8 and going well. I will use some of the workouts in the future for sure. 14 days straight is really tough, but I can tell I will have some big time improvements when I rested. Maybe even more than cyclist as improvements in running efficiency are sure to make me even faster.
To any newbie runners reading this, 14 days of intervals will get you injured. Not only are they very tough on your body, this program assumes there will be a volume decrease. 7+ hours/week at these speeds works out to be well over 40 miles.
Jesper:
To increace recovery time, could I do these workouts as 2 a days?
ie: do workout 1 on sunday, workout's 2 and 3 on monday, take tuesday off then workouts 4 and 5 on wednesday, take thursday off... etc. is this appropriate if it will work for me or must I do the protocol as outlined?
Leo,
It's better to do one workout per day since each training session is quite difficult. In theory, though, it's possible to make training plans with two or more high-intensity mini-workouts every day. It would be interesting to see how that could work, but the current setup for VO2 max booster program is probably a bit too hard for such experiments.
I think you shall take a recovery day or two during the program, thus making the complete training program last 15 or 16days or more.
Best regards,
Jesper