How to Improve Vo2 Max – 6 Workouts Every Triathlete Should Do
Understanding VO2 Max Workouts
VO2 Max workouts push your body to its limit in oxygen consumption, which allows you to run faster, bike harder, and swim with more power than during easy endurance sessions. But the goal isn’t just to hit these high numbers; it’s about how these efforts can enhance your overall performance. Typically, VO2 Max is achieved during an all-out effort lasting 3 to 8 minutes, depending on your genetics and fitness level. While elite athletes may sustain their true VO2 Max for a full 8 minutes, most people find it difficult to maintain such intensity for long.
Only by performing a variety of VO2 Max workouts can you truly understand the effort required and how long you can sustain it. However, holding a VO2 Max interval is challenging and often painful. Fortunately, there are strategies to make these workouts more effective and manageable.
The Power of Interval Training
The key to effective interval training is to use shorter bursts of effort combined with rest periods, allowing you to accumulate more total work than you could in a continuous effort. You can reach your VO2 Max within about 30 seconds of starting an interval at the right intensity. However, once you stop or slow down, your oxygen needs diminish, your heart rate slows, and you’re no longer at VO2 Max. When you begin your next interval, you’re starting with a partially depleted “bucket,” meaning you can reach VO2 Max more quickly if your rest intervals are shorter and more intense.
So, how long should those intervals be? Tabata intervals (10 seconds max, 20 seconds rest) will touch on VO2 Max but are best for anaerobic conditioning. Billat’s 30-30 intervals (30 seconds at VO2 Max, 30 seconds rest) are a great introduction to VO2 Max efforts, especially for beginners or early-season training, with minimal risk of injury. Her research also shows that after a 4-6 week block of VO2 Max work, just 2-3 minutes of VO2 Max work per week can maintain your gains. You can cycle your VO2 work early in the season to see benefits, taper off in the spring, and resume before or during race season. If you can tolerate longer intervals (2, 3, 5 minutes or more) at your VO2 Max power, you’ll pack in the most time at this high intensity.
Measuring Your Progress
When deciding on the power level for your intervals, your 5-minute power output is a close estimate of your VO2 Max effort. While true VO2 Max can only be confirmed through lab testing, using your 5-minute power as a target for VO2 intervals is a practical approach. The key is to apply physiology correctly, have a plan, and track your progress. One way to measure progress is to complete a 4-6 week block of VO2 intervals, then reassess your all-out 5-minute power or see how long you can sustain a specific power output after the training block.
Integrating VO2 Max intervals into your training can significantly boost your performance. Whether you focus on shorter or longer intervals, the most important part is to have a clear plan and consistently measure your progress.
Six Workouts Every Triathlete Should Do
These workouts are designed to push your VO2 Max by incorporating intervals that challenge your cardiovascular and muscular systems, improving your ability to sustain higher intensities over time.
Swimming VO2 Max Workouts
- 30-30 Intervals (Billat’s Style)
- Warm-Up: 400m easy swim
- Main Set: 10 x 50m at VO2 Max effort (about 90-95% of your maximum effort) with 30 seconds easy swimming or complete rest between intervals.
- Cool Down: 200m easy swim
- 3 x 300m VO2 Max Repeats
- Warm-Up: 400m easy swim
- Main Set: 3 x 300m at VO2 Max effort with 4 minutes rest between intervals. Aim to keep your pace consistent across all three intervals.
- Cool Down: 200m easy swim
Biking VO2 Max Workouts
- 5 x 3 Minute VO2 Max Intervals
- Warm-Up: 15-minute easy spin, gradually increasing intensity
- Main Set: 5 x 3 minutes at VO2 Max effort (aim for 110-120% of your FTP) with 3 minutes easy spinning between intervals.
- Cool Down: 10-minute easy spin
- 30-30 Intervals
- Warm-Up: 15-minute easy spin
- Main Set: 10 x 30 seconds at VO2 Max effort (around 120% of FTP) with 30 seconds easy spinning. Repeat for 3 sets with 5 minutes easy spinning between sets.
- Cool Down: 10-minute easy spin
Running VO2 Max Workouts
- 6 x 3 Minute VO2 Max Intervals
- Warm-Up: 10-15 minutes of easy running with some dynamic stretches
- Main Set: 6 x 3 minutes at VO2 Max effort (around 3k to 5k race pace) with 3 minutes of easy jogging between intervals.
- Cool Down: 10-minute easy jog
- 10 x 400m VO2 Max Repeats
- Warm-Up: 10-15 minutes of easy running with strides
- Main Set: 10 x 400m at VO2 Max effort (about 90-95% of your maximum pace) with 1-minute rest or slow jogging between intervals.
- Cool Down: 10-minute easy jog
Do you have a favorite VO2 workout? Let me know in the comments!
Read up on the science behind Vo2 Max intervals:
Daniels, Jack. Daniels’ Running Formula. 3rd Edition, Human Kinetics, 2013.
Billat, Véronique L., et al. “Interval Training at VO2max: Effects on Aerobic Performance and Overtraining Markers.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 31, no. 1, 1999, pp. 156-163.
Laursen, Paul B., and Martin, D. C. “Training for Intense Exercise Performance: High-Intensity or High-Volume Training?” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, vol. 19, no. 1, 2009, pp. 1-10.
Seiler, Stephen. Interval Training, Long Slow Distance, and the Science of Endurance Training. Sports Science Exchange, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, 2010.
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