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vo2 max

How to Optimize Your Pre-Season Cycling Training

February 19, 2013 by Jesper Bondo Medhus 4 Comments

The road cycling race season is just about to begin and in some countries they have already started. Today I will show you some highly effective techniques that will help you to perform better from the very first race.

One of the most common arguments against interval training during the winter is the risk of peaking too early.

I disagree. If you are not competing at a professional level, your risk of peaking too early is extremely low. Remember that your current fitness leaves significant room for improvement and that’s why it makes sense to train longer, faster and more frequently. You are far from peaking.

Lack of Race Speed

Finishing a solid base training leaves you with a strong aerobic engine. Your threshold power is now close to maximum and you are getting lean and ready to enter the cycling races. Still, you might have the feeling that your legs are not ready for the big races.

There is something missing…

Have you ever completed a solid base training left with the feeling that you still lack race speed to perform optimally? Have you (or some of your cycling buddies) ever used ‘lack of race speed’ as an excuse for not performing as well as you were hoping for?

The case is that a solid aerobic engine alone is not enough to win cycling races.

Even though threshold power is often referred as the single most important physiological parameter, having a decent power output at threshold power is not enough. Most often you will need both anaerobic endurance/sprint skills and also a highly trained VO2 max to be competitive in cycling races.

Why? Because in most cycling races winds play an important role. When you ride behind other riders in the bunch you may save up to 40% of power output to maintain the pace.

Thus, if you just sit in the front of the peloton and work around your threshold power, all other riders can easily follow your pace as long as you ride in the flat or slightly uphills.

So if you want to make a breakaway or drop some of your worst opponents then a steady pace at threshold power might not be enough.

Instead, you need to use your anaerobic and tactical skills to establish a breakaway.

And then afterwards return to a steady pace slightly below threshold power in your new group of riders.

To be able to make these breakaways you’ll need to have at least some anaerobic power to accelerate away from the peloton. It’s clear that the more aware your opponents are, the harder you will have to work to get away. Also, as you get closer to the finish line you should expect more riders to react when you make your attempts.

You could see their awareness as a problem or you can see it as your opportunity to strategical alternatives. By leveraging from other riders impatience, you can actually make tactical moves that are far more likely to succeed than with most solo attacks. Also if you stay away from the front and simply let the attacking rider protect you from the wind, you can relatively easy join the attack. That way you have a chance to join a new breakaway while saving your anaerobic power for later.

Structure is the key to successful cycling training

Even experienced and ambitious riders get surprised when they enter the first couple of races in the season. Some of them may have increased their total training load significantly during the winter and therefore – reasonable – expect to perform better.

However, many of these talented riders don’t get the results and honour they have worked so hard for. Because they struggle so hard to increase the total training time and intervals, they forget to remind themselves of the importance of having a good overall structure on their training plans.

If there is no structure on your intervals, distance training and cycling races then all else is meaningless. Forget about exotic recovery drinks, aero wheels, carbon saddles etc.

If there is no structure on when you train hard and when you don’t then this is the first place to improve your performance in the long run.

Simply put: structure is the best and most effective way to increase your performance. And you don’t have train harder.

It’s important to notice that high intensity intervals are not just high intensity intervals. Since road cycling is mainly an aerobic activity, it is also clear that most of your training should target the aerobic engine.

It takes more time to build a solid aerobic engine, but once it is built it will remain at a reasonable level with the minimum of training.

Why are the first cycling races in the season so difficult?

One of the most common excuses is ‘lack of race speed’. I agree with this cause, but I don’t think it’s very precise.

Switching from group rides at 30km/hr to cycling races at 40+ km/hr is not only a question of speed. It’s a paradigm shift from riding friendly group rides to entering a war on bikes.

Let me explain: If you haven’t included high intensity intervals and riding in your training yet, you will very likely experience ”˜lack of race speed’. And you will experience it the hard way. To make it clear: If you are not prepared, you will be punished.

Those riders who dominate and win these first races are typically well prepared.

They have followed their training programs for months and they have been doing some kind of high intensity (anaerobic) training in the past. And that gives them what is commonly referred as ‘race speed’.

So yes, in races you ride 10km/hr faster, but that is only a part of the explanation. The physiological and technical demands are quite different when you enter a cycling race.

So if you want to be one of those riders who are well prepared when the race season opens, then you have to use some of the pre-season training techniques mentioned below. Otherwise, you will be one of those riders whining about ‘lack of race speed’.

Though, the good news for lazy riders: If you haven’t done your anaerobic training, you will catch up within 6 to 8 weeks. That’s what many cyclists experience season after season when they have entered the first ten races or so.

Simply, because their anaerobic capacity gets a boost from participating in the cycling races.

That also means, that if you plan to peak later in the season, you don’t have to push too hard with anaerobic intervals and sprints before the season opens. But it will make your life in the peloton a bit easier and maybe your winning chances are also better in early part of the season.

How to Ride Faster in the Early Part of the Race Season

1) Friendly races (Fartlek)
Making your training more similar to races is a logic step that helps you prepare for the cycling races waiting for you.

Instead of riding steady pace group rides, you should include two or three short races with a predefined distance of 5km or up. These friendly races give you a nice combination of aerobic and anaerobic intervals while riding your bike at higher speeds. You will also get a sense of race tactics if you include a finish line for your friendly race.

Though, this training approach is an unorganized way to train compared to most of the other advice I give, it’s a very effective and inspiring way to optimize your aerobic and anaerobic systems. Well performed, these Fartlek sessions are both highly effective and motivating as pre-season workouts.

Sometimes you simply have to dig a little deeper into your reserves when you train. This may help you to go from good to great. But, more importantly, it is a great mental relief to just follow the pack as they begin to race.

So remember the positive attitude and enjoy the chance to have some extra training and fun at the same time.

Remember that most cycling races are not organized in 15-minute sub-threshold intervals. Cycling races are extremely unpredictable and you will need a wide repertoire of skills to master them. So spontaneous cycling races or sprints are an excellent supplement to your regular, scheduled intervals.

If you never do anything that is not scheduled in the training plan, then do at least one off-diary interval/race/sprint this week.

2) Anaerobic intervals and sprints
The secure way to boost your anaerobic performance is through specific intervals designed for anaerobic performance. These intervals are typically shorter efforts of less than 60 seconds. The intensity is so high and the duration so short that using a heart rate monitor for pacing makes no sense.

Even without any pacing tool, it is relatively easy to get a great boost of your anaerobic power and endurance.

Simply by doing anaerobic intervals once or twice per week, your anaerobic capacity will increase significantly within a few weeks. It is much faster than building aerobic power, so even if you are a bit late, you have a good chance to catch up quickly.

One important thing that most riders are not aware of is the need for recovery between hard anaerobic intervals.

Why? If your recovery periods are too short, you will not be able to generate sufficient high power outputs in the work periods and more work will be performed through aerobic metabolism. Thus, you will not get a sufficient stimulus for your anaerobic enzymes.

3) Tapering
The most overlooked secret of winning riders is their use of tapering. If you want to make a really great ride, you should make at least some kind of tapering protocol before the races you prioritize. That will make your legs and mind fresh, and help you to perform much better than most of your opponents.

Especially in the early part of the season many riders have been through a heavy amount of training. With reference to the overload principle, these riders need a few weeks of tapering before they are able to perform at peak performance.

It’s not all about boosting your anaerobic system

Winter training is often considered as the most important part of your preparation for next season. Why not also use your best weapon to improve aerobic performance?

As I mentioned previously in this article, you might choose to prioritize differently. If you spend less energy on optimizing your anaerobic system now, you will be able to build an even stronger aerobic engine. And because of that you can be even stronger later in the season. That is always a question of priority.

Even though my 12-week winter training program forces you to tackle scheduled intervals three times per week and also perform an increasing amount of training, there may still be opportunities to ride more.

Don’t be afraid to add an extra interval or a spontaneous friendly cycling race.

Yet, it’s my gut feeling that many riders don’t prepare optimally for the season opening. And just a little tweak to your current training can make a nice improvement in your opening races.

Thus, I conclude that intelligent riders get an easy advantage in the first few weeks simply by optimizing their training.

4 Pre-season Bike Training Sessions That Will Boost Your Race Performance

VO2 Max intensity refer to your avg. power output (Watts) in 5min test.

Pre-season Training Program 1 (50 min)
15 min warm-up
1 x 5 min – 80 % VO2 max
1 x 5 min – 50 % VO2 max
3 x (3+3 min) 100 / 50 % – VO2 max
7 min cool down

Pre-season Training Program 2 (50 min)
15 min warm-up
3 x (40s + 9.20min) maximum sprint efforts
5 min cool down

Pre-season Training Program 3
15 min warm-up
16+ x (30+30s) VO2 max
10 min cool down

The Ultimate VO2 Max Training Session
(read more about the ultimate VO2 max workout here.)
10+ min warm-up
2+8 min VO2 Max / Threshold intensity
10 min recovery
2+8 min VO2 Max / Threshold intensity
10 min cool down

PS. I can guarantee these intervals don’t work if you don’t try…

The Ultimate VO2 Max Training Session

February 5, 2013 by Jesper Bondo Medhus 32 Comments

How to Become a Better Sprinter

THIS is the story behind how I developed an effective, motivating and personalised interval session, which is the perfect booster for VO2 max. If you want to go directly to the interval session, please scroll down to the bottom of this article or watch the video.

During the last few years, I have analysed lots of heart rate and power files from cycling races. I’ve spent time focusing on the most decisive moments during races; for example, the moment when you try to shake off your nearest challengers.
Based on my analysis and research, I’ve developed a unique training method that will dramatically boost your VO2 max. And I’ve been using this new interval training session during the last year with great success.
This is the first time I have shared this exclusive information, so you could say this is a world premiere…

My analysis of heart rate monitor and power meter files

At the crucial moments during a race you will perform at your five-minute maximum power for about two to three minutes. Since you are already warm (on 80-85% of max heart rate) because you have been racing, it only takes a short burst of power before you hit your VO2 max peak.

Riders who launch an attack typically establish a gap of between 50 to 100 metres during these initial minutes of aggressive cycling. All cyclists, breakaway riders as well as people left in the peloton, will feel the burn in their legs at these moments, so everybody will be suffering.

Since the breakaway riders have already expended a lot of energy to establish their lead, they will have to keep struggling on in the hope that the peloton will allow them to get away.

If they succeed in establishing a small breakaway group, they will keep the intensity slightly below or around threshold power. But as the initial two to three minutes were at their VO2 max, they would have already used a significant part of their anaerobic reserve. This means they have to maintain the highest possible intensity without accumulating additional lactic acid to avoid blowing up. So they have to ride at an intensity close to their functional threshold power during this continued attack. The following five to eight minutes are crucial in deciding if this will turn out to be a winning break or not.

If the peloton fails to reel in this group of leaders within five minutes, it is more than likely that they will not see them again during the race. But if the pack does manage to chase down the breakaway riders, then the race becomes wide open again, and there is a golden opportunity to launch a counter-attack.

Please bear in mind that we are talking about breakaways established at the ‘business end of a race’ – not tactical moves during the early stages.

Five Reasons Why This Training Method Works

VO2 Max. You get an extended stimuli of your aerobic system at an intensity close to or at your maximal oxygen consumption. The initial two minutes activates your aerobic system, so it performs close to maximum. When you reduce your intensity to threshold power, you’ll be able to continue at maximal oxygen consumption without accumulating too much lactic acid. Therefore, you get an extended period of time with maximum impact on your aerobic system without too much suffering (don’t forget though, it’s still an EXTREMELY hard workout). You’ll reach a heart rate >92% of maximum heart rate.

Motivating interval design. The initial 30-40 seconds is a piece of cake but then it begins to get harder. When you’ve completed the first minute you will be halfway through the toughest part. By pushing the highest power outputs at the beginning of the interval, you’ll have a good feeling that you can actually complete this interval as scheduled.

High specificity. It is an old rule of thumb that you should train with your goal in mind. Make the training as relevant as possible. This interval is designed to simulate a cycling race and it certainly feels like one. When you struggle during the last four minutes of this interval, it feels you are enduring the pain of a tough race. Those riders who have been test pilots on this interval session will readily confirm that the mental and physical experience is the same.

Personalised intervals. This workout is based on your performance in two different physical tests to create a customised interval session to suit YOU. It will offer you the huge advantage of securing optimal training of your VO2 max.

Great results guaranteed. Your aerobic engine will thank you for it, and after just a few of these training sessions, your overall performance will improve significantly.

They are the five main reasons I believe this training method should be an integral part of your interval training, at least during the last six to eight weeks before important races.

What you also need to know before starting this interval session:

This VO2 max session is based on your performance in two separate physical tests. This knowledge gives you an advantage when you plan your training session. Instead of calculating your VO2 max as a percentage of your threshold power (or the opposite), you will base your decisions on your actual fitness at those intensities representing different physiological skills. So you end up with a bespoke training session that is perfect for you.

VO2 max power (five-minute maximum watts)

Threshold power (30-minute maximum watts)

If you haven’t performed these tests recently (<2 months), then it makes sense to tackle them again. If you’ve never tried these five and 30-minute performance tests before, you can read more about them here.

The Best VO2 Max Training for Cyclists – Here is the deal:

Warm up for at least 10 minutes. (Here is a quick warm-up routine)

2 min: VO2 max intensity

8 min: threshold intensity

10 min easy rolling

2 min: VO2 max intensity

8 min: threshold intensity

10 min cool down

No power meter? Here is what you should do…
If you don’t have access to a power meter or ergometer bike, it gets a little more difficult to control pacing, but you can still have a decent workout. Ride the first two minutes as if it was a 4km pursuit and ride the following eight minutes as a 40km time trial. It’s not optimal but it works.

What to do after the VO2 max session

After two rounds of 2+8min, you’ve had a decent workout. Some riders may want to ride more after finishing the interval session and that is no problem. You may prefer to ride for an hour or two with low intensity. You can add as much distance as you like.

Remember to refuel immediately after finishing the second VO2 max interval. This workout has a huge impact on your recovery time, so give yourself the best odds to recover quickly so you reap the full benefits from your effort.

Take action now…

Here is one thing you MUST do:

– Try the VO2 max training session and leave a comment about your experience.

and two things that will make me VERY happy:

– Write about this new training method on your personal blog or website.

– Share this link on your personal blog, Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus:

The Ultimate VO2 Max Training Session

It is not all about VO2 max

August 27, 2012 by Jesper Bondo Medhus 2 Comments

The most decisive moments in a cycling race often happen at an intensity close to VO2 max. I have several times emphasized how important I believe VO2 max is for race performance.

Also, I have used intervals targeted for VO2 max widely in my e-books to support my view on this training method.

It’s clear that training at high intensity makes fast improvements and has a huge potential for all cyclists. Actually, Elite and pro riders need training at (or very close to) VO2max to keep further progress.

The best and fastest way to track your progress is doing a 5-minute all-out test.

When you perform a VO2 max test, try to estimate how much power you can produce for five minutes and then keep a consistent pace. It might be necessary to adjust your pace throughout the test, but that’s how performance tests (and time trials) are.

As you get better you’ll be able to maintain a higher power output (avg. Watts).

Nevertheless, it should always be remembered that any performance test is only an indirect indicator of what really matters: Race performance.

Fact is, it really doesn’t matter how many Watts you can push in a 5-minute maximum test if you are unable to convert your awesomeness to race results. In the end, it’s your position on the podium that counts – not your average power output in performance tests.

Also, it’s worth considering that your 5-minute power output is only one out of many indicators of your current fitness. Thus, you should never be afraid to use different strategies to evaluate your performance.

If you are dreaming about finishing top 10 at a 3K pursuit then a 5-minute test might be relevant. Though, this test should never stand alone, because your overall goal is to get your bike to ride as fast as possible, so you can finish in the top 10.

So keep a strong focus on your overall goal. In the end that’s what matters most.

Bronze Medal at 3K Pursuit World Championships With Only 10 Hours Training Per Week

June 17, 2011 by Jesper Bondo Medhus 7 Comments

Case Story: Peter Ettles, 3K Pursuit.
Last year I received an email from Peter Ettles from Scotland asking me for help towards the World Track Championships. Peter had 3K pursuit as his main discipline and scratch race and points race as secondary events.

That email had the perfect timing because I at the same time was working intensively testing and optimizing the principles for my e-book, Time Effective Cycling Training.

After a few emails I understood that Peter was a very busy person who was very limited in training time and also limited in training time on the track.

So it was not an easy job, but I thought it could be a really good way to see if my high intensity training principles would work on ”˜older’ cyclists. And just to emphasize the power of this test, Peter was actually preparing for the World Championships in his age group. So it couldn’t be a better scene to show how my training concept worked.

Since Peter had the 3K pursuit as his primary goal, I decided to make his 3,5min maximum power output the value we would track his performance progress with.

Getting started with the training towards 3K pursuit

In the first week of the training program he performed 396W with a body weight of only 76,0kg. Riders who have experience with power meter training will know that these numbers are highly respectable. And please remember that this guy was competing in age group 45 to 49.

So it was clear that Peter was already performing really well, but nevertheless, he wanted to do even better.

That was some kind of a challenge for me!

I decided to make a full training plan of 13 weeks with an average training time of 10hours per week (range: 6 to 15hours per week). His training was targeted the physiological skills required for an optimal performance at the track events he was participating in. Though, there was a primary focus on the 3K pursuit, because that was his personal favorite.

When it comes to track cycling, specificity of the training sessions becomes extremely important. So, Peter did a lot of anaerobic and VO2 max intervals in different combinations because it was both time effective training and also very specific towards the challenges he was preparing for.

I would have wished Peter had more time on the velodrome in Manchester, but with a travelling time of app. 6hours it was clear that we had to accept that he wouldn’t get the most optimal training for track cycling.

Here is a snapshot from the training program:

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
21⁄2hrs

8x(35+25s)

400/200W

2 1/2hrs

3K time trial

+ 1x20min 260W, high cadence. rpm>100

2hrs

5x1000m, ~95%

10min recovery between 1K’s

2hrs

10x
(20s+4.40m )

600/120W

After 12 weeks Peter entered the velodrome in Portugal shortly after performing his best 3,5min test ever. Peter won the bronze final in World Championships 3K Pursuit, Age Group 45 to 49.

Here is the testimonial from Peter Ettles:

“In 2010 I decided to try to get in shape for the world masters track champs. The pursuit was going to be my main aim. It was not going to be a easy task  as I also work full time running my own forestry business. I got a 13 week training programme from training4cyclists.com. First I did  a 3.5 min max test to see what sort of power I was producing. I did 396W.
.
The bulk of the programme consisted of very high intensity intervals varying from 10second sprints up to 5min repeats. The intervals, although being very hard, were a great challenge and really made to look forward to the training as you could actually feel yourself getting better and stronger with every session. At the end of my 13 weeks including a proper taper, I was amazed to find my power over 3.5 mins was now up to 424W. That’s 28W increase! I had also lost a couple of kilos which was an added bonus.
.
I must say that almost all my training was done on the road or on the turbo as I dont live anywhere near a track,so you can imagine my delight when I went to the Worlds and won bronze. I’m going to give it another go this year (2011) and will be sticking with what I have learnt from Jesper’s interval training. With a few tweaks, maybe I can get gold!!”

So this was a success story of how time effective training principles can be used to compete at international level. Peter did a really great job and I was very glad when he won his bronze medal. That result gave me the final confidence to launch my e-book one month later.

If you want to use some of the principles mentioned above, please make sure to get your own copy of Time Effective Cycling Training.

10 Secrets That Make You a Winning Cyclist

July 12, 2010 by Jesper Bondo Medhus 2 Comments

Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland. Image by Training4cyclists.com
1. Know how hard to train
Understand the terms ”˜overreaching’ and ”˜overtraining’ and use them to improve your performance. Distinguishing overtraining from overreaching is important, because overreaching is a very natural process when we train. Actually that is an advanced use of the super compensation principle.

2. Make a training plan
Plan your training and set a goal for your training. Find out how much time you can spend on training and how you can get the best results with the time you have. When you know what your goals are and what time you have to achieve your goals, it is time to make a detailed training program.

3. Power meter training
Measure your effort in watts and evaluate your training rides and races. A power meter is a very powerful tool, which gives you opportunity to make even better training plans. It is best way to follow your progress.

4. Strength training
Heavy and explosive lifting makes you more efficient and stronger. Use Cycling Training Tips’ strength training program for cyclists.

5. VO2 max intervals
Increase your maximum oxygen consumption. For a cyclist a large aerobic engine is essential. When you go for a ride you stimulate your aerobic system, but how much stimulation depend on the intensity you ride with. VO2 max intervals triggers a great response from your aerobic system.

6. Anaerobic intervals
Increase your anaerobic endurance. After only a few of these sessions your body will be better to work at an anaerobic environment. This skill is primarily used in competitions, where jumps and sprints demand anaerobic efforts. This art of training is very exhausting and therefore it should primary be used for competition preparation.

7. Sprint training
Get faster and more explosive. When it comes to true sprinters, genes play a big role. Sprinters are born to be sprinters. It is said that you can make a slow donkey to a faster donkey, but you can never make a donkey to a race horse. This animal is simply born to be slow and it is the same situation for many non-sprinters. But even slow donkeys can get faster, so sprint training is strongly suggested.

8. Fartlek
Improve your tactical skills (and aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, sprints”¦ etc.) If you have a period where your motivation for regular interval training is low or non-existing, then try Fartlek. It is fun and often you will experience that you get a really good workout.

9. Aerodynamics
Improve your aerodynamics. Cheat the wind”¦ The biggest changes in aerodynamic drag come from changes in body position.

10. Recovery
Optimize your recovery. When you train hard, you deserve to get good results. One of the best moments to improve your performance is the first hour after your training session.

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Case studies and experiments

Bronze Medal at 3K Pursuit World Championships with Only 10 Hrs/Week

The Story Behind the 12-Week Winter Training Program

How to Become Stronger Without Adding Muscle Mass

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