VO2 max during Base

Training
1

looking for some opinions from the TR collective on the ‘V02’ work during base.

I’m soon to be finishing HV sustained power build. I’m not working toward a specific event just yet, the concensus seems to be to return to base before doing another build phase in 6-8 weeks time.

I’m not liking the look of HV S/S base, so thinking doing a modified MV S/S base 2. Working backwards Sundays will be 3-5 hrs Z2, Saturday will use existing threshold workout, Thursdays will be sweetspot long intervals and TIZ progression, Wednesday is 2hr Z2, which then leaves Tuesday?;

I can’t see the point in doing workouts like Taylor and Bluebell, they just seem way too easy. I totally see their purpose early season to gently ease you into the longer intervals.

So my question is should I replace these with proper V02 max workouts with the intention of maintaining what I’ve gained; or drop them completely and add another sweetspot workout?

2

I don’t see why you couldn’t. It may be a lot of intensity for the week so, I’d definitely keep tabs on fatigue as the plan progresses and adjust if necessary.

That said, if I were in your shoes, I’d do at least one block of specialty (4 weeks) before going to something else. While you’re not peaking for an event right now, that kind of stimulus can still put money in the bank. After than you could go back to base or to build to ramp back into whatever your planned event is.

3

I’d say it depends on what you want to achieve.

VO2 max is far away from what the traditionalists would consider “base training”. Now, it’s probably got it’s place in a training schedule if you’re time crunched, but since you’re doing high volume, it seems you have a bit of time to play with. If I were you, I’d focus on getting in as much zone 2 as possible.

Try reading the instructional text for those workouts, listening to the TR podcast and doing some reading about base training. You aren’t supposed to be killing yourself on every workout, especially during the base phase.

However, if you still want to go ahead with your plan, it’s certainly achieveable (if not optimal). As a cyclocross racer I often do some races whilst in the base phase of a TR plan.

4

Actually my inclination is to drop the V02 max work, but then what should fill the gap?

5

Zone 2

1 Like
6

Could good old rest & recovery be an option? Sounds like you’re going to be working pretty hard on the remaining days.

7

Since you did already a build I would at least do every 10 days a VO2 max workout to keep the system “alive”. Focus on longer VO2max intervals instead of on/off.

8

I went through a similar pattern at the beginning of this year - came off a strong build block (general), didn’t want to do specialty so early and so returned to SSB MV and found the early workouts to be very easy, especially the 1 minute v02 work in Bluebell/Taylor-2.

I modified the plan by swapping the Wednesday z2 ride for the same week’s Wednesday interval workout in the HV plan, and added 20 to 30 minutes of z2 to the tail end of the shorter workouts using ‘add cooldown’ and cranking up the intensity. I also increased the intensity by 5% or so if workouts felt too easy.

I found that the v02 work ramped up reasonably quickly such that you’re hitting 3 minute intervals after not too long, which felt like they hit hard enough. This worked pretty nicely for me. I came into the SSB progression at 323, tested at 327 at the beginning of SSB2, and 330 at the beginning of my current General Build. On top of that, I was completing workouts that I’ve failed on at lower FTPs in the past.

Your experience may vary, obviously, but it sounds like you’re coming into that progression from a similar perspective.

9

Thank you so much for everything you guys do I am very appreciative of how much help you give us cyclists of all levels!!. I had an early season goal of 5.0w/kg FTP I am now at 5.1w/kg FTP and with some local racing coming up I can now start to work on my VO2 max and I really need to work my 15 sec to 2 min power for attacks and breaks, as it is lacking big time at the moment. So my 2 part question is with a good diesel engine and weak sprint and lagging VO2 max, what would be the best efforts/intervals to do to get that punchy race fitness back. I have always just done 30/30s ETC in the past but feel i need something more to really get my punch/kick back. also I have 4 strait days to train fri/sat/sun/mon and usually a 45min/1hr recovery ride on wednesday what would be the best way to utilize those strait days to get full potential out of all the hours I have, my weeks tend to be anywhere from 16 to 22 hrs.

Thank you so much!

10

@mcneese.chad new thread?

11

You’re not in the “Base Phase” of training, you’re just revisiting Base so it’s a little different than advice if you were just starting your training and periodizing (Base, Build, Specialty) your season.

I’m in a similar situation, I finished SSBHV 1 & 2 and ShortPBHV. Plan builder has me doing SSBHV2 again before I move into Specialty. So I don’t lose VO2 gains and abandon all intensity for 5 weeks, I’ve elected to do the VO2 progression workouts from General Build HV as a replacement for the Saturdays in SSBHV2. Sundays are always a long z2 instead of SS.

Part of the reason of going back to base after build is to “raise the floor” as well as giving your autonomic nervous system a break from all the intensity.