increasing your V02max
 

How do I do it? I've been doing a lot of reading about it and a lot of riding but I'm not sure I've found a straight answer for how you work on "increasing" your v02 max.

I sort of have the impression that spending a lot of time on the bike at an increased heart-rate (85% mhr) will build your v02max over time. Is that all there is to it?

Second part: Over in the road cycling forum there is a workout thread (stickied) that has a workout for "v02max intervals". Are these intervals for increasing your v02max or are they supposed to be done at v02max, with any gains being only marginal?

I know these are n00b questions, but I'm still nailing down the lingo, any clearification would be much appreciated.

Technically VO2Max is the maximum amount of oxygen you consume and is normally expressed relative to your weight (mL/kg/min). You may have trouble increasing your VO2Max much without losing weight but you can increase the power you output at your VO2max and that is what the VO2max intervals are designed to do.

In order to increase power without increasing VO2max, efficiency (in the correct sense of the term) must increase. There is some controversy over whether this can be done at all, but if so, any improvements would be small. On the other hand, VO2max both absolute, volume/time, and relative, volume/time/mass are trainable especially for relatively new riders. The short answer on how to do this is by accumulating training time at an intensity that elicits a VO2 near max.

You're right. I was thinking of threshold power and increasing the % of VO2max power corresponding to your threshold.

My understand was the 80% of VO2Max is genetic, and therefore, few if any improvements will come in terms of absolute VO2Max (now Vo2Max per KG is based on weight, which can improve as you lose weight). However, Lactate Threshold can be trained.

If 80% of VO2max were genetic then there would be room for a 25% improvement from training (20/80). If you want to describe 25% as "few if any improvements" that's up to you. I think a 25% improvement is significant.

VO2 max can be increased by training, as far as I know, though the degree to which improvements can be made varies markedly between individuals. Even those whose heart and lungs are in top shape can increase their VO2 max for specific activities. For example, were you to test my VO2 max while cycling it would be higher than if you tested it while running, because my cycling-specific muscles are better trained, and therefore likely to be more heavily vascularised, and to be able to take up more oxygen as a result.

But isn't VO2Max the ability of lungs to take in oxygen with each breath, versus the muscle's ability to use said oxygen?

No.

Brainmac

wikipedia

VO2 max is the maximum capacity of your body to transport and use oxygen.

Swimming is great for V02 Max, especially when doing 25-50 metre lengths without coming up for air