Training VO2max & MSPO

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by TTer
Are there any guidelines or tests that indicate when a rider should work on raising VO2max (with 3-6minute intervals) vs. raising MSPO (maximable sustainable power output -- TT power) (with 8-20minute intervals)? Some coaches suggest training VO2max for 3-4 weeks, followed by working on MSPO for 3-4 weeks and longer. I suppose the reasoning is to max-out improvements in VO2max, then raise MSPO to the highest %age of VO2max as is possible?

Could the two aspects be worked on simultaneously, maybe until no increases occur in one when focus is switched exclusively to the other for a short period? Or is there a physiological reason why most training programmes work exclusively on VO2max, then switch to MSPO? Is it too much to develop both together? Is it a waste of time trying to raise MSPO when VO2max is not maxed out? Will training to maximise VO2max have the effect of raising MSPO a little at the same time, such that doing the MSPO at the same time is a waste of time? Is it easier to raise MSPO when VO2max is so much higher (ie. MSPO is a low %age of VO2max so room for a lot of improvement)?

I just wondering why the two are trained separately. I can understand why very high anaerobic capacity intervals are not trained until close to peak, but VO2max and MSPO are so critical to racing that maximising both in the long term (ie. off-season) seems critical to me.

Not sure about maximising (if you mean to continually increase) during the off-season, but a core session i use quite lot includes both TT power intervals and 4-min power intervals.

i suggest that most people need to do these types of intervals all year round (give or take a few easy weeks).

there's no reason to do these in different periods, and in fact most people regularly include them within a training period or a session (i.e., TT work of 20mins and having to climb short hills of ~ 4 mins).

As an aside i feel that 8 mins is too short for sustained TT power, because the intensity will be too low compared to VO2 max work and the duration won't be long enough to increase TT power. i wouldn't go below 15-mins for TT efforts (and when i'm down to 15mins, it's 4 x 15mins).

ric

That's interesting what you say about 8 minute intervals been too short for improving MSPO. Last year I was able to complete 5x6mins at 300W with 3 mins rest between intervals. I didn't reduce the rest intervals, but if I had reduced them a little, I wonder if these 6minute intervals contain enough aerobic work (rather than anaerobic) to suggest that 300W is a possible aim for me to perform at for a complete 10mile TT? I seem to recall hearing that a 6 minute interval is 90% aerobic. If so, and with the volume I could maintain (30 minutes total at 300W), I'm thinking the aim of 21-22mins at 300W for a 10 is achievable.

I was re-reading Dave Morris' book last night and he presents a plan for the 'on season' (after all the 'base' work) for a rider to raise their 20km TT power to 350W. In 7 weeks he has the rider working at 375, 385, 395, 400W for intervals of 6, 4, 3, 2 minutes initially, before moving onto some longer intervals (8 and 12mins, plus using races as training) at slightly lower power (don't have book here, so most of this is from memory), but still above intended race pace. One thing that struck me about this plan is that it doesn't seem to worry too much about which energy systems are been targetted (I guess both VO2max and MSPO are influenced by short intervals?). It basically just makes the rider work at higher than race-pace intensities for shorter periods, gradually lengthing the intervals, reducing rest intervals, and reducing power until the rider is able to complete 2x12mins at ~360W and then 20km at ~350W is feasible. It seems an interesting approach that doesn't worry about which energy system is targetted.