Real Performance
Matt Ison - Endurance Coach
Example of VO2 Workouts
Whether training for a 5k or an Ironman, the basis of any good training plan is intensity. High mileage will work for a while, but leaves athletes tired, burned out, and hitting platueas. Scroll down to look through some of the high intensity workouts I prescribe to my clients.
Swim
evens 50 build free
15 sec rest between each
3xthe following -
20x25 ALL OUT leaving on
30 seconds (click here to see how to leave on an interval)
200 very very easy
All total you'll do 60 25s at a very fast pace. Often athletes will end up swimming these 1500yards faster than their all out 100 pace!
For less experienced athletes this set can be adjusted to two sets of 25s on 40 seconds.
The basis of this set is to accumulate as much yardage swimming very fast as you can. Swimming fast is not only important for building strength and fitness, but also for promoting good body position. The faster one swims, the easier it is to feel the water, to get the hips up, and to develope a quicker turnover.
Bike
1hr total
15-20 min thorough wu
10 x 30 seconds ALL OUT or 115+% of FTP w 30 seconds coasting recovery
3min easy
repeat set two more times for a total of 30 all out efforts
A more advanced athlete could build up to doing 30 straight 30 second efforts w 30 seconds recovery. This workouts hinges on the athlete going all out from the very first interval
Similar to the swim workouts, this bike set is designed to maximize the amount of time an athelte spends at VO2 max - the maximum amount of oxygen an athlete can consume and process. The key is the short duration of both the interval and the rest. The short intervals allow the athlete to produce a very high amount of power and the shor rest does not allow the athlete to fully recover. Thus, athlete's end up spending a lot of the recovery time still at VO2 max. These workouts have become increasingly popular the last couple of years. Click here to read more.
Run
40min total
15 min wu insert 6x20 sec strides
10 x 30 seconds @ VO2 max pace
3min easy
repeat set one more time for a total of 20 all out efforts
This set can be almost infinitely adjusted for athlete's of different abilities. It can also be taken to the track and prescribed as distances instead of times.