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Workout library · Stimulus

VO2 Max cycling workouts

Short, hard repeats that push oxygen uptake to its ceiling and raise it.

The Workouts

Every VO2 Max workout in the library

Juliette Berthet | FDJ United–SUEZ

VO2 + Sprint Repeats

110 min

High intensity

RPE 9

Lawrence Naesen

Surge & Settle

150 min

High intensity

RPE 9

Lawrence Naesen

2 Minute Burners

92 min

High intensity

RPE 8

Team AMANI

Team AMANI: VO2max - 6 x 4 min Hard Start

146 min

High intensity

RPE 9

Killian O'Brien

Pre-Loaded 30/15s

144 min

High intensity

RPE 9

E-Racing Power - VO2 Surges, a VO2 Max cycling workout from Michał Pustuła

Michał Pustuła | MPCC

E-Racing Power - VO2 Surges

71 min

High intensity

RPE 9

Matteo Cigala

4x3 min VO2Max

57 min

High intensity

RPE 9

Andy Turner | ATP Performance

High Torque Hill Efforts

120 min

High intensity

RPE 8

John Cox | Contour Endurance

VO2 – 2u2

110 min

High intensity

RPE 9

John Cox | Contour Endurance

Lactate Clearance - Variable Over Unders

140 min

High intensity

RPE 7

Pinnacle Performance

VO2 30/15's

86 min

High intensity

RPE 8

Decathlon CMA CGM Team

Step Down Intervals

120 min

High intensity

RPE 8

The stimulus

VO2 Max, explained

What it is

Efforts of roughly one to five minutes above critical power, usually between 105 and 130% of CP, with recoveries short enough that the next effort starts before the body has settled. Formats vary from classic 4×4 and 4×3 to 30/15s and 40/20s, where the "rest" is a tempo effort that keeps oxygen uptake high.

Why it matters

VO2 max is the size of the aerobic engine. Everything below it, threshold, tempo, endurance, is a fraction of it, so a higher ceiling lifts every other zone. It is also the quality that decays fastest without stimulus, which is why the sessions are short, frequent in blocks, and brutally specific.

If you ride it

These are the sessions that change what you can hold for three minutes on a climb or after an attack. Expect to see them in blocks of two a week for three to four weeks, then a rest. They cost more W′ than anything else in the library and should be ridden fresh.

If you coach it

The variable that matters is time above 90% of VO2 max, not the number of reps. Short-interval formats accumulate it with less perceived strain; long formats train the ability to hold it. Watch W′ balance in the preview: a session that drains it in the first set has the wrong recovery.

In Vekta

Add the session to your Vekta calendar and the targets convert from % of CP into your watts. The preview shows where W′ will run low before you ride; the analysis afterwards classifies every interval and tells you how much of the session was actually spent above 90%.

Common questions

How often should I do VO2 max intervals?

Should I use heart rate or power for VO2 max intervals?

Are 30/15s better than 4×4s?

Go deeper

The Science Behind Interval Training

The stimulus

VO2 Max, explained

What it is

Why it matters

If you ride it

If you coach it

In Vekta

Common questions

How often should I do VO2 max intervals?

Should I use heart rate or power for VO2 max intervals?

Are 30/15s better than 4×4s?

Go deeper

The Science Behind Interval Training

Ride these VO2 Max workouts in Vekta, scaled to your numbers

Start 14-Day Free Trial

Book a demo

Ride these VO2 Max workouts in Vekta, scaled to your numbers

Start 14-Day Free Trial

Book a demo

Ride these VO2 Max workouts in Vekta, scaled to your numbers

Start 14-Day Free Trial

Book a demo