VO2 Max Is So Hot Right Now
It is funny. When you look at the intensity spectrum as it relates to running or endurance sport as a whole, you can almost use it as a timeline of what you can expect gets the, “it is all about this” treatment at some point. Given enough time, you will see it all. Zone 2, threshold, and VO2 max are three that stand out as recent trends. Over time, one might start to think they all matter. Last year I was able to have a conversation with Steve Magness on my podcast. I have been following and enjoying his perspective since he published The Science of Running: How to find your limit and train to maximize your performance. He mentioned something in the podcast episode as to why this happens. His take was essentially, in running and endurance we really like to focus on things that we can measure. As soon as we can measure something, we zoom right it on it and risk overweighing it’s contribution. Of course, Steve isn’t suggesting we shouldn’t use measurement tools and take the data they present and apply it to our training, but he is suggesting that if you overly focus on just the measurements we have, you may risk compromising global fitness.
VO2 max has been trending lately. Perhaps I am overemphasizing how much due to following conversations around a podcast that was published by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, on her show Found My Fitness. In this episode, she sat down with Peter Attia for over three hours (episode here). One topic they covered was incorporating VO2 max into your fitness protocol. They were more focused on it as a marker of longevity than getting to the finish line of your next 5km race faster, but it was an interesting conversation nonetheless.
I will add, as it can often be misunderstood, moving the number on your VO2max is not something you may find much continued success. You can, however, improve the pace at which you are able to run at your VO2 max, which for training purposes is the more important thing to consider. It is why we don’t just crown the athlete with the highest VO2 max number. Simply put, a high VO2 max doesn’t guarantee better efficiency.
The question many have after hearing conversations about a specific training input is what does this mean about how I structure my training? Should I go all in on VO2 max, or whatever trend is gathering most of the attention? I believe this is where it can be useful to view workouts not just by what they do best, but also what the opportunity cost is for you if you chose that input over something else.
This is where Steve’s advice of looking at your “global fitness” is important. Along with this, what outcome you are trying to ultimately get in both the short and long term. For endurance athletes this can also be dictated by goal event duration.
Let’s imagine you have 10 hours per week to dedicate towards training. Let’s also assume you have already filled all 10 of those hours with low intensity (below aerobic threshold) training and you have begun to see a plateau in the pace you are able to sustain just below your aerobic threshold. In other words, you are no longer getting faster at your aerobic threshold after maximizing the amount of time you have available to train. In this situation, a speed work development phase that includes short intervals structured to target VO2 max is an opportunity cost worth exploring. You are at a point where increasing volume is no longer an option, but distributing the intensity differently is, so you can still increase training load without adding volume. Since it is easier to maintain an adaptation than gain it, we can likely assume based on the above scenario you can afford to redistribute some of your available training volume away from lower intensity inputs in favor of inputs higher on the intensity spectrum without losing what you gained, and also increasing your overall training load.
We can take the reverse of this as well. Let’s say someone has been running 4-5 hours per week, with one of their weekly workouts being a well structured VO2 max workout. They begin to see a plateauing at the paces they are able to hit at various intensities. If we assume they also have 10 hours available to dedicate to training per week, the answer is likely to gradually add additional lower intensity volume to their program verses a second VO2 max session. The opportunity cost of adding a second VO2 max training session at the expense of additional volume carries an opportunity cost. This being building a foundation that will eventually allow them to tolerate a higher volume of VO2 max work in the future.
If you are interested in starting points for workouts that target VO2 max, as well as building a strong aerobic foundation, you may enjoy these two podcast episodes I recorded: Episode 346: Short Intervals Simplified and Episode 356: Easy Run Simplified.