Focus on finding joy and a sense of achievement in your exercise routine, as this intrinsic motivation is the most important factor for consistent adherence and long-term engagement with physical activity.
Aim to increase your VO2 max to build a greater physiological reserve, which means a smaller fraction of your capacity is utilized during times of stress or illness, aiding in faster recovery and better health outcomes.
Emphasize consistency in your training over time, which often means leaving a little in reserve during individual workouts, as this sustainable approach is crucial for long-term progress and avoiding burnout.
Consider investing in a portable VO2 max unit like the VO2 Master for personal tracking, as it allows for accurate self-testing during workouts and can be a significant investment in understanding your physiology.
To increase VO2 max, focus on accumulating the maximum possible kilojoules of work at high power outputs during your training session, experimenting with interval durations and rest periods to optimize total high-intensity work rather than just peak power.
Treat all training intensities (low, medium, high) as ‘high quality’ and mindful workouts, as this allows you to use cognitive reserve at lower intensities to improve technique and self-awareness, which is not possible during high-intensity efforts.
Engage in low-intensity workouts (e.g., 200 watts on a bike) to be mindful and cognitively present to your movement, allowing you to improve mechanical efficiency, such as optimizing your aerodynamic position (CDA).
Use your 60-minute power output as a robust and precise metric to describe your endurance capabilities, as it provides a clear measure of sustainable effort without confounding factors of shorter, more glycolytic efforts.
Do not rely on short-duration power tests (e.g., 8-10 minutes) to determine your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) if the goal is to assess sustainable aerobic capacity, as these efforts can be heavily influenced by glycolytic energy and misrepresent true endurance capabilities.
After a maximal VO2 max effort, allow for an adequate but not excessively long rest period (e.g., 10-15 minutes); this can prime your body to achieve an even higher VO2 max or power output in subsequent efforts within the same session.
Incorporate all-out exhaustion workouts very sparingly into your training program, as frequent use can hinder consistency and long-term progress.
Track parameters like oxygen consumption and power output to understand and quantify how to improve your physical performance, viewing the human body as an engine with fuel and energy input.
Use data from power meters and calorimetry to analyze whether performance improvements are driven by biomechanical enhancements (e.g., better form) or biochemical efficiency (e.g., better energy conversion).
Continuously evaluate your training interventions; if something improves performance, do more of it, and if it doesn’t, investigate deeper or change your approach.
Undergo a laboratory VO2 max test, which involves measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange during a graded exercise test, to accurately quantify your maximal aerobic capacity and overall physiological health.
For performance in non-hilly races, prioritize increasing absolute VO2 max rather than solely focusing on relative VO2 max (per kilogram), as attempts to reduce weight for relative gains can sometimes decrease absolute VO2 max.
When performing VO2 max intervals, gradually increase your power output across sets, as this progressive approach can leverage a ‘priming effect’ in the body, potentially allowing for higher overall work accumulation.
Experiment with different cadences (crank velocity) during cycling to target specific physiological systems; lower cadence (higher torque) stresses leg musculature and may increase CO2 production, while higher cadence (lower torque) places more demand on the cardiovascular system but can also increase total energy expenditure due to coordination costs.
Monitor your heart rate during high-intensity intervals as an indicator of how much time you are accumulating close to your VO2 max, as reaching VO2 max requires a very high heart rate and stroke volume to pump maximum oxygen.
Conduct lactate threshold testing by performing repeated intervals at ascending effort, measuring lactate concentration at each step, and plotting it against pace to identify inflection points (LT1 and LT2) that indicate shifts in metabolic reliance.
Utilize your individually determined lactate threshold inflection points (LT1 and LT2) as a method to control training intensity, guiding your effort to stay within sustainable zones or target specific physiological adaptations.
Do not rely on fixed blood lactate concentration values (e.g., 4 millimoles) to define training zones, as these values can be accumulated in various ways and are highly dependent on the specific exercise protocol, making them less reliable for individual intensity control.
Focus on ensuring a shared understanding of training terminology between yourself and your coach, rather than strictly adhering to universal definitions, as effective communication and a system that works for you are most important for progress.