Can it be Done? VO2max intervals on PE

On the turbo everytime I have to pump up my tyres it throws out my VO2max pacing slightly. I'm training on the cheap so no power meter just a cyclocomputer and HRM. I just wondered whether after a while you can get a feel for what is the L5 intensity. Also depending on sleep etc sometimes my HR doesn't get up in the 95% region in the last 90 sec of the interval. Is that OK as long as the intensity/speed/PE is bang on. Cheers

Find the steady intensity you can hold for the target VO2 max duration (3 - 8 minutes with 5 minute repeats being typical). You'll know pretty quick if you've started too hard and if you don't feel pretty well worked towards the end of each repeat with heavy ragged breathing then you'll need to bump up the effort a bit. When you do these on your trainer watch your speedometer, when you do these outside pick a course with a fixed distance and appropriate terrain and watch your times for each effort. When it takes a lot longer to finish or your speed drops by more than 10% it's time to call it a day.

Power based training is great, but folks were doing VO2 max work long before PMs or even speedometers were invented.

That's true but were they pacing correctly to really get the desired adaptation?

I realised once I had a PM that I wasn't, and I've seen it with others as well. What the PM taught me was that going on a PE sense alone, the interval would start way too hard and finish well below L5. With the PM to guide me, PE is easy at the start and hard at the end.

That PE feedback loop will get better over time so that I know I'll be able to do an L5 without much PM info.

__________________
Custom Training Plans -- cyclecoach.com -- My Blog -- Power Meter Hire in Australia

Had the opposite problem of never going hard enough (~15% low) until I had data from track races that showed I was capable of a lot more than I had thought possible and just went out and rode that hard during training.

Yes of course you can use PE for vo2max intervals. Just takes practice to know what sensations are normal for a given intensity. When starting vo2 work try to only head out for the 1st half of the interval at 95% of what you THINK you can do...usually thats as hard as you can go anyway. If you know you have energry left then bump it up or maintain speed in the second half. remember to conserve energy for the rest of intervals! Only by the very last interval should you be totally exhausted and throwing up on the side of the road whilst crying for mercy!!! you have to time your puke!

Whenever I start vo2 work or any type of intensity after a break at that level I always overestimate my pain threshold .

Find a 5 to 8 minute hill and go for your personal best when you get to the top if you feel like your going to hurl that was a VO2max interval.

__________________
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. http://www.earnharts.com/html/realau...cific.asp?id=3

PMs are certainly incredible and useful tools, but the OP asked whether its possible to do VO2 max intervals without one. I'm a big fan of PM technology and agree it really helps you dial in your efforts but reject the notion that you can't train effectively without a PM. It's tantamount to saying you can't be a sucessful bike racer without a PM and I just don't buy that.

When coaching an athlete without a PM or the funds to buy one do you just tell them to hang up the bike until they can afford the latest technology? Sorry, that's a bit harsh and your posts don't reflect that philosophy but it bugs me when folks tell posters who lack funds that they need this expensive technology to train effectively. Yep, it sure helps and I've spent a small fortune equipping my bikes with PMs but in the end its the work you do that counts and the only data that really matters on race day is what you've recorded in your lungs and legs......

-Dave

Thanks guys. Just as a bit more info I've been doing 5min x 5 twice a week now for three weeks. Sometimes my pacing is a little off (start off too hard) so it ends up being 5min X 3. Yesterday I did my first 5min x 6 which felt bloody hard. Hopefully I've got the intensity right. The speedo is generally 32kph for 2 x 20's and 35kph for 5 x 5's but sometimes it depends. I'm prone to ashma so until it gets a tad warmer I'll be doing them on the Turbo. Cheers

I would argue that the PE is the essential factor and PM nice to have if you can afford it. VO2 max can improve fairly rapidly (especially when coming off a break) and if you use a PM you need to be adjusting your training intensity as you improve so effectively you will be using PE to adjust the Power range for training. Unless you have plateaued and are just maintaining the same level.