Can you estimate V02 max? - Page 3

If your 30 minute and 10 minute best efforts are independent and really represent best possible efforts for those durations then you could plug them into a Monod spreadsheet like the one available here: http://www.velo-fit.com/articles/critical-power.pdf
and use that to find 5 minute power which you could plug into one of the formulas above but there's still the question of whether 5 minutes is really the correct duration for those formulas.

-Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks for always being helpful. (last time I asked you something was probably 2 years ago J)

So, back than I had:

30min best avg. : 353 watts at avg HR 176 (of 191 Max HR) and finished the 30 min. on 184 HR
10min best avg. 400 watts at avg HR 176 (finished the 10 min. on 186 HR)

These 2 [ weighing 71 kg , on a trainer - - using a POLAR (..) ] - - were surely my best recordings – for example, I see a recording from the same time of: 415 watts for 4 minutes, but the average HR was 164 only (finished the 4 minutes on 177 HR)

Back then I showed the 30min/353W Graph to Alex Simons (it’s somewhere in the forum) and he said it looks alright to him;
I was very Happy with the 353W but not shunned as I made similar results earlier; The 400w / 10 min, surprised me..

So I plugged these 2 numbers at the monod excel and it gives: 506w / 4 min. & 471w / 5min. - - Both numbers seem Too high now..
And they give a 82.88 and 88.31 which can’t be real..

Thanks again!
VS1

p.s. I was ~ 46 years old then

I don't know if your 415 W for 4 min was an all-out effort but it seems reasonable or a bit on a low side looking at your other tested numbers. The low HR is no surprise since you can't expect it to rise significantly in just 4 min especially if you were fresh starting that effort (if it was a test then you should have been fresh).

Herein lies the problem with these VO2max formulas. When you know that the result is not right, then what's the point of using them if your intuition seems more accurate? I bet you could swag your VO2max and be closer to the truth. We all know just how good (or bad) we are.

Now have a little fun and use the formula to try to estimate your power at VO2max by using what you believe your relative VO2max is.

__________________

Thank you Dave.

(I gave this 415W/ 4 min as an example for a workout I knew I wasn't at my best)

Why ya thankin' me for Piotr's post?

I actually tried to see who wrote it, but apparantly didn't go 'up' anough and thought it's you.. (it did seem a bit different frorm your replies :-) )

If you still have anything to say, I will sure be interested to read it.

And....... Hey Piotr - Thanks !! :-)

Anyone can make that mistake knowing my penchant exhaustive replies.

__________________

Are you a terrible sprinter ?

I just ask becuase your vo2 may be more like 75-78 but you may posses exceptional efficiency.

I suppose this would most likely result from a high slow twitch muscle composition, which would show up as a bad sprint.

- - - - -

Well, I’m not sure how to answer that question..(did not prceive myself as a terrible sprinter though I might have been wrong) in the good days I might have kept approx. 600W for 1 min, though the 565w/3min and 506w/4min seem.. Too tough to me now (never actually tried to maintain these numbers for the respective durations)

Anyway, which of the 2 (the 3 min or the 4 min Wattage) should be employed in the VO2max formula?

Thanks!

Your login name of "PSUCycling" makes me wonder if you are from Penn State (as I am). If you are in the Pittsburgh, PA area anytime in the near future, you can get your VO2 max and Threshold/Heart Zones tested and determined at: http://www.globalride.org - a local training center in the area.

And you are right, any estimation would be just that - an estimate, wildly variable by individual.

__________________
Gene Nacey, MHA
Certified USA Cycling Coach
Master Instructor; Heart Zones Cycling & Power Training
http://www.cyclingfusion.com
Owner of Global Ride Training Center
http://www.globalride.org


Always finish strong!

Hi,
Thanks for suggesting though I'm not in PA and not even in the U.S... I live in Israel :-)
I appreciate you guys' advices in this forum ! Thanks!!