Today’s ride includes VO2 work which improves our ability to maximize the use of the oxygen we are taking in. We want to be able to use as much of the oxygen we take in as possible.
Ride Overview
10 minute warm-up
6 three minute intervals
The first interval at 5-minute power (Doable but not impossible)
Popcorn intervals for each of the subsequent three-minute intervals.
Over 160% for a specific duration for each interval: 20,30, 40 seconds respectively. Make sure to hit the interval button so you can track the time for each popcorn burst then you come down until you recover (However long it takes)
2nd interval 20-second intervals at 160% (with quick recovery trying to get in as many sets as possible within the three minutes)
3rd interval 30-second intervals at 160% (with quick recovery trying to get in as many sets as possible within the three minutes)
4th interval 40-second intervals at 160% (with quick recovery trying to get in as many sets as possible within the three minutes)
5th interval 30 X 30… or 30 by your selected recovery time in order to get as many sets as possible. Robbie takes a little more rest between intervals in this segment in order to recover a little more before the last interval set.
6th interval 20-second efforts-Try for a minimum of four efforts during the last interval. Robbie starts the set with 20 x 20
RPM is also increasing each interval
During the recovery between the 3rd and 4th intervals, and fifth and sixth intervals we practice single leg drills pedaling the left leg (weaker leg) for 30 seconds and then switch to the right leg for 30 seconds. Adjusting your hand position increases or decreases the load on the hip: hands on the tops opens up the hips, hands on the drops closes the hip flexor.
Remember these things when doing single legged drills:
30% of Threshold power
Keep knees straight forward
Focus on a smooth round pedal stroke.
Popcorn allows for individual athletes to hit the needed number of intervals to meet their individual needs. Intensity stays the same between athletes but the number of efforts is variably based on the athletes’ needs.
Tuesdays are typically VO2 days for VQ. It is because our legs are usually the freshest based on the training scheduled for the other days: long easy rides on Sundays with rest on Monday.