VO2 Max Interval Training
By
Kevin Jermyn
of
Trackcoach.com
Interval training is one of the most common as well as most
important forms of training, especially for middle distance runners.
One of the main goals of interval training is to improve our VO2
max. Unfortunately, many runners who use interval training often do
it wrong. Most runners make the mistake of making interval training
into a personal contest to see how fast they can run each interval,
a mistake that will have counterproductive results, possibly even
lead to injury. The focus of this article is to discuss why
improving our VO2 max is important and then to discuss the
appropriate ways of completing VO2 Max interval training.
One of the primary goals of training is to improve our aerobic
capacity, which for runners is often measured by your VO2 max. Your
VO2 max refers to your maximum oxygen consumption at a particular
pace. The amount of oxygen a runner consumes when running is a
function of: (1) how much oxygen can be delivered to the muscles
involved in running, (2) how well the muscles process the delivered
oxygen, and (3) how easily the muscles can deal with the carbon
dioxide and lactic acid produced during exercise.(Daniels' Running
Formula, Jack Daniels, p. 109). As you increase your running
velocity, you will shortly reach your maximum oxygen consumption, a
point at which where you will not longer be able to deliver and
process a sufficient amount of oxygen to your tiring muscles. Thus
it is important to increase your maximum oxygen consumption, or max
VO2 in order to run faster. The way to increase our VO2 max, is to
consistently stress the oxygen delivery and processing system to its
limit while running.
The primary way to stress the oxygen delivery and processing
system to its limit is to complete VO2 max interval training. VO2
max interval training refers to intervals of 30 seconds to 5 minutes
in duration, with recovery periods equal to or less then the
interval bout. Any time you do VO2 max interval training, it should
be at the same pace no matter what the distance or duration of the
interval. The proper pace of VO2 max interval training should
correspond to reaching 98 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate.
If you do not use a heart rate monitor, then the proper pace will
correspond to the pace you could hold for 10 to 15 minutes in a race
type situation. The optimum interval duration is between 3 and 5
minutes because it will take your body approximately 2 minutes to
reach the point at which you are running at maximum oxygen
consumption......
