Great to see many of you last week! we are again back at it This week with our Monthly on the bike GYM work! yes! we are doing some low cadence and out of saddle work this coming week!
Lets just recap a bit on some of the important facts from Friday and Then iI will get into what coming up and some dates to note that I will be gone traveling and racing.
What is VO2 max?
VO2 max is the maximum volume (V) of oxygen (O2) your body can process. A VO2 max score is a little like horsepower in a car—it’s a measure of the capacity your body (engine) has to use oxygen when exercising. If you have a high VO2 max, you have a big engine. VO2 max has three primary components:
Lung capacity and heart volume: The more oxygen your lungs can intake and the more oxygenated blood your heart can pump, the higher your VO2 score.
Capillary delivery: The more oxygenated blood your circulatory system can transport to your muscles, the higher your VO2 score.
Muscle efficiency: The more your muscles can extract and use oxygen from your blood, the higher your VO2 score.
VO2 max is the number of milliliters of oxygen you use per kilogram of body weight in one minute (ml/kg/min), though you often see it stated simply as a single number, sans that unit of measurement.
World-class athletes have been doing VO2 max testing in laboratories for years, and that’s still an option—it’s also the gold standard for accuracy. You can get a VO2 max test done at sports medicine facilities, or medical labs that also do stress tests to evaluate heart health. If you’re not seeing a cardiologist or training at an Olympic-caliber training facility (yet), you have other options:
With your fitness tracker: Some fitness devices provide VO2 max readings. Many trackers also offer other sophisticated physiological measurements. Note that a few brands have their own terms for VO2 max and it takes careful reading of their product info to suss that out. (For help in selecting one, read How to Choose a Fitness Tracker.)
With an online calculator: Because VO2 max has been studied for years, all sorts of algorithms have arisen that let you roughly calculate VO2 max based on basic personal data. A quick online search will reveal dozens of VO2 max calculators. One simple online VO2 max calculator was created by the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology (NTNU), which based its results on data provided by a large population of people. It gives you both a fitness score for your age and an equivalent VO2 max number.
Now its ok if you dont have access to any of this, The Vo2 max that we were focusing one was within the Zone ranges that equal to Zone 5 where its most likely you are in a state of intensity that is using no oxygen since its a sprint like MAX zone.
Training is all Zones will improve your overall Vo2 max as far as the RAW number, but training at Vo2 max is healthy for you.. lets get into why its good what we did on Friday...
We want to train this anaerobic system because as it generate a lot of lactic acid. we want to train the body to utilize that back into energy rather than having it just sit there.
now we call this Vo2 max Zone 5 because it is a byproduct of that high intensity we are doing on those hills.
High Intensity Training (HIIT) HIIT can boost your VO2 max (how much oxygen you can use) up to 46 percent in 24 weeks; increase your stroke volume (how much blood your heart pumps out per beat) by 10 percent after eight weeks of training, and significantly lower your resting heart rate.
It also makes your body a furnace of a fat burner.
HIIT training increases production of your body’s growth hormones that help you maintain muscle and burn fat for hours after you’re done, and it lowers insulin resistance for better blood sugar control.
And as I always state.. there is a time and place for it. dont get too excited and ONLY do HIIT.
You want that balance of all zones in training at the right time and right place for it to benefit you
VO2 max oxygen levels are also increased through sweet spot and tempo, but HIIT efforts like Friday are incredibly beneficial to filter in once or twice a week
HIIT does more than benefit your body.
it is also good for your mind. Research shows that high-intensity workouts improve cognitive function and increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) more than easier exercise.
BDNF is essential for learning, memory, and mood regulation, and your brain uses it to repair and maintain brain cells. You also become more able to handle that hard effort more and more, making the longer efforts more manageable, but also boosting your focus and clarity.
SO with that lets get into what we are going to do this Friday...
First- Let your friends now and lets get others to join and grow the family! the more the better
Now we have our strength day coming up.. out of saddle and muscular pushes so look forward to building some more muscle and working on increasing the muscles we use for out of our saddle to which we can neglect sometimes. SO its important to really build these as it helps with climbing, stability, and giving the other muscles a break when out of the saddle. It can also benefit you cardivascularly.. But we will get to that during the ride ;)
MAKE SURE YOU ARE SIGNED UP BY THURSDAY EVENING!
Racing season is ramping up for me.. so i would like to note some Fridays i will be gone. Matthew might be the amazing guest rider for the early June one, but in July, we will both be gone.. now dont hesitate and make your own meet ups or i can keep creating them so you all can get together for a good time. Let me know your thoughts...Dates I am gone:
June 3rd *Unbound Gravel Race (200 miles)
July 8th *Austria! (racing and training camp and vacation!)
July 15th *Austria!
July 22nd *Austria!
August 12th *steamboat Gravel Race (140 miles)
August 19th *Gravel Worlds (130 miles)
August 26th *Wasatch all road (100 miles)
September 23rd *Belgian Waffle Ride BWR Cedar City (120 miles)
November 4th *Jack Nosco's RIDE!
With that, See you all Friday!