“Shouldn’t I be doing more VO₂ intervals?”
It’s one of the most common questions I get from athletes. VO₂ max training has a certain allure — it feels brutally hard, it looks impressive on Strava, and it carries a scientific weight. But the truth is, most athletes — from beginners to elites — don’t need as much VO₂-specific work as they think.
Let’s break it down.
🔍 What VO₂ Max Really Is
VO₂ max is your body’s maximum ability to take in and use oxygen during exercise. It’s often thought of as the holy grail of endurance performance — but in reality, it’s a ceiling, not the goal.
- Elite athletes (think Blummenfelt, Iden, Gustav) already have sky-high VO₂ max numbers thanks to genetics and years of massive aerobic training.
- The Norwegians don’t “chase” VO₂. Instead, they protect it with occasional exposure, while putting most of their energy into:
- Threshold control (working at 2.5–3 mmol lactate).
- Aerobic durability (huge volumes of Zone 1–2 training).
VO₂ intervals show up only in short prep camps or sharpening blocks — never as weekly staples.
⚖️ Why Minimal VO₂ Work Is Often Better
- Consistency > Spikes
Hammering VO₂ sessions too often wrecks recovery. That reduces the sustainable volume athletes can handle — and volume is king for long-term gains. - Race Specificity
Ironman, 70.3, even Olympic triathlon — none are decided at VO₂ pace. They’re decided at threshold and just below it. That’s where the real training money is. - Raising the Floor
VO₂ max sets the ceiling. But what matters most is how close your threshold (the floor) can get to that ceiling. The Norwegians are masters at raising the floor.
🚨 The Athlete Misconception
Age-groupers often think:
“If I just smash more VO₂ intervals, I’ll get faster.”
The reality: most will see bigger gains from:
- Structured threshold work
- More aerobic base volume
- Building durability
If VO₂ intervals are used, it’s typically in a 2–3 week block to spark adaptation — not a year-round diet.
🧠 Don’t Obsess Over Your VO₂ Number
Here’s something every aspiring athlete should know:
- A “disappointing” VO₂ max test doesn’t mean you lack potential.
- There are world-class endurance athletes — even middle-distance runners — who only test in the mid-60s to 70s.
- Yes, some genetic outliers record 90+ VO₂ max scores, but plenty of champions sit far below that and still dominate.
Why? Because VO₂ max is only one piece of the puzzle. Running economy, lactate threshold, mental toughness, and durability are often better predictors of performance. VO₂ tells you your ceiling, but many other factors determine how high you can climb.
🔑 What About Beginners?
For newer endurance athletes, VO₂ max often improves without a single VO₂ workout.
- Base development: Simply logging Zone 2 miles + controlled threshold work builds the aerobic engine (cardiac output, capillaries, mitochondria, running economy). That naturally pushes VO₂ max upward.
- Durability limits: An ex-weightlifter new to running, for example, doesn’t yet have the tendon and fascia resilience to handle max-intensity intervals. VO₂ sessions feel like all-out sprints — they crack after 1–2 reps.
- Better alternatives: Short strides, 6–10 sec hill sprints, and fartlek pickups safely “touch” speed without the injury risk.
Bottom line: For beginners, VO₂ max is a byproduct of smart aerobic training. Save the brutal VO₂ repeats for later.
✅ Takeaway
- VO₂ is important, but it’s not the holy grail.
- For elites: protect it, don’t chase it. Focus on raising threshold and aerobic durability.
- For beginners: VO₂ will rise on its own from consistent base and threshold work.
- Don’t panic if your test score isn’t world-class — it’s one marker among many.
- Dedicated VO₂ intervals? Sprinkle them in strategically — not as a staple.
👉 Want help building a program that raises your floor and protects your ceiling?
DM me on Instagram @trimate.se or check out my coaching options to get started.
