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How important is VO2max
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How important is VO2max
Postby a_b » Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:31 pm
Exactly 1 month ago my VO2max was 32, I do suffer from Asthma but still 32 was graded as below average, currently I increased mine to 49 and I'm feeling I can go on longer rides without getting too puffed.
Now I was wondering how important is VO2max?, what VO2max score should I be aiming for to begin road racing? and what VO2max score should I be at in around 2 months?
Cheers
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby sogood » Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:37 pm
Forget about it and just go race in a grade that suits your current fitness.

RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby Alex Simmons/RST » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:08 pm
2. what is a good indicator and what matters (from a fitness assessment and performance potential perspective) is how much power you can produce at the cranks
3. the power you can produce at the cranks is determined by:
- your VO2 Max
- the percentage of VO2 Max you can sustain for long periods (like say 1 hour)
- your efficiency
it is these latter two elements that are often forgotten but are equally as (if not more so) important. (It is also what Greg Lemond conveniently forgets to mention when he craps on about checking a rider's VO2 Max 'cause he can't believe anyone with a VO2 Max lower than his own -which was something like 92 ml/kg/min IIRC - could be faster than him).
Hence a rider with a lower VO2 Max than another, can very easily be a more powerful rider (for the same body mass), simply because their threshold occurs at a higher % of their VO2 Max, and/or they are a more efficient rider.
In order to become a fitter, more powerful rider, then the thing to focus on is how much power you can produce for a given duration. That is what matters.
Your VO2 Max also varies considerably as your weight changes, so it also helps to know the absolute VO2 Max value in litres per minute so that one can tell if it is mass changes that are resulting in a higher relative VO2 Max and/or actual ability to utilise more oxygen. Using more oxygen means you are converting more fuel to energy output.
energy equivalency of O2 = 21 kJ/L
efficiency can be anywhere from 19-24%, typically
% of VO2 Max at threshold (1-hour TT power) can be 80-90% (maybe lower is the less fit)
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby brendancg » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:02 pm
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby Hebden » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:02 pm

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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby brendancg » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:53 pm
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby AverageSpeed » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:42 pm
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby sogood » Fri May 01, 2009 12:02 am
AverageSpeed wrote:So, ENDURANCE is building nicely, and I can rely on a steady burn of effort to be there after a couple of hours riding. It's POWER that is taking its own good time.
If you are building "endurance", then you are also building power (in reference to endurance time frame).

RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby toolonglegs » Fri May 01, 2009 2:15 am

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Re: How important is VO2max
Postby AverageSpeed » Fri May 01, 2009 9:12 am
It's all too hard.. I'm going back to average speed over a known course to measure my ability. That is until the racing bug bites...
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