Switching from FTP intervals to VO2 intervals

[toolonglegs]

I know this is fairly broad but roughly when would you switch from mainly FTP intervals to more VO2 intervals?... ie: how many weeks out from goal events?.
Also taking into account that my goal events are all TT's ... Departmental last weekend August, Regional 1st weekend of September, Nat's last weekend of September.
Or should I just concentrate on TT efforts (with my standard amount of 5 minute level stuff that I already do)... my thinking is that the VO2 efforts bring on a peak even though there can only really be FTP levels in a TT.

[Alex Simmons/RST]

You may not need to do it (whether you do depends on a few things).
Gains from such training tend to plateau after about 6 weeks. I'm talking a dedicated phase of such work, 2-3 times per week.
Also keep in mind that if you do transition to supra threshold aerobic work, it can be a bit rough for a couple of weeks.
Also you may not be able to maintain any growth in training loads either.

[toolonglegs]

Thanks Alex, after reading that I think that even though it would help it might be a bit early for me now.The last month I have been doing a lot of riding but it has all been at others pace so I probably need to go back to threshold stuff for a while, with my one dedicated VO2 session a week.
On the "load" subject... how do you know when you are reaching your limit?.My limit has changed a lot since I used to work with you, amazing the difference sorting out health issues can make .

[Alex Simmons/RST]

On the "load" subject... how do you know when you are reaching your limit?.

Load limit?
The signs are multifactoral. Performance stagnation/reduction despite training, motivational & mood markers, injuries, increased susceptibility to illness or infection are just some signs.

The limit is dependent on many things, and can be different under different circumstances.
The biggest factors (in no specific order) are: genetic predisposition; training history; amount of recovery you get; diet

However, sometimes to find the edge of a cliff in the dark, you need to fall over it.

My limit has changed a lot since I used to work with you, amazing the difference sorting out health issues can make .

You are not alone with that, I have worked with several riders, where after a period of working through up and downs in performance and response to training, we uncovered an underlying health issue(s) that needed to be addressed in order to make decent progress. These have ranged from food allergies to cancer.

[toolonglegs]

Thanks Alex

[Ant-R]

Awesome. Very helpful thread