VO2 Max zone 5 workout
This workout will increase your VO2 max and reduce your chances dying.
As this is week 3 in this 4 week cycle, and the strength cycle is at its hardest. If you've done two super-hard strength workouts this week, we suggest you go easy on this one today. You would be smart to replace this zone 5, max effort workout with a zone 1 swim or zone 2 cardio.
3-5 minutes of gentle cardio
Stretch
Tissue prep/ core:
10-30s McGill Sit up holds https://buff.ly/3TEpqFA
Max Side Plank e/s https://buff.ly/3TlkfsH
5 x Bird Dog, e/s https://buff.ly/3IuDevZ
Stretch
Jump back on the cardio and build up to zone 3-4 for a couple of minutes. Building up here makes it easier to get to zone 5 quickly when you start your max intervals.
Main Effort, VO2 max workout 3:
4 minutes of Zone 5 cardio as hard as you can go, 4 minutes recovery
The first round is the worst. Keep going!
Scaling:
Small: 1-2 rounds.
Medium 2-3 rounds.
Large 4-5 rounds – this is the recommended minimum
XL 6 rounds
If you do fewer than 6 rounds, consider dropping intensity to Zone 2-3 for the remainder of this 48 minute workout if you are not able to do all
Top tips:
1. Find a friend to suffer with. You are much less likely to give up if someone else is there with you.
2. Know your zone 5 HR range and have your HR visible as you are working. For me, using a watch with a chest strap means I can put the watch where I can see it otherwise I tend to ease off and let my HR drop into Z4.
Warning:
Get checked out by your Doctor before doing any training, especially high intensity training. If you have a heart problem, working at high intensity could kill you.
This is a high intensity workout that will cause considerable fatigue. You have to earn your volume. Start small.
If you are new to this kind of training, push for the highest intensity you can manage, but limit the volume, this will limit the depth of your fatigue.
Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash