Workout: VO2max Intervals

VO2max Intervals are powerful tools to build maximum performance yet like any toolkit, each workout format enables different abilities. Master VO2max intervals and how to coach them in this course drawing from Fast Talk Laboratories, Neal Henderson, and Dr. Bent Rønnestad.

VO2max Interval Workouts, an online course for cycling coaches

Learn how to prescribe VO2max intervals with greater precision, match each workout to the athlete in front of you, and build high-intensity training into the season at the right time.

Our online course, “Workout: VO2max Intervals,” shows coaches why VO2max sessions are not interchangeable, and how to select, structure, and progress different interval formats to create the specific training effect each athlete needs. Instead of defaulting to the same hard workout for every rider, you’ll explore how interval duration, intensity, recovery, readiness, and timing shape the fitness benefits.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Distinguish between Tabata-style efforts, traditional five-minute intervals, fast-start intervals, and variable-intensity sessions—and match each format to an athlete’s specific training goal.
  • Calculate personalized workout targets using FTP and Maximum Aerobic Power, including how to set introductory and advanced workloads at FTP plus 20% or 50% of the difference between MAP and FTP.
  • Build complete VO2max workouts and progressions, from one- or two-minute fast starts at 90–100% of MAP to variable-intensity sessions featuring repeated 40-second surges.
  • Decide when to prescribe these demanding workout sessions, how quickly to progress them, and whether an athlete will benefit most from the controlled environment of a trainer or an outdoor session that adds race preparation and handling skills.

Learn from elite coach Neal Henderson, who has worked with Olympians, world champions, and Tour de France athletes, as he explains how to match above-threshold workouts to an athlete’s specific demands. The course also highlights Dr. Bent Rønnestad’s research on fast-start and variable-intensity intervals designed to extend time near maximal oxygen consumption.

Whether you are unsure which VO2max workout to choose, how hard an athlete should ride, or where these sessions belong in the season, this course gives you clear formulas, complete workout structures, and practical coaching cues you can immediately bring into your training plans.

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How to Enroll

All USA Cycling courses are offered exclusively through USA Cycling’s online learning management system at learn.usacycling.org.

Questions? Contact Suzy Sanchez, Director of DEI and Membership Programs, at ssanchez@usacycling.org.