How To Improve Your VO2 Max For Cycling

If you’re a keen cyclist, you’ve probably heard of the term VO2 max.

Having a high VO2 max is considered a strong indication of your aerobic fitness and your ability to sustain long periods of moderate to high-intensity exercise. As such, your VO2 max will show whether or not you’ve got the physical capability to be an elite cyclist.

However, don’t take our word for it. Listen to an expert.

We reached out to Jakub Novák, head coach at ProCyclingCoaching and former World Tour cyclist, to further understand what VO2 max is and how it applies to cyclists.

As a professional, Jakub rode for BMC Pro Racing alongside Tour de France winner Cadel Evans and world champion Philippe Gilbert. As a coach, Jakub delivers training plans to all levels of cyclists.

Table of contents

What is VO2 max, and why is it important?
What factors and physical characteristics influence VO2 max?
How can cyclists calculate their VO2 max, and are there any tests you recommend?
What workouts or training methods can help cyclists to improve their VO2 max?
What are some of the benchmarks a cyclist should aim for?
How can a cyclist maintain a high VO2 max?

Let’s get into it. Over to our expert, Jakub Novák.

1. What is VO2 max, and why is it important in the context of cycling?

VO2 max is an individual’s maximal oxygen consumption or intake of oxygen within the body. Assessing VO2 max is the gold standard metric for determining a cyclist’s cardiovascular fitness.

Increased VO2 max relates to improvements in oxygen delivery and extraction within the body. A high volume of VO2 max enables you to become quicker and more able to sustain moderate to high-intensity training, which is needed in cycling.

2. What factors and physical characteristics influence VO2 max?

Heredity issues, age, gender, and body composition all affect VO2 max. Generally, this declines with age — about 2% per year after the age of 30 —and males typically have a greater oxygen consumption value than females.

Unsurprisingly, training and exercise most influence a change in VO2 max. Endurance training can lead to an approximate 50% increase in maximal cardiac output and an approximate 50% increase in.

An increase in red blood cell numbers increases the muscle capillary density and local blood flow, making a cyclist faster and stronger. This is because regular exercise causes an increase in the number of red blood cells in the blood. More red blood cells will help increase VO2 max by fuelling them with more oxygen.

Trained individuals can increase their VO2 max by anything from 5% to 30%. The least fit will see the largest changes, and athletes who are very fit will see the smallest changes.

3. How can cyclists calculate their VO2 max, and are there any tests you recommend?

Calculating VO2 max is done in a professional laboratory with a respiratory mask. The following is the basic formula for calculating VO2 max:

VO2 max = the maximum millilitres of oxygen consumed in one minute / body weight in kilograms.

Cyclists that don’t have access to professional testing can calculate VO2 max using the following formula:

However, the more useful, practical, and easier metric for estimating someone’s fitness level is. This metric is used to not only estimate a cyclist’s fitness but to also set up and adjust training zones.

4. What workouts or training methods can help cyclists to improve their VO2 max?

You can increase your VO2 max by training optimally for an extended period. By training optimally, I mean exposing your body to a high training load followed by sufficient adaptation, or recovery. 

For example, you can perform two or three harder weeks of training, followed by one easier week. When you train, it’s important to add variation to your days. Focusing on different fitness aspects each day of the week is an ideal training mix. 

Varying your training allows for further performance gains and will keep you engaged and motivated. Avoid training more than three days in a row without a recovery day.

5. What are some of the benchmarks a recreational or amateur cyclist should aim for? 

For a fit person aged between 20 and 45, a good VO2 max is likely to be:

Women: 45

Men: 51

This means a reasonably fit woman or man aged between 20 and 45 consumes about 45 or 51ml of oxygen respectively for every kilogram that she or he weighs during each minute of a run.

6. How can a cyclist maintain a high VO2 max?

Cyclists can maintain high VO2 max by training consistently and mixing moderate and high-intensity training. 

Once an athlete has been training for more than a year, the changes in VO2 max are very minimal, and these values become quite easy to maintain without a need to push their body over the limits. 

Five to eight hours per week on a bike will certainly maintain a high VO2 level. However, make sure you combine endurance training twice a week with a high-intensity workout once a week.

Many thanks to Jakub for his insights. If you’d like to find out more about his specialist training programmes, you can visit his website for more information.

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