You may already know your VO2 max is a strong predictor of how fast you are on the bike. But if you’re fuzzy on the details, including what the term actually means, why it matters, and how you can improve it, we’ve got you.
Your VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume during physical activity. The metric, which is a number that represents how many milliliters of oxygen you can take in per kilogram of bodyweight per minute, can range anywhere from 33 mL/kg/min to 85 mL/kg/min for active people.
A variety of factors can influence your VO2 max, including your gender, genetics, and fitness level—which means you can train to improve your VO2 max, thereby increasing your tolerance for hard work. A higher VO2 max means your heart can pump more blood to your muscles (either by increasing the volume per stroke, the stroke rate, or both).
The more oxygen your muscles can access, the more fuel they can convert into the energy we need to do work, explains exercise physiologist and certified performance and sports scientist, Mollie Brewer. “Improving your VO2 max directly affects your ability to go harder and longer before you fatigue," she tells Bicycling.
Wondering what’s the best way to go about improving your VO2 max? Here are five workouts to try. Just remember these workouts aren’t a one-and-done deal. Consistent training is still key seeing your VO2 max get better over time and it may take weeks to see your metrics improve.
The Best VO2 Max Workouts to Add to Your Training
While interval training in zone 5 is a time-efficient way to boost your VO2 max, you can also get a lot of benefit from going for longer, steady zone 2 rides. Research backs up the benefits of both types of workouts for VO2 max: According to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport in 2019, people who did high-intensity interval sessions with intervals as short as 30 seconds for four weeks or less showed VO2 max and participants who did intervals closer to two minutes for four to 12 weeks showed even greater gains.
Meanwhile, a meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Exercise Science in 2016 and one published in Translational Sports Medicine in 2022 found that low-intensity, moderate-intensity, and high-intensity exercise can all improve VO2 max, it’s just that intense training requires less of a time commitment to see those benefits.
If you’re new to interval-based training, particularly in zone 5, ease into it gradually. Start with shorter intervals and/or fewer intervals at a wattage that you can maintain for the duration of the workout and then gradually increase the duration and the number of intervals you include in your workout, with no more than two VO2 max sessions per week.
As your fitness improves, you should generally shoot for no more than 30 minutes in zone 5 per session with each interval lasting up to eight minutes at a maximum. Beyond that, the risk of overtraining outweighs the potential benefits, says Brewer. Because these interval sessions are intense, make sure you go into them rested, hydrated, and fueled.
1. Zone 2 Workout
- Ride in zone 2, or at a steady endurance pace for 90 minutes to 4 hours
This workout is a simple yet effective way to stress the dilation of your heart and its capacity—which, over time, translates into boosting your heart’s ability to pump stronger and faster, allowing more oxygen to be delivered to your muscles to keep them working harder and/or longer with less fatigue, says Brewer.
While the average person can get a lot out of a 90-minute ride, if you’re fitter, more experienced, and/or are training for a longer event, you’ll benefit from a longer ride. If you don’t know your training zones or would prefer a “naked” ride, Brewer suggests maintaining a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of around 4 out of 10.
2. Ladder-Style Intervals
- Warm up for 15-30 minutes
- Complete the following sequence, with intensity at about 120% of your FTP (top of zone 5) for your intervals
- 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy spinning recovery
- 2 minutes hard, 80 seconds recovery
- 1 minute hard, 40 seconds recovery
- 45 seconds hard, 30 seconds recovery
- 30 seconds hard, 20 seconds recovery
If you like to mix up your workouts, a ladder-style set of intervals is a great way to get the job done while keeping things interesting, says Brewer. Plus, research suggests that starting with longer intervals when your anaerobic reserves are highest and shortening them as you become depleted results in more overall time spent working out at 90% of VO2 max, as compared to longer VO2 efforts and microbursts.
3. 1-to-1 Ratio Intervals
- Warm up for 15-30 minutes
- Ride in zone 5 (106 to 120% of your FTP) for 3 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of easy spinning to recover.
- Repeat 5 times
- Cool down for 15-30 minutes
This workout, which features a 1:1 ratio of work to recovery, is a great starting point for a novice cyclist or anyone who is new to interval training. Don’t be surprised if you feel nauseated or lightheaded the first few times you try it, says cycling coach, physical therapist, and Olympian Ann Trombley. But if you can’t maintain your heart rate or power over the course of the workout, that’s your body’s way of telling you you’re too fatigued, dehydrated, underfueled, or stressed to handle the workout. In that case, Trombley suggests ditching your structured workout and doing an endurance ride instead.
4. 30-Second Sprints
- Warm up for 15 to 30 minutes
- Ride for 30 seconds at 125% of your FTP (zone 6),
- Recover for 15 seconds
- Repeat this sequence 12 times (this 9-minute cycle is 1 set)
- Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 sets, with 5-10 minutes of recovery between sets
- Cool down for 20-30 minutes
Like the other interval workouts, the key is finding an intensity you can maintain throughout the entire workout with an RPE of about 8 to 9, says Brewer. If you’re not able to keep the intensity up for three sets, two sets will still give you a quality workout.
5. Cross-Training Intervals
- Pick your favorite non-cycling endurance sport and apply any of the above workouts
While it can be tempting to spend any free time you have on your bike, there’s value in adding variety to your routine. “Not only is it good for the mind and soul to have exposure to different activities, but there is a cross-over or transfer training effect when you cross-train,” says Brewer.
For example, activities like running and cross-country skiing tend to promote cardiovascular fitness more quickly than cycling because of the greater amount of active muscle mass they require, she says. If you embrace cross-training, make sure you do it safely. “It’s important to be careful when trying new activities because you can get injured if you don't build up or have the right skills to support these efforts,” says Brewer.
Want to Boost Your VO2 Max Off the Bike? Try These Workouts:
Pam Moore is an occupational therapist-turned-intuitive eating coach, certified personal trainer, and award-winning freelance writer with bylines in outlets including The Washington Post, Time, SELF, Outside, Runner's World, and others. Listen to her podcast, Real Fit, or subscribe to her newsletter, Real Nourished, at
