Zwift Academy 2019 Workout #7: VO2max Development

7 down, 1 to go. But OMG, today was hard as hell.

And as usual, I was too cocky with my approach to these workouts. These Zwift Academy workouts need to be respected. When will I learn?

Looking at the interval schedule for this ride, I wasn’t too concerned about what lay ahead. A few blocks at 215w, plenty of recovery… nothing I couldn’t handle, right?

With a rest day yesterday I was feeling fairly fresh and ready to rock this one.

I wouldn’t say I’m fully rested by any means, but I felt good enough to take on this one.

As ever, the information provided on screen by the “coach” was useful and interesting. I had no idea about VO2 Max before this ride, so learning a little as I meandered along my warm up was welcome.

This learning as I ride thing has been a common theme throughout Zwift Academy 2019, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

For the first effort I was way over 100rpm, and the time flew by.

As ever, my cockiness was given a healthy boost and I was sure this workout was going to be easy peasy.

With barely a bead of sweat on my head, a 2 minute @ 100w recovery block was very happily taken. Time to get on my phone, see what was on Reddit and maybe even indulge in a game or two.

Yes, the confidence was over brimming.

Following the first minute’s work, there was a longer 4 minutes at 180w.

This wasn’t overly taxing either, but certainly made me far more sweaty. No phone hi-jinx during this one, except to press the screenshot button a few times, of course.

I’m guessing this wasn’t intended to be a true taxing as plenty of information was presented throughout the 4 minutes of fun pedaling.

Again, a long(ish) recovery followed here, of 3 minutes at 100w.

Whilst the screenshots record me at 192bpm heart rate, I can assure you I was nowhere near this figure.

For whatever reason, my Wahoo Tickr is incredibly temperamental. I supposed electronics and the amount of sweat I produce don’t mix too well.

After this effort I was feeling really good about the forthcoming work.

How hard could it be? 215w?

I resolved to try the first 2 minutes at 215w, see how I felt, and then maybe up the intensity if I was feeling good about it.

The first two minute block went well enough. My cadence remained super high – near or above 100rpm – and I was concerned I wouldn’t get such a great workout if things continued as they currently were.

Oh Chris. How incredibly naive.

After the first two minute block I reached for the Zwift Companion App and bumped the intensity up to 110%.

What was previously a 215w interval became a 235w interval.

How much harder could it be to sustain an extra 20w for 2 minutes?

Well, as I was about to find out, quite a bit harder.

If nothing else, cycling certainly teaches humility.

By the end of the the following 2 minutes I was goosed.

The difference between 215w and 235w, over 2 minutes, was hugely noticeable.

However, I definitely felt like I was getting a better workout.

Yes, it really was.

I decided that I’d leave it at 110% effort for the next block, and given that I had 3 minutes to recover, I figured I could be good enough to go again – this time for 2x 3 minutes at 235w.

My plan was simple:

If I struggled in the first 3 minutes, I would drop back to 100% for the next three minutes.

Pretty basic.

And so did I struggle?

Boy, did I.

Man alive. Getting to the end of that first 3 minute block absolutely caned me.

But still, I refused to be beaten.

I decided that I’d had to work really hard for the interval star, and I reckoned that whilst it had been exhausting, it was also rewarding.

And so I stuck with it for the next block.

Albeit at a much more grindy cadence.

I was out of the saddle for the second block.

Not only was the interval harder – 3 minutes at 235w – but the rest / recovery block was shorter, and at a higher intensity – just 1.5 minutes at 130w.

I managed to make my way through the second block but I was seriously doubting my ability to ride for 4 minutes at 235w, and even more so in the 5 minute ramp up.

Even so, I persisted further.

Again, my arrogance got the better of me.

I believed I could do it, so why not give it a proper shot?

Well, the issue is that I likely could (and ultimately did) make it through the 4 minutes.

But I was killing myself. Absolutely thrashing myself to make the time.

Even the first minute felt tough.

The second more so.

By 2.5 minutes in I was out of the saddle and remained that way for as long as I could, grinding as hard as I could, panting and wheezing, wondering why I put myself through this.

I know pushing myself is the only way I will improve, but slower, steadier progress is – in my more sound, reflective mind – much more preferable than blowing up.

After this one my heart rate was sky high, my chest hurt, I could barely breathe, and I wasn’t sure if what I felt in my stomach was cramp, or a pulled muscle (thankfully: cramp).

Ego put in check, I knocked the intensity back to 100% for the final 5 minute effort.

There was simply no way I could ramp up from ~FTP to 235w over the next 5 minutes.

The on screen prompt would have made me laugh if it hadn’t been so true.

My towel was drenched. My bike covered in a mixture of the usual sweaty, and foamy spittle, a long strand drooling from my gaping maw.

Good times.

Oh, and yes, the chest pain. The thumping, incessant beating. Good bye retirement, I never knew ye.

Even with 5 minutes at the now reduced 100w, I was absolutely dead for the first 3 minutes, and only barely starting to recover for the remaining 2.

And then we were to be off again.

My plan was simple:

Grind at about 75rpm for at least the first minute, then get out of the saddle for ~2 minutes, and then alternate between out and in the saddle until I saw myself home.

As you might expect, screenshots during this time were not taken.

This was extremely challenging.

I was questioning if I could even complete this last block.

Within the first 30 seconds I was hurting.

The next few minutes were some of the slowest, hardest pedal revolutions I have had yet on Zwift.

Truly a very difficult interval.

Somehow, some way, I saw it through.

Frankly I was stunned I did. There was a point where the seconds seemed to be taking more than a second to pass.

This one really put me close to the edge.

Even when this one was over, it took me a very long time to recover.

A minute had passed by and I was still puffing and panting, my entire body was throbbing.

It didn’t feel good, and I evidently didn’t look great. My wife made comments about the veins bulging out of my head. Fun times.

I question the final Zwift Academy workout.

It feels like each one has been getting that bit tougher, and I haven’t really been learning my lessons around ego.

On the plus side, I definitely do feel fitter today than when I started this process.

I am yet to check out the schedule for the next ride.

4 minute max effort?

Isn’t that kinda what I just did?

I have no idea. It doesn’t sound appealing right now.

With this one in the bag I’ve earned myself a rest day tomorrow.

One day on, one day off. That’s the life.

OK so looking at the positives:

  • An hour’s riding on the week already
  • ~30km done
  • Completed it, though it was hard AF
  • One remaining workout and I’m done with Zwift Academy
Thankfully the heart rate is wrong there.

Honestly, right now I still feel exhausted. It’s been a very long day, and I’m very much looking forwards to going to bed.

Looks like I won’t be back until Wednesday. And my plan is to – maybe – ride the final Zwift Academy workout this Friday. So the rides in between will be fairly laid back. I’m guessing FTP Builder rides. We shall see.

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