After a handful of searches, I figured I’d try my luck w/ the forums. I’m trying to find an article from a while back about increasing your VO2 max.
Essentially you picked a jogging speed and kept increasing the incline until you quit/ate it. After mending your wounds there was a suggested interval protocol at that speed & incline; anyone know what I’m talking about?
Mad Max - set the speed anywhere between 7 and 9 mph at 0 inc, then each minute increase the incline by 1 until your exhausted. The last incline you can hold for at least 30 seconds before falling off is your Vmax(should be between 8 and 12).
After a couple days rest, come back, set it to the same speed and incline you ended with last time, and run until exhaustion(200-300 seconds is average). That is your Tmax.
Now when you start the program, you will set the treadmill to your Tmax, and each interval will last 70-75% of Tmax(ie, Tmax=300, 300 * 0.7 = 210 second interval time). Your rest periods should be 2x your work intervals to start with, and then you can decrease the time if necessary. Perform 6-8 repetitions 2-3 times per week.
It says to reevaluate every 4 weeks due to the rapid improvements, but I would just change one of the factors to make it more demanding every 3-4 weeks-increase speed, increase incline, etc.
Why don’t you make it easier on yourself with a simpler approach and use the Tabata Protocol?
You know 20-seconds of max effort exercise hell followed by 10-seconds rest, wishing you were dead… repeated for six to twelve times.
“Dr. Izumi Tabata, at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Japan, did a study comparing the effects of moderate intensity endurance endurance (your basic aerobic workout) and high endurance intermittent training (“Tabata” training intervals) on VO2 Max and anaerobic capacity - they found that the aerobic training group had about a 10% increase in VO2 max with no increase in anaerobic capacity, while the Tabata training group improved their VO2 max by 14% and improved anaerobic capacity by 28% by working out 5 days a week over a period of 6 weeks.”
If you don’t know those are some pretty staggering numbers… a 14% increase in VO2 is phenomenal! I have used Tabata for years and have had great success with hill sprints, complexes, lumberjack squats, stationary cycles (Airdyne being the best), burpees, star jumps, airsquats, bootstrappers, etc.
“Tabata training on a treadmill works best if you DON’T pause the treadmill - it takes a few seconds to reach max speed again when you resume! Ideally, you’d set it to your high speed, run for 20 seconds, jump off to the sides of the treadmill for 10 seconds, jump back on to the still running treadmill, etc.”
Not as difficult as it looks… the getting on and off part that is!!!
The nice thing about Tabata is, if there is such a thing, is that it takes only what you can give at that given point in time… so if you are little weak that day your speed may be slower but you still have completed the protocol/workout. There is no undue demand on the body with an incorrect inclination, distance, or weight, etc. A super positive, motivating, and less injury prone format.