Transcription
Most runners train V2 max wrong. They go hard, but the wrong kind of hard. So, in this video, I'll show you the closest thing science has to a perfect V2 max workout and a framework to build your own V2 max sessions that actually make you run faster. My name is Nicholas. I have a bachelor's degree in sport science. I'm a certified physiotherapist and I'm a former professional triathlete.
Now, before I show you the smartest way to train your V2 max if you want to get the best results possible, there's something we need to make clear. You see, there isn't one single V2 max workout that's perfect for everyone. Your training background, current volume, tolerance for intensity, and injury history all matter. But when you look at what the research consistently shows, there is a structure or a framework that gets us as close as possible. And once you understand this framework, you won't just copy a workout. You'll understand why it works, how to progress it, and how to place it in your week to get the maximum benefit without wrecking the rest of your training.
But before we get into that, what even is V2 max? And why do so many runners do it wrong? You see, a lot of people think that V2 max is simply how fast or how hard you can run. But that's not it. V2 max is the maximum rate at which your body can use oxygen during intense exercise. Imagine your V2 max as the horsepower of your engine. The stronger it is, the more potential you have to go fast. But unlike what most people think, V2 max doesn't only increase from high-intensity intervals. Even though high-intensity intervals seem to improve V2 max slightly more, multiple scientific reviews have shown that increasing your total training volume, which includes your easy miles, also improves V2 max. Put simply, you can improve V2 max from both ends. More quality high-intensity intervals and more overall aerobic work.
But if more volume helps, why do we need V2 max intervals at all? It's because volume alone will only take us so far. The biggest gains comes when we combine the two. And from my experience with decades of running and training other runners, I'll say that in general, the less distance we cover, the more of that work needs to be hard. But how hard is hard enough? This is where I see most runners go wrong. They run intervals that are too long or too hard or with rest that's too short or too long, which means that they're barely spending any time really pushing their V2 max, even if the workout feels brutal. A common example is something like 6* 1 km as hard as possible. Yes, it hurts. But if you're not used to hard training or you go out too hard too early, you'll build up so much fatigue that you can't stay near your V2 max for that long. That means you'll slow down, your form will break, and most of the session ends up just being a painful grind where we are not specifically training V2 max that much. So, if we want to actually improve V2 max in the most effective way possible, we need to understand what makes a great V2 max workout actually work.
So, what does the science say? When I looked through the research comparing different interval structures, four things consistently showed up in the workouts that create the biggest improvements in V2 max. Or put simply, the intervals that work best share the same DNA. First of all, they allow you to perform focused high-intensity work. Second of all, they accumulate as much time as possible at above 90% of V2 max. Third, they let you recover just enough to repeat the effort with quality. And fourth, they let you do it weekly without destroying the rest of your training. And on top of that, the thing that most people forget is that your easy run volume must support your hard training. Basically, the intervals work better if you also do a ton of easy miles on top.
So, how do we build workouts that hit all of those criteria? Well, instead of thinking of V2 max training as a single workout, I want you to think about it as a framework, like a simple structure you can follow that keeps your training grounded in what actually works, but it's also flexible enough so that you can change it based on what your preferences are. I call it the peak V framework. It combines the key principles that research consistently supports. The P stands for perform intervals that push you but don't break you. According to a scientific review from 2013, we need to run at least at 95% or faster than our speed at V2 max. Now, if you don't know your speed at V2 max, which let's be honest, most people don't, just start by going for the pace that you could sustain for about 10 to 12 minutes if you had to go all out. The E stands for equal or shorter rest. So, basically, if you do 4-minute intervals, your rest should be 4 minutes or less. If you do 15-second intervals, your rest should be 15 seconds or less. The A is achieve at least 10 to 30 minutes at V2 max in a single session. While it's not a strict rule, and you can do more or less, it seems to be the sweet spot for most athletes for doing as much work as possible without burning out. Remember, consistency is the most important thing. So, we need to be able to do the same thing week after week. The K is keep at least one V2 max session per week, but doing two or even three for a short period if recovery allows it can improve your V2 max even faster. And the V is volume. Total aerobic volume should progress slowly over time. This is the closest thing I've come to a quote unquote perfect V2 max training framework. It tells you how long to run, how long to recover, how much total work you need, how often to do it, and reminds you that your aerobic base still matters.
But now that you have the framework, let's turn it into workouts that you can actually use. According to this massive review from 2013, if we want to maximize time spent at V2 max, there are two types of intervals that are the most effective. The first one is long, high-intensity intervals. They should be longer than two to three minutes per interval with less than two minutes of recovery in between. Examples could be 6 to 10 times 2 minutes or 5 to 8* 3 minutes or 4 to 6 * 4 minutes. The second one is short high-intensity intervals. They should be equal to or less than 15 seconds with the same or less recovery in between. And then they should be at least 8 minutes per set. So, for example, you could do 15 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy, and then repeat for 8 minutes. Take a longer break of four to five minutes between sets and then perform another 8 minutes of 15 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy. We can also do repeated sprints or just plain out maximum sprints with long breaks. But it will get harder to accumulate a lot of time near V2 max with these types of intervals.
Now, I'm going to show you the interval session that has helped me the most this year. But first, I want to make sure you understand something very important. Just because a workout fits the framework doesn't mean it's right for you right now. Let me explain. Your goal with V2 max training isn't to survive the hardest possible sessions. It's to accumulate time at V2 max without so much fatigue that it ruins the rest of your training week and so you can actually stick to it. That's why the framework matters more than the exact workout. It keeps the stimulus targeted, effective, and repeatable.
Now, let's talk about a version that I found to be incredibly effective and a lot kinder on the body. It's a hill-based V2 max session, and it actually breaks the rules a bit. Now, I first learned about this workout from a research paper by Marius Bachan outlining the Norwegian method. You see, running uphill reduces the impact on your joints because you run slower than if you run straight ahead or downhill, but it still allows you to push the aerobic system. And for some people, it's actually easier to work harder than when running on flat ground. Anyway, in the paper by Backan from 2023, they suggest a 20* 200 meter uphill with a 70-second easy jog down as recovery. Even though this workout technically breaks the rules because each interval is relatively short and you still move during the break, the effort builds over time and you accumulate a large amount of time close to V2 max without the pounding of flat intervals. Just this past year, I found this to be a great alternative if you're prone to shin splints, knee issues, simply want a lower impact variation, and trust me, it gets hard.
Now, you might be thinking, "This all sounds great, but how do I know how hard to run?" If you use pace alone, you'll likely get it wrong. The terrain, wind, and your current fatigue all changes your pace dramatically. Heart rate helps, but it lags behind effort, especially in the first half of an interval. The most reliable way is to use what's called rate of perceived exertion or RPE. So, it's basically a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being the absolute hardest you can go and one being super easy. When doing V2 max intervals, RPE should be around 8 to 9 out of 10. A controlled but very hard effort where talking is essentially impossible after the first minute or so. That level of effort is uncomfortable, but it's also sustainable long enough for you to spend some meaningful time at V2 max. If you're unable to maintain the intensity or you find yourself sprinting the first 30 seconds only to slow down for the remainder of the interval, you're going too fast. We want time spent at V2 max, not just an all-out effort.
Now, let's put all of this into a practical framework. Like, how often should you do V2 max? Where does it belong in the week? How long should you stay in a V2 max training block? And how do you progress it so you don't plateau or burn out? First, let's talk frequency. Most runners actually only need one V2 max session per week most of the year, but doing short blocks of two or even three workouts per week can be effective, but only for a few weeks and only if your volume and intensity distribution and recovery are dialed in. This is where the idea of polarized training, often described as the 80/20 model, becomes relevant. Even if you don't follow the 80/20 strictly, the principle remains. Most of your training should be easy and V2 max is just one small piece of the puzzle. Remember, most of the time we also need to do other types of hard training like threshold intervals or long runs.
Next, let's talk placement. The best day for a V2 max workout is usually early in the week when you're mentally and physically fresh. Many runners, including myself, usually do it on a Tuesday, which is why we call it track Tuesday with an easier run the day before and an easier run the day after. You want to avoid stacking it too close to your long run or your threshold session because those workouts stress different systems that need quality to be effective. If you do strength training, avoid heavy lower body lifting the day before your V2 max workout.
Now, let's talk progression. A V2 max training block typically lasts around 6 to 12 weeks. In the first week, choose the variation that feels achievable. Over the following weeks, you can progress by adding an interval, extending each interval slightly, or reducing rest, but you should only adjust one variable at a time. The goal is to gradually increase your V2 max without compromising your ability to recover or perform your other key sessions. Also, make sure to have easier weeks where you dial back the volume to allow your body to recover. After all, we can't progress forever.
And that brings me to an important point. V2 max training works, but it's not the magic bullet that most runners think it is. V2 max is one piece of the performance puzzle, and to be fair, it's a piece that improves fairly quickly. You see, your V2 max can actually increase a ton within just a few weeks of focused training. But after that initial jump, the gains naturally slow down. That's why the timing of when you use a focused V2 max block matters. The best time to focus specifically on V2 max training is after you've built a solid aerobic base. And if you find that V2 max is your current limiter, if it's not the thing currently holding you back, then sticking to one workout per week or focusing more on threshold work or long runs might be better. And if you want to know if V2 max is even your limiter, I've actually built an app where you answer a few questions and it'll tell you and even give you a short training plan that can help you move through a plateau. It's completely free and you can find it in the description.
So, let's bring it all together. If we combine the research, the physiology, and what actually works in real training, here's what the quote unquote perfect V2 max setup looks like. You spend 10 to 30 minutes near V2 max through long or short high-intensity intervals with equal or slightly shorter rest at least once per week placed early in the week when you're fresh while also making sure that you can recover and repeat the workouts week after week. Now, at this point, most runners make a mistake. They learn the workout but not how to integrate it into the rest of their training. And if you don't plan your running week as carefully as your intervals, you're leaving performance gains on the table. So, to learn the smartest way to structure the rest of your training using science, you should check out this video.