VO2max 3-Minute Intervals
60 min · 49-59 TSS · IF 0.73 · 105-115% FTP · Zone 5+ (VO2max)
What this workout does
Three-minute efforts at VO2max — shorter than classic 4-min intervals so you can hit the power target precisely. Targets the high end of your aerobic capacity.
Three minutes is long enough to drag oxygen uptake near its maximum but short enough to hold the top of the 105-115% FTP range on every rep. That precision means more total work at the target stimulus and less fading at rep ends. A good first VO2max session of a training block.
How to ride it
Indoor / trainer
Warm up 15min. 5x3min at 105-115% FTP with 4min easy between. Cool down 10min. Start conservatively — the last interval should be the hardest.
Outside
Climb or flat road, 3min per rep at 105-115% FTP. Start conservative - the first rep should feel almost manageable, the last one should take everything you have to hold the target.
Workout structure (60 min)
- Warm-up 15m 55% 5x - Effort 3m 110% - 4m 55% - Cool-down 10m 55%
Targets are a percentage of FTP. This is the same shorthand the free workout builder understands — paste it there to edit any step, or download the workout for Zwift, Garmin or any smart trainer.
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