8-WEEK VO2MAX DEVELOPMENT PLAN

This plan uses three peer-reviewed VO2max protocols - Norwegian 4×4, Rønnestad 30/15, and Fast-Start 5×5 - sequenced through 8 weeks of block periodization. The same approach used with WorldTour professionals, scaled for cyclists training 7-10 hours a week.

---

WHY VO2MAX IS YOUR CEILING

Think of VO2max as your engine size. Every metric you care about - FTP, climbing power, the ability to follow attacks - is limited by it. Raise the ceiling, and everything underneath gets better. Recreational cyclists improve VO2max by 10-15% in a single 8-week block. Well-trained riders see 5-8%. The key isn't more hours. It's the right intensity, at the right time, with the right recovery.

---

THE PROTOCOLS - NAMED, PEER-REVIEWED
Most VO2max plans throw generic intervals at you. This plan names its sources.

• Norwegian 4×4 (Helgerud, 2007) - 4 min hard / 3 min easy. Original VO2max format proven to outperform moderate training.

• Rønnestad 30/15 (Rønnestad, 2015) - 30s hard / 15s easy × 13 reps × 3 sets. Accumulates the most time above 90% VO2max of any known format.

• Fast-Start 5×5 (Rønnestad, 2020) - punchy surge, then controlled hold. Race-pattern intervals.

Each protocol is sequenced through block periodization for the 5-15% gain ceiling the research establishes.

---

---

THE 8-WEEK STRUCTURE

• Week 1 - Test + Base. MAP ramp test sets every target.
• Weeks 2-3 - Build I. Norwegian 4×4 introduced.
• Week 4 - Recovery. Volume drops 40%. The week most cyclists skip and shouldn't.
• Weeks 5-6 - Build II. Peak load. Full Rønnestad 30/15 + Fast-Start 5×5.
• Week 7 - Taper. Sharp, not exhausted.
• Week 8 - Retest. Same conditions as Week 1. Measure exactly what changed.

---

WHO IT'S FOR

• Time-crunched amateur racers and Gran Fondo riders
• Cyclists with a recent training base of 5+ hrs/week
• Riders who want to understand why the sessions work

WHO IT ISN'T FOR

• Complete beginners - aerobic base needs building first
• Riders chasing "more hours = more fitness" - this runs on intensity discipline

---

BONUSES INCLUDED

• 20-page PDF execution guide - the science, zone tables, protocol diagrams, weekly logic in print form

• Personalized Loom from Coach Toms - submit your retest data, get a recorded read on what worked and what to do next

---

---

Outside is free. Train smart. Ride on.

Questions: toms.flaksis@gmail.com · Instagram @tomsflaksis · cyclingcoachtoms.cc