#121 Questions From UTMB: Part 1 How We Don’t Train

Join Coach Scott Johnston as he reflects on an unforgettable day in Chamonix, where his athletes, Tom Evans and Ruth Croft, won their respective overall titles at the 2025 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB). Since their victories, Scott has received hundreds of inquiries. A common thread among these being questions about VO2 max training, its methodologies, and its implications. In this discussion, Coach Scott explains VO2 max training and why it is far less critical than other training approaches for endurance performance.

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Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:25 Fallacy of focusing on VO2-max

00:04:14 Is VO2-max ‘The Gold Standard’?

00:05:38 History of VO2-max

00:08:31 Limitations of VO2-max theory on endurance

00:10:36 Does training VO2-max improve performance?

00:20:42 Should athletes train to improve VO2-max?

00:26:00 Little-known aspects of VO2-max

00:27:51 Improving endurance performance without VO2-max training

00:32:22 Challenges of executing proper VO2-max training

00:36:17 Could VO2-max training be conflated with muscular endurance training?

00:38:50 Open questions for athletes and coaches

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:25 Fallacy of focusing on VO2-max
• 4:14 Is VO2-max ‘The Gold Standard’?
• 5:38 History of VO2-max
• 8:31 Limitations of VO2-max theory on endurance
• 10:36 Does training VO2-max improve performance?
• 20:42 Should athletes train to improve VO2-max?
• 26:00 Little-known aspects of VO2-max
• 27:51 Improving endurance performance without VO2-max training
• 32:22 Challenges of executing proper VO2-max training
• 36:17 Could VO2-max training be conflated with muscular endurance training?
• 38:50 Open questions for athletes and coaches