evokecast #121 Questions From UTMB: Part 1 How We Don’t Train
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Sep 17, 2025 Coach Scott Johnston recounts a memorable day in Chamonix when his athletes claimed UTMB titles. He dives into the misconceptions around VO2 max training, arguing it's not the gold standard for endurance success. Historical insights reveal how VO2 max was discovered but its relevance to performance is questioned. Scott emphasizes that training anaerobic thresholds can provide better results, especially for elite athletes. He suggests focusing on specific race adaptations over lab metrics, challenging athletes to rethink their training strategies.
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Questioning VO2 Max As Gold Standard
- VO2 max is widely promoted as the gold standard of endurance, but that claim deserves nuanced scrutiny.
- Scott Johnston argues VO2 max's importance is overstated and often misunderstood.
Decades Of VO2 Max Exploration
- Scott Johnston has decades of experimentation and literature study on VO2 max dating back to the 1980s.
- He notes Tom Evans and Ruth Croft never did a single VO2 max workout under his coaching.
VO2 Max Origin And Meaning
- Archibald Hill discovered an upper limit to oxygen uptake and tied it to circulatory limits, shaping exercise science.
- Johnston highlights Hill described maximal aerobic power, not endurance directly.