Mountain bikers often seek to improve their endurance, power, and skill through various training tools. This workout focuses on increasing your threshold using micro-intervals with a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio. These short interval blocks help the body spend more time within the threshold zone per workout basis, generating significant adaptive responses and helping you develop VO2 max.
Cool Down
After an intense session, it always takes a few minutes to cool down. This is a great way to avoid lightheadedness and get your blood vessels back to normal. It also allows the body to flush out metabolic waste like lactic acid and get fresh blood pumping throughout the body. If you are a Train to Ride mountain bike racer, it’s essential to incorporate workouts that simulate the start of a mountain bike race into your training plan. These types of workouts will help you fine-tune your initial acceleration capabilities. Another workout that can be effective is a long endurance session with surges mixed in. These workouts can be extremely challenging and are an excellent way to develop endurance, especially on rough terrain.
Stretching
Mountain biking is a high-impact sport that stresses the quads, glutes, and hamstrings significantly. Regular stretching will help keep these muscles limber and ready for action. A good mountain bike training plan will incorporate various off-bike workouts and specific mountain bike-specific strength exercises. Developing the upper body and core through pushups, squats, situps, and other exercises can help build muscle and balance, which is often challenging for MTB riders. For a fun and challenging workout, consider creating a race simulation on your bike that includes a tricky start, recovery intervals mimicking descents, and short sprints simulating steep and punchy climbs. This type of workout can also be a great way to gather subjective and objective fitness data on your strengths and weaknesses.
Sleep
Did you know that following your Enduro MTB 90 Fitness Plan and exercising regularly can improve your sleep quality? Mountain biking is a fantastic cardiovascular workout that strengthens muscles, enhances endurance, and helps burn calories. It’s also a low-impact activity that doesn’t strain your joints as much as other weight-bearing exercises. Studies have shown that mountain biking can even reduce stress levels by requiring you to concentrate and stay focused during your ride. This can help you feel more present in the moment and release endorphins, natural mood-boosting chemicals that can decrease stress and anxiety. Research has found that getting more sleep can improve your cycling endurance performance by as much as 3 percent!
Nutrition
The body needs fuel for recovery after hard training sessions. Hydrate and consume a protein-rich recovery drink within 30 minutes of the end of your workout. For those who don’t have the luxury of a full-time professional coach to schedule rest days, it’s important to consider contextual factors like work demands, family schedules, and other training objectives. Whether on an indoor bike trainer or in the great outdoors, long-duration, steady-intensity endurance rides are a cornerstone of mountain biking training. These sessions stoke the Type I (slow-twitch) muscles, increasing their oxidative capacity and fatigue resistance. They are also an excellent opportunity to develop and practice skills while the body is not tired.
Muscle Recovery
The body grows more robust through a process known as super-compensation. However, the body can only benefit from this process if adequately rested. One great way to test your recovery is by experimenting with different workouts. Try a short interval session on the mountain bike, incorporating higher-intensity efforts with shorter recoveries. A great example of this type of workout is a ride that begins on a road or gravel road and then transitions to singletrack. This workout is designed to simulate the feeling of starting a race in a fatigued state. This type of workout can be performed on a trainer or outdoors. It may include four lots of around 8 minutes of riding at just above threshold intensity with a recovery of about 10 seconds out of the saddle every 5 minutes.
