|
By walker on 4/1/2008 on walker's blog
Ahhh, the joy of racing and the love of deciding where to race this year! It is an important decision to consider, because the most important things are training and peaking!
To start, training matters most, You're going to be pumping all kinds of freshy blood cells into your muscles during these endurance fit-sessions or downhill screamer-fests, so having a fit body is important. But the right training depends on what races you want to do. Let's say your goal is the National Mountain Bike Series XC; these races are shorter 18 - 30 miles in length and sprint sessions. Having enough energy to climb, downhill and attack is critical. What's more, there is usually a championship race, which you should plan to peak for. Your training goals should center on endurance rides, hill repeats and plenty of group rides. Tapering will also be important, as you don't want to over do it before peak race!
Now, the big question is WDWD: What Does Walker Do? That's a great question, and thanks for asking. Why, just this weekend I think I figured it out. Train hard during the week: Monday: no riding, bouldering (I love to climb) Tuesday: light morning session, lunch fun session, group ride Wednesday: light morning session, lunch fun session, easy ride Thursday: light morning session, weights (upper body), a good ride Friday: off Saturday: 40 miles on the mountain bike Sunday: 40 miles on the mountain bike The newest edition to my schedule is the weekend piece. I'm convinced that these longer rides will make a difference this year!
So what's on your training schedule? |
How To Train For Your Races This Year
epicmike says:
 Now I don't have any specific regimen as of yet... I would like to come up with a similar schedule. I'm really liking the idea of biking during lunch. I just need a shower though... Some new things I plan on doing however include some road hill climbs. There is a pretty steep hill near my house that is just an insane workout. For me at least! So, I'll just repeat those over and over and see where that gets me! I really need to work on my technical skills and at my local trail there are two parts of the trial called the Fairy Dust trail and the Millenium trail which are both equally rocky with jagged baby heads and what not. You give me some rolling downhill singletrack and I will hunt you down! But come to a hill and I sputter... That's my main goal. Power up those hills! Also, I've convinced myself that staying on the bike all the time (except on downs) is so important to keeping my efficiency that I don't let myself stand on climbs where I should! Thanks for the tips Walker! |
BrandonST says:
 Wow, that's pretty intense Walker. Up until a few weeks ago, my training consisted of: Monday to Friday: Wake up, eat, drive 40 minutes to work and sit on my butt in front of a computer for 8 hours. Get in my car, drive 40 minutes home, and eat supper. Spend time with my son. Go to bed. Saturday to Sunday: Do nothing. Eat. Have a few pints. Resent myself for being so lazy. Blame the winter months and justify it as "hibernation". I've recently joined a gym, which I have been hitting every day at lunch. Once the warm weather comes, and there's more daylight, I will take my son out on the bike every night too. I'm dedicated to lose some weight (I was up to around 225 lbs a few weeks ago!) and get back some of my stamina so that I can make it up a slight gradient, let alone some of the big hills. Not sure if I will get in on any races this season, just want to meet my own goals, and get back to a point where I feel great again. Last summer, and especially the summer before that, I was in the best shape of my life, which makes this whole slide into an unhealthy lifestyle that much tougher. I only make it a quarter of the way up hills that I used to fly up. Very frustrating. It's funny how easy it is to let your fitness level drop, considering how amazing it feels to hit the trails in good shape. |
Post new comment
There's much more on YourMTB.com... | Sign up for The Weekly Ride |
.thumbnail.jpg "MTB Trials - Rear Wheel Hop")
2 comments