This is a full fitness plan for mountain bikers to be done at any point in the season. This plan differs from the other 12 Week Full Fitness Plan on offer on that this particular plan requires some experience strength training and regular access to the gym. If you do not have regular access to gym equipment or you have less experience in the gym, the other plan is a better place to start.
Included in this training plan is:
-Strength training- upper body, lower body and full body workouts are included in a gradual build up. Generally you are in the gym 2x/week
-Bike workouts- there are easy ones and some hard ones; these address what mountain bikers need to work on. All bike workouts can be uploaded to a smart trainer.
-Rest- recovery is important; we build you up and recover properly
-Stretching- we work on your flexibility regularly each week in 20 minute sessions
-Volume- all volume is appropriate. You can go longer as needed and shorten it up if necessary. There are planned additional rides for advanced athletes.
-Fun- there are fun MTB rides planned within this training
-Skills- we work on things like pacing, cornering and braking to help you ride faster with your fitness
-Testing- we regularly reassess your fitness every 4 weeks to see how far you've come
The volume and intensity gradually increase throughout this training plan. After 12 weeks you will be prepared for a great season!
This training plan works great when done ahead of an important race when using the available two-week taper.
Matt Miller is a specialist MTB coach working with professional and amateur athletes in Enduro, XC, DH and road. He has over 20 international publications focused on MTB performance, including pioneering research into FTP and braking (BrakeAce) in MTB. Matt has 20 years of personal race experience, including elite level in XC and EWS. Athletes Matt has worked with have achieved 8 USA Nationals wins (XC & Enduro), 7th overall in the EWS, 11th in an XC World Cup and top 40 in the DH World Cup.