8-week Preseason Plan - MTB XC and XCM (HR-based)

This plan is designed for the competitor who is focusing primarily on the MTB Season: March - September. This a plan to transition you from the off-season to the early competition period. Use this plan to prepare for XC and XCM events. XC events are typically in the 1.5-2.0 hr duration and XCM events 3-4hr.

Ideally, you would begin this plan in January and complete it in March. Many locales start racing in March/April and important summer events will begin to appear on the calendar.

ORDER OF TRAINING SESSIONS:
You can adjust the order of the workouts to fit your schedule, but I don't recommend changing the order of workouts too much. I have placed them with purpose and certain workouts may be harder to complete if done in a different order.

TRAINER WORKOUTS:
Many of us are forced indoors for early season training. Not all these workouts translate well to the trainer, e.g., sprints. It is usually necessary to adjust the workout for the trainer, while still achieving the basic goal of the workout. For example, a SPRINT workout could be done as a seated maximal effort of similar duration. This will avoid most of the limitations of an indoor trainer: insufficient resistance, wheel slippage, etc.

GROUP RIDES:
If you have weekend group rides during this period, feel free to substitute. "Spirited" group rides are good substitutes for the Saturday workouts. Riding with a group on Sunday long rides can make the time go by too. The 2 major concerns are: 1) group rides are too HARD compared to the planned workout OR 2) group rides are too EASY. You will not be peaking at the end of this block, but you will be ready to race. After this block you should employ an "in-season" block that balances volume and intensity with your weekend racing schedule.