This plan is designed for a rider competing in a multi day stage race/event in 12 weeks time. The plan assumes a base level of fitness and assumes that you are looking for a structured approach to help build your MTB specific fitness.
A multi day stage event requires riders to have durability to compete over multiple days, high level of stamina to allow repeated efforts over long time periods, strong sustained power to tackle long climbs and good MTB handling skills to cope with technical ascents and descents.
The plan is only 12 weeks and includes some micro blocks e.g. a 3 day back to back weekend to provide specificity to similar event type conditions. These rides are a chance to develop and implement mental coping strategies, practice nutrition and hydration and develop team tactics if riding in a pair/group.
This plan is not a standard 3 weeks on 1 week off structure. Instead it works in smaller 2 week cycles with a specific focus for each block. If you have more time or fail to complete a micro block you can repeat this easily. There is a weekly pattern so that you can develop your endurance habit. There will always be a chance to do more/less than the plan depending on how you are feeling, climatic conditions and other factors. Don't try to catch up on past sessions and be patient and work through the week to get a balance of all round durability.
Sessions will be a combination of indoor, power based, outdoor road and outdoor MTB, they will use power and heart rate. This plan assumes you have set up your zones in advance by completing a 60min critical power test or a shortened 20min threshold test. If you don't know what these are please get in touch and we will provide a free Test week to start before this plan.
The 12 week structure is as follows:
2 week muscular endurance
2 week sweet spot
1 micro taper week with Double Day rides
2 week threshold block
1 micro taper week with triple day rides
1 rest week / massage / bike repair / logistics planning
1 High volume week
2 week taper, lower volume, micro intensity
The Endurance Habit - We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Doing the right things on a regular basis, without a pause for thought, so they become a way of life.
One of the key components for endurance training is building consistency, regular sessions repetaed over a period of time help develop the building blocks for physical and mental health that enable you to execute your event/race plans.