About This MTB Cross-Country Training Plan
This plan is best applied 8-12 weeks ahead of your goal of Cross-Country or 'XCO' mountain bike race under 3 hours. It focuses on developing speed and off-road proficiency.
Ideally, you will have completed a general preparation or 'base' phase to establish fitness and cycling skills before this more specific block of training. It is appropriate for riders who have raced and trained before (intermediate/advanced)
If your race is further away consider our Best Selling Off Road Base Training Plan
Is This MTB Training Plan for You?
This plan is ideal for riders who are 2-3 months out from their competition season. It build your specific fitness before and into the mountain bike race season.
- Designed for Mountain Bikers who can ride outside
- Requires 4–6 days on the bike and 1-2 days of strength/core work per week
- Weekly volume ranges from 6 to ~12 hours, with many options to scale volume up or down
- Usable with Heart Rate, Power, or RPE (no device required)
Not quite the right fit? See all of our training plans here.
What’s Included in Consummate Athlete Training Plans?
- Structured workout downloads for Garmin, Zwift, and other platforms
- Baseline fitness tests to assess endurance and threshold
- PDFs (or links) for core/strength routines and yoga/mobility sessions
- Clear workout descriptions using HR, Power, and/or RPE for full flexibility
Need a Custom Plan?
If You have an irregular schedule or bold performance goals? Our personalized 3-Month Made-for-You Plans are a unique offering from Consummate Athlete that remove the guesswork by tailoring your training plan to your life, schedule, goals, and equipment.
Learn more about our Made-for-You Plans here.
Questions?
Email Peter with any questions or to discuss your ideal plan.
Peter Glassford is a full-time Chartered Professional Cycling Coach specializing in off-road cycling disciplines including mountain bike, gravel and cyclocross. He's also a Registered Kinesiologist and has been coaching since 2000.
Along with author Molly Hurford, he operates Consummate Athlete:a website, podcast and coaching business that helps busy adult athletes balance life and big adventures by focusing on Consistency, Confidence, Cross-training and Community!