Have you moved from Category 3 Beginner up to Category 2 Sport? Want to be competitive? This Base training plan will boost you up to the Category 2 Sport level.
No training device such as a power meter or heart rate monitor is required to follow this plan. Simply follow the training intensity guidelines along the way based upon your perceived exertion.
The plan includes four rides per week and two sessions of body work per week (yoga, pilates, core training).
Visit the LW Coaching website http://lwcoaching.com/ to ask training plan questions on our forum, read mountain bike specific training articles, learn new workouts and see what events our coaches and athletes have been racing.
DAY#1: Use a combination of rolling on the foam roller and stretching to work out your hot spots. Scroll down to the bottom of Stability Exercises for Cyclists: http://lwcoaching.com/stability-exercises-for-cyclists/ page to see a photo of a foam roller and how to use it.
DAY#2: Warm up by riding easy for 10 minutes then do 5 X 30 seconds spin-up drills to a cadence of 110 rpm. Spin-up Drill: From a comfortable cadence increase to 110 rpm for 30 seconds. Focus on being smooth and relaxed with no bouncing around in the saddle or clunking the pedals. Quiet and strong upper body. If you have to bounce or bob, back off the cadence until you are smooth and gradually bring it back up staying smooth and quiet. Between each 30 second spin-up drill, ride 2.5 minutes easy at any comfortable cadence. On trainer or road is best. Relax every muscle which is not contributing to pedaling during the spin-ups. Experiment with muscle groups to see how relaxed you can be while at 110 rpm. The goal of this workout is to fire your neuromuscular pathways quickly but not to cause any muscular fatigue or cardiovascular work. When doing this session correctly your heart rate will stay low.
DAY#3: Go to a Yoga class, Pilates class, Core class or follow your own program combining stretching, stability work and functional strengthening. For some exercise suggestions click on this link Core Training for Mountain Bikers: http://lwcoaching.com/core-strength-for-mountain-bikers/
DAY#4: Ride on a rolling course with a mix of flats, climbs and descents at an easy to moderate pace. Read through the
Training Intensity Guidelines Doc: http://lwcoaching.com/training-intensity-guidelines/ to hone in on what an easy to moderate pace should feel like.
DAY#5: Go to a Yoga class, Pilates class, Core class or follow your own program combining stretching, stability work and functional strengthening. For some exercise suggestions click on this link Core Training for Mountain Bikers: http://lwcoaching.com/core-strength-for-mountain-bikers/
DAY#6: Ride on a rolling course with a mix of flats, climbs and descents at an easy to moderate pace. Ride on the road or on a non-technical trail. Focus on cadence and keep it above 80 rpm for most of the ride. Read through the
Training Intensity Guidelines Doc: http://lwcoaching.com/training-intensity-guidelines/ to hone in on what an easy to moderate pace should feel like.
DAY#7: Ride off-road today on a technical course with a mix of flats, climbs and descents. Ride mostly at an easy to moderate pace. A few hard efforts to get over challenging obstacles are ok. Read through the
Training Intensity Guidelines Doc: http://lwcoaching.com/training-intensity-guidelines/ to hone in on what an easy to moderate pace should feel like.