10-Week Beginner Gravel | The Mountain Project x Mountain Training Center
This 10-week beginner gravel plan is designed to build your confidence, endurance, and real-world riding skills from the ground up. Whether you're brand new to gravel or making the transition from road, this program teaches you how to ride — not just how to train.
At the heart of the plan is a strong aerobic foundation built through mostly easy, sustainable efforts guided by RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). Rather than chasing numbers, you'll learn to feel and manage your effort across changing terrain — a skill that will serve you on every gravel ride for years to come. Along the way, you'll develop key gravel-specific skills: climbing efficiently, maintaining control on loose surfaces, and managing your energy over longer, more demanding rides. Complementing your time on the bike, you'll find targeted strength workouts carefully designed to support and reinforce your riding.
The plan calls for 2–5 rides per week, with optional strength and mobility sessions to build durability and help you feel better in the saddle. Week by week, ride duration increases gradually, structured efforts are introduced, and you'll work toward longer rides and your first back-to-back days on the bike.
This isn't a high-intensity program. It's about building confidence, consistency, and the ability to ride comfortably for hours at a time.
By the end of 10 weeks, you'll feel stronger, more capable, and fully ready to take on longer gravel rides or your first event with confidence.
Mountain Training Center is an online hub for mountain athletes looking for both technical and physical training. Our coaches are leaders within their disciplines which include ski touring, splitboarding, rock climbing, mixed/ice climbing, trail running and more. In addition to training plans, we also offer technical training on our website www.mountaintrainingcenter.com