The many disciplines of mountain bike riding and racing are arguably more varied than any other subset of cycling. And as you might expect, the types of demands knobby-tire riding applies to the body are as wide-ranging as the athletic capabilities that our bodies can display. Enter our new off-road training plans.
Overview
Typical MTB style efforts range from extremely short, explosive starts & surges to long, steady, uphill slogs and include everything in between – and commonly numerous times within the same event, even within a single iteration of a repeated segment!
So addressing the overlapping demands as well as the more discipline-specific ones merited the creation of our first round of new specialty mountain bike training blocks which includes low, mid- and high-volume versions of Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) & Gravity specialty blocks.
Then, with no firm dates of delivery, we’re kicking around new block possibilities specific to gravel-grinders, enduro events, short-track XC racing and mountain bike stage racing depending on the demand and potential benefit to those types of riders.
Mountain Bike Demands & Training
For a few reasons it was necessary to limit the scope of this initial round of MTB specialty blocks, so it made sense to address the types of riding that could easily bleed their benefits into the remaining types of riding that haven’t yet seen their own specialized blocks.
By first addressing the short-course commonalities of XCO that weave their ways into nearly all realms of mountain biking and then extending some of those aspects to cover longer, more oxygen-reliant endurance events like XCM and finally reaching the opposite end of the spectrum with short-term, anaerobic Gravity-specific requirements, these 3 options best address all the demands of dirt riding.
This means there is a more obvious focus on extended, mid-intensity work in the XC Marathon blocks and heavier emphasis on the peak development of high-power/short-duration capabilities in the Gravity blocks while XC Olympic riders will encounter the most even distribution of both.
So between these 3 sets of new training blocks, riders of all disciplines will find precisely the right fit for their training needs, or at worst, a block that addresses most of their training needs.
Specialty Block Structure
We recommend that riders precede these blocks with a Short Power Build block but the General Build block could work quite well in preparation for both the XCO and XCM blocks.
Ideally, these Build blocks would be preceded by 6-12 weeks of Sweet Spot Base training or perhaps 12-16 weeks of Traditional Build conditioning, but this is dependent upon your experience, planning and the amount of time available prior to your most important event(s).
Following your Base/Build conditioning, the first 6 weeks of these 8-week Specialty blocks split their focus as mentioned above in order to adequately refine the more general capacities you’ve worked to develop leading into these peak-fitness blocks.
Like our other Specialty blocks, they’re structured in the traditional 3:1 format where you build fitness for 3 weeks and then rest and rejuvenate during the fourth week with a reduced but still demanding training load. Then, you’ll taper your training during the final two weeks of each block.
As each plan moves you toward your peak fitness and ideally your peak event(s), the workouts become increasingly specific & demanding but maintain a reasonably even training load (relative to the targeted discipline, of course) in order to allow your body to slowly but effectively absorb the training while still undertaking a relatively high workload.
Block Progression
Optimally, riders will reach these MTB specialty blocks with sufficient base mileage and properly timed and progressed build conditioning. For this scenario, we recommended a few training periodization structures:
- 28 Weeks Out: 12 weeks of Sweet Spot base conditioning + 8 weeks of Short Power Build conditioning + 8 weeks of Cross-Country Marathon specialization
- 22 Weeks Out: 6 weeks of Sweet Spot Base II + 8 weeks of the General Power Build + 8 weeks of Cross-Country Olympic specialization
- 14-16 Weeks Out: 6 weeks of Sweet Spot Base II or 8 weeks of Short Power Build + 8 weeks of the Gravity specialty block
Additional Block Progressions
Should your training window be narrower or your season include dual peaks, here are a couple more suggestions to consider:
- 8-Week Cram Session (XCM not recommended): 8 weeks of Cross-Country Olympic or 8 weeks of Gravity specialization
- Early Season/Late Season, 48 Weeks Total:
- Early Season: 12 Weeks of Sweet Spot base conditioning + 8 weeks of Short Power Build + 8 weeks of Cross-Country Olympic specialization
- Late Season: 4 weeks Traditional Base training + 8 weeks of Short Power Build + 8 weeks of Cross-Country Marathon specialization
Whether you abide by one of these plan progressions or develop your own, understand that any plan – no matter how structured – still affords a certain level of flexibility. Just do your best to adhere to your training schedule and don’t sweat the small setbacks that are nearly inevitable.
Should you face some, just accept them as part of the process and don’t let them derail your motivation. Just get back on track, reestablish your consistency, and you’re all but guaranteed to surprise your competition and yourself on race day – good luck!
Share this Post
Great article. What about the handling skills, on the training plan are schedule any day free for go to hit the trails??
Alejandro, sorry we missed this!
TrainerRoad training plans are totally flexible and riders should feel free to take it to the great outdoors when it fits their schedule. We think a great approach is getting your intervals in on the trainer on the weekdays, and cruising the trails on the weekends. 🙂
Based on your recent Singletrack 6 experience would you change the advice in the post above regards training for a MTB 6 day stage race? The original post is from 2015
I have http://www.andaluciabikerace.com/ as a target for next year and training starts now……
Richard,
We wouldn’t make any big changes from a training perspective, but tune into episode 111 of the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast where we recap our experience at Singletrack 6 and discuss the things we would’ve done differently. 🙂
Let us know if you have any other questions. Have an awesome race out at Andalucia! 😀
I’ve just signed up this morning; in this blog you mention the possibility of “cram” plans. Is that just a case of doing the speciality block without the base/build blocks, or are there specific “cram” blocks somewhere that I can’t find? Ta!
Hey Seb,
In that context, we are referring to simply doing the MTB specialty plan without the Base or Build phase preceding it 🙂
Hi team,
currently trying to refine my TR Plans for MTB Marathons (A Race, 3h hour duration, lots of long sustained but als short steep climbs) and reviewing forum / blogs / podcasts.
I am wondering why the 28 weeks out option above recommends Short Power Build for Marathon while the 22 weeks out mentions General Power Build for Cross Country. Shouldn´t it be reverse, at least?
Also no Sustained Build is mentioned (which I was thinking of preferred build plan for MTB Marathon). Are above recommendations still valid as this entry is from 2015?
I am currently in my Build Phase (Sustained Med Vol, 2nd week) and thinking how to cope better with the short steep climbs (duration in the anaerobic area, so around 1min) while not sacrificing the key sustained component for the climbs I will face (20min up to 1h). Any suggestions? Do not intend to be Jack-of-all-Trades but simply survive the short steep challenges better and shine on the sustained climbs 🙂
Thanks!
One addition: According to this (undated) ressource it is recommend to do the Sustained Build for MTB Marathon: https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005927363-Mountain-Bike-Training
Question: which resource is more up-to-date :)? Probably its not easy to have all information from blogs / podcasts etc up-to-date so please excuse if I am following up on possibly outdated resources.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the comment Christian.
This article is the most up to date:
https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005927363-Mountain-Bike-Training
In fact, I just published it last week 🙂
The article above is written specifically for XC Marathon so it will be the best resource to use for planning your season 🙂
Seems I cannot directly reply to your comment, Bryce, so let me thank you this way. The updated article is quite helpful.
Any tips / recommendations on the previous comment I made (short steep climb sections during XCM)? Thanks!
Oops, it seems I accidentally linked the wrong article, this one should be much more helpful 🙂
https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024371732-XC-Marathon-Training-
But for short steep climbs, switching over to General Build could be a great option. In other words:
Sweet Spot Base
General Build
XC Marathon Specialty
Cheers and best of luck with your season!