All About Mountain Cycling Training

Preparing for a race requires training in endurance and strength and teaching yourself how to rest and recover. Mountain Cycling Training involves time both on the bike and off of it. You will be climbing hills and sprinting so you need to have stamina and strength. You will be off road and will need to be strong in order to maneuver your way through obstacles and various terrain.

Train on different types of terrain so your muscles can all get a workout. Find paths that require you to stand on your pedals and shift your weight, this will exercise your hamstrings and gluts and not make your quads do all the work. Climbing hills will increase your aerobic endurance and flat country will increase your stamina. Balance your workout terrains to avoid working too much in any one area.

Heart monitors can help to track your progress. There are models made specifically for cycling that include power meters to measure your power output. You can get them with GPS functions and some will show comparative analysis. They also have functionality to show distance, speed, caloric burn and heart rate.

Gradually increase the connective tissue and muscle temperature when you prepare for your training. This will prevent you from getting injured, having cramps and having a feeling of tightness. A 20 to 45 minute warm-up is recommended.

Mentally focus on your workouts and ride at about 90 rpm at low pedal resistance for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add more pedal resistance after 10 minutes and remember to breathe deeply and stay relaxed. When you get off the bike stretch your shoulders, neck, lower back, calves, hamstrings and quads.

Weight lifting will help you to control your bike off road. Do squats, dead lifts and use a stability ball to make it a bit harder. Inverted rows, push-ups, bench presses and chin-ups are good exercises to do.

Start to prepare for your body for your ride three months beforehand. Begin to drink electrolytes while you train. Two months before take note when you get fatigued during your workouts and at these times have an electrolyte drink to stabilize your amino acids and blood sugar. Drink water every 35 to 40 minutes on hot days and every 45 minutes on cool days. A month before the ride take balanced vitamin supplements and eat balanced meals that include vegetables, whole grains and fresh fruit.

The day before the event eat plenty of carbs and a moderate amount of protein and fat. Foods that contain protein and fiber can bulk you up meaning extra pit stops. Drink enough fluids but not too much. On the day of the race have a bagel, toast or pancakes and allow two hours to digest. Coffee and tea are diuretics and will increase pit stops. Stay hydrated, drink a liter of water of electrolyte every hour, replenish carbs and avoid high fat, fiber and protein. Mountain Cycling Training is a full body workout that will help you win the race.

Looking for comprehensive information on mountain cycling training ? Get the low down now in our guide to cycling water bottles and all you need to know about where to get the best bike water bottles .

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