Big goals but no great form yet? We show you what you need to do to harmonise desire and ability on the mountain bike. The ultimate crash guide to get your legs and endurance in shape for the summer. Our three-part series starts with phase 1 and will get you fit for your personal cycling challenge in three months.
The minimum commitment for predictable progress: three bike rides per week - with some structure, but without pedantic micro-training control. Continuity is more important than individual superhero actions. If you keep the pressure on the chain consistently for three months, you will be rewarded with more strength, power and stamina. The most important individual measure now is to pick an event that makes you want to do it and that can be mastered in no time at all without training. This sets the motivational framework and the rest almost takes care of itself.
It is impossible to say for certain how much of an increase is possible in three months, as the conditions can vary greatly. But one thing is clear: the time is enough for real physiological adaptations, which is why goals that would currently be two sizes too big are achievable. We make concrete suggestions as to what to do in the three months in order to be well prepared to take part in marathons or other events in the summer. To do this, we divide the time into three phases, which build on each other but are also suitable as a roadmap in their own right. For example, if you are starting out later. Our training plan for phase 1 lays the foundations for later success.
Weeks 1 to 4: Get rolling
The following applies to the start of training: slow builds endurance. The routes in this phase are flat to undulating. More distance comes before more speed. Strength training complements the build-up. The majority of training sessions are done at low to medium intensity. To ensure that the training stimulus does not stagnate, the distances should also gradually become longer. The rapid increase in distance requires you to control your pace. A moderate pace is important so that new cellular power plants are created, body fat is utilised as valuable fuel and the metabolism becomes more efficient.
Fat stores, devised by nature as a survival trick, are ingenious for us endurance athletes. Even the leanest bikers have a few kilos of fat on their bodies, which provides fuel for a thousand kilometres and more. However, using this ingenious bio-fuel to "dieselise" requires practice and an adapted pace. If you always ride at full throttle, you first deplete the limited sugar reserves in your muscles and liver. And once the super fuel is used up, it gets bitter. Then even the fat won't help. What we want is for fats, sugar stored in the muscles and liver and sugar supplied with food to always flow into the muscle burning furnaces in parallel so that no deficiency occurs during training. "Fat burns in the fire of carbohydrates" is the appropriate mnemonic. Violent actions are therefore out of place; in phase 1, we primarily want to maintain continuity.
Sizes: start with a sense of proportion and increase
The amount that makes sense to start with depends on your previous history. Those who have hardly done any sport recently should start with 6 hours a week, while ambitious athletes who train all year round should start with 10-15 hours a week and increase their workload selectively, for example through training camps. Training starts with three training sessions per week, four or five is better. If you commute by bike, you can easily do many more sessions. In principle, it is important to increase the total hours on the bike. Occasionally the training should also be long in one go in order to provoke the appropriate fatigue. 3 + x hours is the definition of long in this phase. Such training should take place at least once a week.
1x per week: short and hard
Length is important, but so is speed. That's why we differentiate. Once a week, the aerobic system should be pushed to the limit: 3x3 to 4x4 minutes at full throttle! It hurts, but it helps. The goal is a high and steady pace in the area of maximum oxygen uptake. So don't start with a sprint, but set off at a controlled pace! Your breathing reacts quickly, but the subjective exertion only really becomes noticeable after two minutes. It always gets tough towards the end, even if you just keep up the pace. Proven format for this effort: Mountain rides. Because with the incline as your natural opponent and the summit as your goal, it's easier to keep going. There are four-minute hills in almost every area. Our recommendation: ride up and down the same hill again and again. Between the stormy climbs, take it easy for ten minutes and crank through the valley.
More power for more sovereignty
Strength training complements biking. You don't have to use the gym, your own body weight is enough. Upper body training is mandatory in order to be able to control the bike at all times. Strengthening your legs is also advisable. Because torque is required at key points when biking. More strength helps you to climb over all cliffs more confidently. The strain on technical downhills should also not be underestimated if there is hardly any body contact with the saddle. All in all, biking challenges the whole body; more versatile and more intense than road cycling, for example. That's why you should aim for good athleticism and not just endurance legs.
At the end of phase 1, you should be able to cycle for four hours at a time without exhausting yourself. The last week of the first block is a relief week with a reduced scope.
Training plan phase 1: Three months until the competition
Scope: 7-12 hours / week, 3-5 training sessions / week
| Weekday | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 (relief) |
| Monday | 30-60 min strength training | 30 min | 30 min | 30 min |
| Tuesday | 1.5 h bike, including intervals: 3 x 4 min full power uphill, recover well in between | 2 h, 4 x 4 min | 2 h, 4 x 4 min | 2 h, 4 x 4 min |
| Wednesday | optional: 2 h basic tempo | 2 h | 2,5 h | 2 h |
| Thursday | 1.5 h slightly higher basic speed than on the long rides | 30 min | 30 min | 30 min |
| Friday | 30-60 min strength training | |||
| Saturday | optional: 2 h basic tempo | |||
| Sunday | 3 + x h flat to undulating, easy basic pace | 3.5 + x h | 4 + x h | 3 + x h |
Conclusion
There is still time to prepare for the highlight of the season with structured training. Phase 1 of our three-month plan requires patience, as the pace should only be increased slowly. Bikers who invest the necessary effort now will find it much easier later in the season. Good basic training is continuous and irreplaceable. Bike commuting, for example, can make time management easier. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Jan Timmermann
Editor
