Saturday 10 March 2012

Mountain Cycling Training To Win

By Bruce Jopples


Mountain Cycling Training will require you to spend time on and off the bike. There is strength and endurance involved in climbing hills and doing sprints. You will also need to know how to handle off road conditions like descents and cornering through thick brush and forests, dealing with mud conditions and how to handle rocks and boulders. You will need to train yourself to rest and recover for the best benefits.

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.

Wear a heart monitor to measure your efforts. You can get one made specifically for cycling that will show your heart rate, calorie burn, speed and distance. There are some models that will show you comparative information and they also come with a GPS feature. Power meters measure your power output.

Warm up for 20 to 45 minutes before your workouts. Gradually increase your muscles and connective tissue temperatures. A good warm-up will prevent cramping, injury and tightness.

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.

Begin to drink electrolytes three months before your event. Pay attention to when you get fatigued during training two months before the event and drink electrolytes to provide amino acids and stabilize your blood sugars. Drink water at 35 to 40 minute intervals when it is hot and at 45 minute intervals when it is cool. A month before the event balance your diet, take supplements and include fresh fruit, whole grains and vegetables.

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.




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