xc winter training

dan man

hi what winter traning are ye xc guys doing this time of year :?: . how many hours are ye getting in :?: . is it on the road or mtb :?: .im traning a lot on tubro due to bad weather .but get out on the road when ever i can. trying to do a lot of riding in base zones :!: . when do ye step up your traning to intervales and more high intensity training :?:

rock_hopper

Hi Dan,

That's a bit of a broad question and it all depends on your goals for next year. Personally I will be racing xc and marathon/endurance events. As for training, mostly on the road, extended commutes 3/4 days a week keeping it brisk, 2 session in the gym working on strength and then either a cross/road ride and a mountain bike ride on weekends, probably totaling 12-14 hours. I'm following the Joe Friel programme so have been doing some tempo efforts on the road and big gear climbs off road. More intense workouts start now building up to the start of the race season at the end of March. I have a turbo but haven't touched it all year would much, much rather be outdoors. Hope that helps.

dan man

thanks for the feed back .do you train 12 to 14 hrs every week. when do you rest :?: . was thinkin of gettin friels book do you find it good :?:

rock_hopper

No problem. Generally 12-14hrs per week for 3 then a 7-9hr recovery week with mainly easy riding. Always have one rest day and one recovery day a week. The Friel book is excellent, heaps of information in there, easy to understand and even if you don't follow the programme exactly you will learn a lot from reading it and there are loads of workouts to get stuck into, well worth the money. I've had it for years and refer back to it all the time.