Many beginners buy a mountain bike thinking about being able to start their riding journey, but most of them give up this idea after riding for a while. In fact, this is very normal. It is difficult for people who have not trained to stick to long-distance riding. Here’s my collection of mountain bike training guides.

1.Endurance training
Mountain bike training should start from the aspects of endurance, physical strength, and basic skills. A solid endurance foundation is a prerequisite for training. Regular endurance training allows the body to adapt to a variety of exercise intensities. Some elite athletes spend most of their time in endurance training to better withstand high-intensity training and competition. The better the endurance, the slower the fatigue.

Two kinds of endurance training are generally performed in mountain biking, namely long-term endurance training and ordinary endurance training.
Prolonged endurance training is a special form of normal endurance training and is often used when building basic endurance. This type of endurance training is characterized by low intensity and long duration of the training, so it is suitable for scheduling on weekends. In winter, to maintain physical fitness, skating, skiing, and other sports can also be used as auxiliary training, or 2-3 hours of relaxed cycling with low intensity can be used as endurance training.
If you can’t go up the mountain for training, you can also use a road bike instead of training. Many world-class mountain bikers regularly train on road bikes. Because the route is long, the speed is slow, and the training that requires rest is generally carried out on the road. Training on the road makes it easier to distribute exercise intensity and has a positive effect on building endurance and increasing speed. 2-6 hours of slow mountain bike riding every week can be regarded as long-term endurance training content, and 2-3 hours of relaxed riding with low intensity can also be regarded as endurance training.

2.Physical training
In mountain biking, in addition to endurance, physical strength also plays an important role. Only correct physical training can effectively change the muscle groups to be used in mountain biking, and only with a good level of endurance can you exert your physical strength in mountain biking. Building the strength of specific muscle groups is especially important for endurance. Endurance training reduces the amount of protein entering the muscle fibers because endurance decreases during physical training.

Here are some physical training methods:
Climbing and cycling training in hilly areas with maximum ground speed ratio and low rotation number (minimum 50 rpm, maximum 70 rpm). If the resistance is increased to 80% of the maximum physical strength during training, those muscle fibers that are not used in ordinary intensity exercise will come in handy, and some muscles can also be consciously exercised. After this kind of exercise, the physical fitness level will be improved.

Interval training method:
Using the interval training method, each time the speed ratio (60 rpm) is used for 30 minutes on a gently sloped road, and after 10 minutes, the next ride is performed. Or split into two groups for 15 minutes of riding at (60 rpm) ratios, with 10-minute intervals. Regular interval training in plains or hilly areas can feel your body’s “limits” and delay the emergence of “limits” so that your exercise level can be improved rapidly, but at the same time, you will pay more effort.

Speed training:
This type of training is continuous high-intensity training within the limit, and is a special exercise for competition, with short breaks during training. Generally, 1 * 15 minutes – 2 * 20 minutes can be used for training, and the training time is about 1 hour. The speed during training is slightly slower than the speed of the competition. In the second half of the training, you should complete the ride as soon as possible. For beginners, the training intensity should be 70%-80% of the maximum heart rate.