Preparing for first MTB race of the season

[scottz123]

Focusing on mountain bike races. First race of the season is about 3 months out. (Beginning / middle of may). Sport level. Longest races about 1hr 30m. This spring I will be on the bike for 2 years.

Due to time constraints (20 yr old college student), I am doing things a little different this year's noncompetitive season. (last year, more volume w/ less intensity)

These are the Four 'key' workouts a week during non- competitive season I have been doing. Just about all work has been on trainer due to winter weather in midwest.
Tues-lifting (strength maintenance & short spin)
Wed - 4x10 @ FTP with some short anaerobic efforts at end
Fri - 2x20 @ FTP (I plan on increasing volume slowly next 3-4 weeks)
Sat - couple lite lifts & spin
Sun - SST (some 3x20m - most recent 2x30 w/ 10m recovery between - I plan on building this up slowly next 3-4 weeks)

Approx 8 weeks from first race I want to start 'anaerobic' workouts. As weather breaks - I like to get to trails and ride vs. dedicated workouts like I have been doing indoors.

Any input on what to do with 'only 3 quality' workouts a week on bike?

For example: substitute one threshold workout for anaerobic workout? Any suggestions for anaerobic workouts?

 

[daveryanwyoming]

If I were you I'd consider a few weeks of VO2 Max (L5) work rather than jumping straight to anaerobic (L6) work as you prep for racing season. I also wouldn't target 8 weeks of L6 work, the gains from that sort of work come on very fast and those workouts are hard to sustain for extended periods during which you'll likely be trading off some base unless you compensate with adding longer rides to your schedule. I'd look at something like 3 to 5 weeks where you trade an L4 day for an L5 day with things like 6x3 or 5x5 VO2 Max interval sets and then bring in the shorter punchier work in the final three weeks or so before your first racing then using racing itself to build the high end quickness.

That said it generally makes sense to do your higher end work in the most sport specific ways. IOW, the long rides might be fine on the road or the MTB but do the shorter more intense work on dirt when you can to keep the demands and skill requirements while working hard much closer to actual racing. I use this approach for myself and with clients during cyclocross season. All the really high end stuff is done on dirt and grass to mimic the demands of racing but it's often easier to do the longer and more moderate days out on the road.

If you take that strategy you'll likely find that even on L5 days there will be a certain punchiness to your efforts and you'll get some L6 and even some neuromuscular work if your training trails are the least bit rocky, rooty or technical. It's hard to avoid if you've got to punch small power bursts to clear tree roots mid interval or have to punch harder out of a tight corner or out of some soft dirt or mud. That's another reason why doing the high end work on actual trails is very nice. A look at a quadrant analysis chart (if you run power on your MTB) really illustrates the demands of technical trail riding and the amount of short bursty work that happens out on the trails.

In terms of what to do in your more anaerobic phase, I'd focus on things like 30 second bursts settling back to Tempo or below to recover or all out one minute efforts with two to three minutes of regrouping between each effort or one of my favorite hybrid intervals or what I call '3 and hurt' these can be good late in an L5 cycle as you transition to higher end work. Pick a stretch of trail that's not crazy technical but ideally steady terrain and probably steady climbing. Roll 3 minutes at the very bottom of your L5 range or around 105% to 107% of FTP then go all out for the final minute of a four minute interval. IOW, 3 minutes of low L5 and then a minute of L6 as hard as you can muster. Rest for five minutes or so and repeat till you can't manage the efforts and you have to back off too much. These are particularly good if you find a climb that takes just about the full four minutes to climb so you practice finishing the hill on each effort and train yourself to dig super deep to get over the climb and onto flatter terrain.

Lot's of ways to skin this cat, but don't ignore L5 and don't try to sustain L6 work for too many consecutive weeks as it's pretty demanding stuff and often costs you CTL and base so keep an eye on your PMC and prop up CTL with longer rides on easier days if necessary so you come into race season strong.

Good luck,
-Dave

 

[scottz123]

Thanks Dave

Your detailed advice is greatly appreciated - I will try to follow it the best I can

I wondered how to work in Lv 5 work after seeing this power distribution for a 2hr MTB race - you made it sound easy - it makes sense

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/storage/Graph8.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1357332695599

From this article

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/posts/2013/1/4/how-important-is-anaerobic-energy-in-cycling-part-2.html

 

[bmoberg337]

The above info is really good, I too compete in mtn xc with race durations ranging from 1:30-2hrs and have only been competing for two years. As stated above there are many ways to get to the same point, but I'll tell you some things that did not work for me last season.

Lots of work at and roughly 105-110% above threshold did not help me improve that much (These were intensities prescribed by coaching training plan). Each week I would do a workout consisting of 3-4x10 mins @ 110% FTP, and then 2 days of 30min-1hr spent at threshold. After about three weeks my performance increased, but didn't increase much further from there. It only took about another month and a half before my body started breaking down and I had to take time off. Later in the season I switched my focus to L3-L4 work and hit what some refer to as the "sweet spot", roughly 88-92% of FTP. I combined this with some VO2 max efforts, usually 12-14 30x30 sec (once per week) and saw greater gains in my FTP in one month than I did in three months doing the previously mentioned workouts.

I would say that the work performed in the sweet spot really increases your fitness potential, and that potential is realized through VO2 work. VO2 max efforts are very potent and you see results almost instantly, but like any high intensity effort they are taxing both mentally and physically. Since your still knew to the sport take caution in adding that kind of intensity into your workout because it is very easy to overdo it. You also want to get the most out of those efforts so you should be mentally and physically rested/recovered before attempting them.

However, everyone is different in how they respond to certain workouts. It will take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you, but you cant go wrong with sweet sport training and VO2max efforts. Also, don't neglect sprint type efforts. These are important for improving starts and developing the power needed to get you up technical climbs. Not sure where you ride, but area's where I live are littered with short steep climbs that are pretty technical. Often times you need that quick jump/burst of power to get you over a rock or root on the climb and I have found that sprints help here.

The below article is worth the read. It summarizes numerous research studies that look at the effect of training at different intensities on performance and the immune system.

https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/9299/1/Craig_Neal_PhD_Final_Version.pdf


Best of luck this season.

 

[scottz123]

Originally Posted by bmoberg337 .
Each week I would do a workout consisting of 3-4x10 mins @ 110% FTP, and then 2 days of 30min-1hr spent at threshold. After about three weeks my performance increased, but didn't increase much further from there. It only took about another month and a half before my body started breaking down and I had to take time off.

bmoberg,

That workout schedule sounds brutal!

My 4x10's & 2x20's are done at 100% FTP - I tried pushing the envelope, like the workouts you mentioned (admittedly not that much) and went backwards like you did - I could not recover.

10% over FTP does not sound like much, but...

I think a lot of coaches/plans 'forget where they came from' and come from that 'more is better' school. (Or is it 'no pain - no gain'?)

Thanks for the heads up!
Scott Z

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by scottz123

10% over FTP does not sound like much, but...

Indeed! 10% over FTP is in the middle of L5 and deep in VO2 territory, it may be fine at 2 or 3 mins in, but at 5 mins in it's downright BRUTAL, especially on the 3rd or 4th interval!


Anything over 120%FTP is technically anaerobic, and while L6 work will lift VO2, Bmobergs post above confuses me a little as he indicates work @105-110% didn't help that much after a few weeks, but then recommends lots of SST (~90%FTP), and "VO2 work" (of which 105-120%, L5, is).