All About Mountain Cycling Training

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.

Training all of your muscles can be done by choosing to train on a variety of terrain. Shifting your weight and standing on your pedals requires strong hamstrings and gluts. Climbing hills will improve your aerobic endurance and flat roads will improve stamina. Make sure you get equal amounts of each type of terrain to train on.

A heart monitor will measure your efforts. There are models made specifically for cycling that measure speed and distance in addition to calories burned and heart rate. You can compare information and get GPS functionality as well as power output.

Gradually increase the connective tissue and muscle temperature when you prepare for your training. This will prevent you from getting injured, having cramps and having a feeling of tightness. A 20 to 45 minute warm-up is recommended.

Focus on your workouts, train at 90 rpm for 5 to 10 minutes at low pedal resistance. Increase resistance after 10 minutes, breath and relax. Stretch your shoulders, lower back, calves, hamstrings, neck and quads when you dismount.

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.

Prepare your body for the ride, three months before begin drink electrolytes when training. Two months before the ride pay attention to mental and physical fatigue and when it is likely to happen. At these points an electrolyte drink will stabilize blood sugar levels and provide amino acids. On hot days drink water every 35 to 40 minutes and on cool days every 45 minutes. One month before the ride take a balanced vitamin supplement and eat well-balanced meals including whole grains, vegetables and fresh fruit.

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.