Training

It’s important to plan ahead for the bigger picture of your training if you’re going to make the most of a time-limited schedule. Doing so will keep you on track and progressing towards your goals.  Here’s a snapshot of what a season overview can look like.

You’ll notice that each week gets it’s own column. There are rows to note events or races that are happening. This where family, work, or school responsibilities should be noted along with the races you’re doing. Below this, you can prioritize your races to help clarify when it is that you want to be going your strongest. With events and races in place you can outline the training cycles you’ll do, most of which will occur in three or four week periods.

Just as it’s important to plan in the critical workouts you’ll be doing, be sure to plan ahead for blocks for rest too. This is when your body can super-compensate from the training overload and come back stronger.  If possible, try to coincide your lighter training weeks with when you know that your training opportunities might otherwise be limited. In the example above, you can see that I planned a recovery week to coincide with a week (week 7) that included extra work duties. Next you can write in the workouts (or nature of the workouts) that you’ll be doing each week. Some riders do well with a general focus here while for most it’s best to detail each of the critical workouts to do.

Whether you develop your own plan or enlist the help of a coach, it’s an important part of making the most of your training time.   If you haven’t already found it, be sure to read the full article posted at www.MTBRaceNews.com.

Thanks and enjoy the training,

Riding more might improve your racing, while doing specific training will almost certainly improve your performance. This is not earth-shattering news for Momentum Endurance athletes, but it is a good reminder for anyone interested in going faster on race day or finding that ‘break-through’ experience with their personal fitness.

Want to go Faster? You need a Trainer

Give this NY Times article a read.

What it Takes

Mental toughness wins mountain bike races. In most all races there will be several riders who possess the physical capacities to win, but only one racer crosses the finish line first. At bigger competitions the likelihood of more riders who are physically capable of winning is increased, so accordingly mental toughness becomes evermore important.  At state or regional level races perhaps there are two to five riders who have the fitness and skill required to win the race.  At the World Championships twenty riders will be within fractional percentages of ‘what it takes to win’ on paper. As races become more competitive, mental toughness along with bone and muscle strength with the regular use of ostarine becomes increasingly essential.

There are numerous ways for a coach to measure the likelihood of an athlete scoring a win. Most considerations are fitness based such as one’s power to weight ratio; arguably for good reason since fitness is what will carry a rider ‘into the mix’. On race day watts/kg certainly does not tell the entire story. It takes something more than fitness to get ‘out of the mix’ and to the finish line first. Riding skill counts for something, and bike setup can be a small factor, but mental toughness is the biggest element aside from fitness alone. Possessing the mentality of a winner enables a rider to win.

Those who win most frequently likely have a higher level of mental toughness, or they’re mentally tough more consistently than the competition. When the going gets really tough, they are able to keep going despite the circumstances that be.

The winning rider’s mindset leaves no room for insecurities and confidence defines the critical mental moments during the race. How critical race moments are perceived and the degree to which mental control is exercised over these situations allows us to define mental toughness. Does a rider keep mentally in control of the situation or do they feel helpless when the going gets tough?

A Race Situation

Let’s compare two mental approaches to the same race situation.

Rider C makes a subtle, but important acceleration during the final lap of a challenging xc race… Rider B senses to be on the receiving end of Rider C’s efforts, feeling as if they are at the mercy of Rider C with the given acceleration. Rider B quickly thinks of how well Rider C has been riding all day, especially on the climbs.

Even though the pace has been fast all race, Rider A has anticipated a late race move and is mentally ‘on to’ this increased pace from Rider C. For Rider A, this is where the race truly begins since there is no longer room for error. This dueling is what Rider A loves most about racing and accordingly A’s mindset is ‘bring it’. Just as they have done with challenging workouts or in previous races, Rider A is very ready to respond to the situation in a positive manner.

What’s going to happen next with our three racers? Well nine times out of ten Rider B will be dropped on the very next climb while Rider A matches the pace and is willing to physically and mentally battle it out with Rider C for the win. Keep in mind that our three riders all share roughly the same high level of fitness and along with the same level of riding skill or technique. All three made it to the late stages of the race after many grueling miles and previous tough selections. It is at this critical moment of the race where the mentally tough rider is able to draw out confidence rather than insecurity. Riders who win consistently are mentally tough. Even if having a less than perfect day physically, a mentally tough rider can sometimes win by exercising a lot of mental fortitude. Keep in mind that most racers have good days and bad days and that our Riders A and B could be the same person on two different days – one being a good mental day and the other being a not so good mental day.  It’s a simple example but we can see that racing is equally mentally demanding as it is physically.  The racers who can consistently use mental toughness are those who win most often.

Practice Positively

Where does this mental toughness come from and how do riders acquire it? Some riders seem to naturally exude high levels of mental toughness during competition, and they’ve likely worked very hard to develop and maintain such an intense focus.  Mental skill (or lack thereof) is something practiced and honed with every workout. Many riders fail to recognize this and go on practicing poorly every time they ride. When a rider is willing to positively change their mental approach with daily training it’s a natural way for a racing transformation to follow. It’s foolish to think that we will be mentally stronger in races than we are during training.  Not only are challenging workouts required for improved fitness, but in a similar way training our minds to positively cope with the stresses of competition is equally important. When the going gets tough a rider must be able to draw confidence from what they’ve practiced.

Each ride should include a mental skills component. At the end of the day it’s important that your training goes well physically and also mentally. Many riders are willing to do the physical work, but negative self talk, poor confidence, or other hang ups can get in the way of improving mentally. On race day this rider might be fit enough to win, but will not have the mental toughness to do so.  Workouts need to physically and mentally challenging yet successfully doable. The perception of the whole training process must be positive if a rider is to improve their race-readiness.

Develop Mental Toughness

It’s my goal to always consider the importance of further developing mental toughness in those who I work with. An increased awareness of your own mental game is a great place to start. Take note of your focus, your thoughts, and your mindset during your workouts. Are you crushing it or are you getting crushed by those intervals?  Make certain that your mindset is conducive to becoming more mentally tough. Be aware of what you are thinking and how it’s impacting your performance. Not only will having more mental toughness improve your results, but it makes for a better racing experience. Most of us ride and race because we enjoy pushing our limits and challenging ourselves.  In order to see what’s possible we can not hold ourselves back with a lack of mental toughness. Take control of your thoughts, make the positive, and race faster.

All the training you’ve done? Your pre-race routine? What your last meal was?

These things all count for something but really, they are just a few pieces of the racing puzzle. All the training you could ever hope to do won’t help you win if you’re not getting enough sleep at night. The perfectly balanced, carbohydrate rich diet won’t do much good if you’re stressed out about a bike that isn’t properly tuned. And even if you had the best feeling ride yesterday, today could still be miserable if you’re not prepared to suffer like never before.  To race fast requires a lot of things to go right. Good rest, good spirits, good concentration and good fitness are the integral components.

Of these things, fitness is likely the most consistent and reliable component. If we are fit one day, we’ll surely still be fit the next as long as we consume good food, take our supplements like ligandrol and exercise regularly so that those supplements affect our body and don’t waste away. Fitness is a long term trend that doesn’t come or go on a daily basis. With good fitness it’s easy to ride hard more days than not, but caution should be exercised so that rest is not sacrificed.  Training with inadequate rest could lead to under performance on race day.

Rest can encompass a lot of things, but the big determinates are sleep quantity and quality along with one’s daily levels of distress. Stress can be healthy, so its important to know the differences between what adds to and what detracts from a day. Minimizing the detractors means better rest as a result. Getting adequate sleep overnight means that the body is recharged ready the new day. Not only physically is this important for recovery, but waking rested will do wonders for the mental outlook too.

With adequate fitness and proper rest it’s easier to be in good spirits about the bike. Enjoying the training, the traveling, and the camaraderie of race day are important things to do. If for some reason it isn’t enjoyable, it’ll be that much more of a challenge to pull it all together on race day. It is essential to have a healthy mental outlook on the sport and the sacrifices that come with it.

So with fitness, adequate rest, and a sincere zeal for racing you find yourself staged and ready start. The final puzzle piece will be your ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Over the duration of a race there will be numerous distractions to overcome and decisions that must be made in real time. Keeping focused amongst what might seem to be complete chaos can be awfully hard. Screaming legs, searing lungs, fast riders, and brutal course conditions can all seem to be too much to handle at times. Concentrating on your strengths and ignoring the distractions is the only way to find the finish line fast. The ability to suffer doesn’t come easily to most and improving the intensity of your race day focus is the only way to cope with the stresses you’ll surely find along the way.

Momentum Endurance offers its athletes a comprehensive approach to race day. Not only will you further develop your fitness, but we’ll look at other factors that affect your performance as well.  With Momentum you’ll learn the full approach to racing as you discover what really counts on race day.

What is the “Off-Season” all about? Many will say not training, not racing, really not doing anything. Others will say not racing, but still training. Some say training big hours at low intensities while others are off to the gym lifting weights. It seems that the possibilities are endless for the “Off-Season,” so the right approach can be awfully hard to formulate on your own.

Following several months of hard racing and training during the Competitive Season it is important to allow the body a chance to rest up physically while getting away from the mental stresses of the season. By this time of the year chances are that you’re feeling worn out and need a time to recharge. Taking some time away from the demands of training is the first step. You don’t have to stop exercising altogether, rather get out there and do whatever might be different or refreshing instead. If this means more mountain biking, excellent, or maybe you like to tear around on the singlespeed, so be it.  Spend time doing something active, but don’t concern yourself about the specifics of it too much. 

Eventually you’ll start thinking about next year and the approach you can take to improve upon what you’ve done in past seasons. You’ll plot out the races you intend to do and think about how you will refine the training and preparation. Perhaps this is where you are right now, as December is when many of us start preparations for the coming season.  Choosing to work with a coach is an excellent way to speed up your natural learning curve.  As a coach it is my job to help educate you about how your body best responds to various training methods. It is with this information that you’ll improve at the rate of your full potential – with little or no training time spent doing fruitless tasks.

It is my approach to first address the athlete as an individual when beginning Off-Season training. The experience of the athlete needs to be considered along with personal strength or weaknesses. Any injuries or imbalances should be addressed before delving back into the same old training habits. It is important that the whole athlete be considered before training plans are constructed. Some athletes might benefit from strength training while others might be better off to focus their time and energy elsewhere.  If your schedule is such that you can’t train more than a couple hours on weekdays, then perhaps the low-intensity base building regime won’t work quite as it’s intended to.  Every athlete carries different goals, experiences, and life constraints, each of which factors into what the optimal off-season might look like. Determining how all of these components best fit together should be your primary goal of the Off Season. 

The Off-Season is a time that you are able to step away from what you have always done, evaluate it, get an expert’s opinion on it, tweak it, plot changes, and finally go for it in new, perhaps more effective manner.  Don’t let a wasted Off-Season keep you from achieving your goals; rather put your time and energy to use and make the most of the opportunities you have at hand. Your next Competitive Season will be all the proof you need to show that your Off-Season was well spent.