How To Train For Enduro MTB

[@elslanedog1264]

On my first enduro my calves were quickly fatigued just pushing the bike up the sections too steep and loose to ride. I think they are an often overlooked part of the event. After that bad experience I Introduced plenty of prowler sled work and it worked an absolute treat. They are now my enduro prep secret weapon - the pushes seem to catch everyone out. The liaisons at Ard Rock had loads of people stretching out cramping calves. That really kills your run dead before it even starts. Sleds are so relevant to pedalling. Love them. For anyone interested my routine was once per week as strength session finisher: put 3/4 of body weight on the sled and push at brisk walking pace constantly back and forth for 5 minutes. Increase by 1 minute each week if you could complete previous week without rest. When you can do 10 minutes unbroken you will piss any push up and have calves with mad stamina.

[@thestrengthfactory.]

@@elslanedog1264 I love this. Nice one mate.

[@stujm8376]

Just discovered your channel, subscribed as I like the no frills advice.

[@thestrengthfactory.]

Nice one! cheers.

[@rodrigopages1054]

for me its as basic as, riding my road bike 100-180 km a week and going to the gym 4-5 times a week and train all body, upper and lower body, this helps for the downhill stages and the road bike takes care of the aerobic training.

[@trailpimp6369]

Love this. Keep up the good work

[@thestrengthfactory.]

My pleasure..... more coming. Stay tuned!

[@trailpimp6369]

@@thestrengthfactory. 🔥

[@JaredHerdlevar]

Great overview!

[@thestrengthfactory.]

Cheers bro

[@C2Architect]

Great summary Ben. Thank you.

[@thestrengthfactory.]

No worries Chad

[@thestrengthfactory.]

Got any questions about how to train for enduro racing? Drop them below.......

[@thestrengthfactory.]

@@krisschmitt4146 cheers mate. It is hard to say how much to do, but if you found Ard Rock really hard, then I would say prioritising Zone 2 for a 4-8 week block would be really valuable. Also, check out my Complete MTB Programme if you want the whole package to build you up this winter, ready for a big spring/summer of riding and racing. Cheers. Ben thestrengthfactory.uk/programmes/the-complete-mtb-programme/

[@In_dependent]

Ben, what's your take on mid ride stretching? Take 40k enduro session with 1500 meters of elevation. So a big day with multiple tough tracks.

[@thestrengthfactory.]

I am all about doing what feels good, so if a mid-ride stop and stretch feels good, then do it. If you don't need to, then don't. If you are always getting a couple of hours in and feeling tight and uncomfortable then I would be asking, why? Then it is time to get an assessment from a good strength coach or physio to figure out what is going on. Ben

[@dzastafahrai]

Switching to clips (clipless) makes impact to your efficiency as more muscles is engaged when pedaling (you can also pull the pedals when you fatigued)

[@thestrengthfactory.]

Sorry mate, but I disagree. The science is clear and people do not pull up on the rear of the pedal stroke - even if they think they do. The difference in efficiency between flats and clips is negligible.

[@dzastafahrai]

@@thestrengthfactory. you should try yourself ;) For me I’m more fresh with clipless. I just switched recently. Not sure if science done in lab or in real trail conditions :)

[@thestrengthfactory.]

@@dzastafahrai I have mate. At the end of the day it is all about finding what is most comfortable and what gives you the most confidence and enjoyment to ride. Thanks dude. Have a rad weekend. Ben

[@69peterpumpkineater]

I would say there is a 10-20% return on power when going from flats to clipless but I’m basing this on XC or the road. This is down to the shoe and having a stiff sole such as carbon. Therefore you lose 0% power through inefficiency. For enduro however this is only one factor of many and I would say it doesn’t make any big difference either way because you wouldn’t want a fully stiff sole on an enduro bike as you’d have no feel through your feet! Ride what you’re most comfortable on. For XC or Road it’s clipless all the way for sure.

[@simonkatsch]

Nice work, very interesting Ben🙌🏻 What do you think, how many low endurance rides per week you should do? Or how often per month? And how high it should be? To 80% or 60% power/heartrate?

[@thestrengthfactory.]

Cheers Simon. Everyone is different and it depends on how much time you have and where you are starting from. For an unfit rider, in winter I would do as much zone 2 aerobic training as possible, only introducing intensity in the spring after several months of focused work. For intensity, unless you have access to lab testing, I suggest that most people use The Maffetone Formula (Google it) to calculate their aerobic HR and work from that.

[@simonkatsch]

@@thestrengthfactory. Great thanks for the answer. I think sometimes it’s better to make it easy heart rate, then to ride every time in zone 3 😄

[@thestrengthfactory.]

@@simonkatsch Agree..... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJfIaKWkablrd6s