How to Train Like A Pro XC Mountain Biker

Ready to enhance your cross-country performance? If you're considering XC races this year, be sure to watch this video! Isaac Mundy shares how he plans training sessions, emphasising aerobic zones and critical power. This helps to maximize gains and extract the most from each session. Plus, learn how Isaac approaches the mental aspect of racing, helping you adopt a winning mentality for race days!
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
0:00 - Intro
0:24 - Planning & Preparation
1:23 - Aerobic Training
1:58 - Set Your Zones Correctly
2:29 - What Is Critical Power?
4:04 - A Suggested Session
4:49 - High-End Training
6:04 - Minimising Losses
7:38 - Mental Game
9:23 - There’s No Magic Bullet
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[@gmbn]

Are you planning to do any races this year? What training have you done to prepare?

[@chrisridesbicycles]

The „avoidance of marginal losses“ is something the guy that brought me to my first race told me. Somebody else has for sure messed up the tire pressure or not indexed the gears and you will already be ahead of them.

[@billderas3420]

Very interesting content here...even for a long ago retired mtb cross-country racer. Great job Issac!

[@mrsmtw5210]

I live in a place where it snows during winter so I train indoors. It would be nice to have a few training style videos to ride along with during the long winter. 😊

[@user-yn5sk5ru5g]

Cyclocross 👌

[@strupotter]

I recommend the GCN training channel. Whole host of different sessions from 20 minute HIIT sessions to 40 minute threshold sessions. All efforts are based on RPE so don't need a power meter.

[@AlenRi]

Just started to train with well known mtb marathon profi rider, and after 3 hard month I’ve ended up in hospital with heart problem, so now instead of hard and interesting training I’m lying down in ICU connected to monitor, oxygen, and waiting for some good news. 🙏💪🏻

[@riggedupgaming]

also it would be great if you could do more videos on things like FTP and critical power as they were glossed over pretty quickly in this video.

[@riggedupgaming]

thank you for making this video ive been waiting for something like this!

[@6hgad]

So cool to see more XC content here!! Greatings from Chile

[@MrCloudsOffi]

As a semi alright xc rider. This helped me a lot because im not the best with my training and having a set plan so thanks a lot for this! Some great tips.

[@gmbn]

No problem at all! We hope the training goes good for you 🤘

[@TrentShepherd]

Great video that reinforces some of the basics while highlighting their importance .

[@OscarMacAnaney]

Great vid. Well done.

[@Paganiproductions84]

My base rides are commute from home to work 10 to 12 km distance single ride and i ride my mtb's 2 or 3 times a weekend and i record everything whit a Garmin Swart watch,

[@NoodlesSoucy]

Not racing but training like I am 🚴 Had a ride through the snow yesterday, the power difference is insane. Great video guys really has me thinking about how to plan out the next one

[@mylesraftery5587]

as a 13 year old xc racer what he said about natural talent is defiantly true however, more and better training will always pay off even in little ways all it takes is consistency and a bit of grit

[@amud1e]

Good vid and would be great if this became a series, there seems to be so much more on training and nutrition on GCN so would be great to see it for mtb specific😊

[@PVVI2015]

Very interesting!

[@chrisridesbicycles]

I wonder if critical power is not even less relevant to a typical 1hr XCO race than FTP. A deeper dive into what you need for short track, XCO and XCM would be great.

[@MyBetsie]

Very good video. Nutrition is so critical, you can't out train a bad diet. What works for one person might not be what works for you. It's amazing when doing efforts what difference your fueling routine makes. You could be leaving 5% results in the kitchen.

[@user-yn5sk5ru5g]

3 zone model 👌

[@frankharradence5546]

Informative and interesting video……As in 2023 I Will be doing a few gravel type events, perhaps a xc also, last time I did a xc race was way back in 1990’s so a bit nervous about going xc racing once again

[@albertorobinson7611]

Yeah!

[@djberg3483]

Diet would be huge, to me at least, and indoor training, where you get rain all winter, it’s been cold and dumping snow here, so I’m stuck indoors as well.

[@gmbn]

Perfect opportunity for a fat bike? There are some interesting 'Fat' eMTBs about that could help you keep shredding over winter! 🤘

[@djberg3483]

@@gmbn 3 far bikes vs one trainer and a couple of axle adapters…. I’m too poor for a triple bike purchase atm. Especially when most winters here have been pretty mild

[@philipjelley4777]

Its an asymptote, rather than a tangent. You can draw a tangent anywhere on the curve and it'll be coincident at a single point; an asymptote is never coincident.

[@drTeddyJo]

Hey Issac, would love to know what you do for road rash. Ate some gravel last week.

[@Bob_Shy_132]

Send it!

[@gmbn]

The best training plan!

[@billmccaffrey1977]

One thing you didn't touch on was over-training. This is far more critical as you get older because your body can't recover the way it used to. HRV has become a good indicator for myself. If your main fuel pump can't deliver, then you are pushing way too hard.

[@uldi1s]

I have the technical knowledge to race, and I want to progress in my training, but my problem is getting sick. It's been already 4 times with Covid (almost died once), have broken a collarbone (surgery), broken my face on a fall (more surgery), broken kneecap, torn muscles, low Testosterone (muscle recovery), had stomach, sleep issues and other ailments... can't seem to progress fast enough and in fact every time I need to restart from scratch and I haven't managed to get back to my previous level, let alone advance... How do you deal with that? Ah yeah, I'm 62 BTW 😕😄

[@agg25gga]

Stop getting boosters for a start

[@uldi1s]

@@agg25gga boosters? what do you mean?

[@markdavis8430]

If u don’t have any tech Find a steep hill over 30 meters Sprint up it rest for 1-2 minutes repeat tht as many times as u can depending on your fitness between 3-6 for the first time Do that 3 times a week your fitness will increase rapidly You will feel it Don’t need your fne to tell you how good you feel Zero expense 💪

[@josephlaidler3778]

just because you feel faster, doesnt mean you are. that also only targets zones above threshold (sprints/short track races) and most races arent a XCC race, mostly theyre XCO. you dont need to have tech to train properly. for instance i didnt have tech and i trained improperly (like that) and i found short term improvements, now i train properly now with tech (but you do not need tech at all) and ive found way better improvements. id recommend you do moderately easy rides for about 2-3 hours most days of the week (about 70% of the time) and then some rides that have moderate intervals (about 20% of the time) and then some with sprints intervals like that (about 10% of the time)

[@Justkeepshredding]

This video was the Balls! Hehehe

[@aleksarajkovic3471]

Short answer, ride road bike a lot😂

[@abeautifulview]

I was just thinking the same.

[@HappySlappii]

Not enough abbreviations.,..😂

[@hslayrex]

Glazed over the components of proper training (coaching, diet,workouts,etc.) near the end, focused on just the workout component the whole vid, and never puts any regimen info on the screen. 🤦‍♂️ Focusing on something while remaining ambiguous takes talent. This guy should be in politics. 😆 Lazy vid guys. Could’ve done an entire vid on how to find the best of each training component, and THEN done a vid going into detail and regimens of each. Could’ve made another book out of it, like the maintenance one. Oh well. 🤷‍♂️ Ride on! 🤙

[@hslayrex]

@@PlaywholedayWho cares? The people that click on titles like this! All of the people that they attract with this title care. No pros are watching to see if what this guy says validates their regimen. Talk about a facepalm! 🤦‍♂️ The people attracted to this title don’t even know what they don’t know. THAT should be the purpose of this video, given the title; to introduce them to the true multidisciplinary nature of training like a pro, being that the topic is too large and multifaceted for one vid to cover comprehensively.

[@Myyst0211]

Whats with all the lycra on the channel now? Wheres Blake???

[@galenkehler]

They're finally getting some real mountain biking, it's nice 😊

[@andymicklewright3993]

I mean they are posting tutorials on how to 'pump up your tyres' or 'how to change gears ' twice a year, I reckon this is a good way to add more variety

[@abeautifulview]

He left, he's become a children's entertainer.

[@gmbn]

In his workshop welding 🙌

[@andrejhaluska4061]

Leave work. Focus your whole live to training and recovery. It should exist categories for working men with 2 or 3 little childrens.

[@theymademepickaname1248]

My advice on how to train like an xc pro is don't. 99.9% of you will never come close to that level, so it would be pointless. When I was younger I used to try too hard at things, and it ended up leading to burnout and frustration. Just enjoy the ride (literally).

[@raulromero1912]

As a beginner… let me tell you that most of these videos it appears to be for Profesionals or at least intermediate riders. Why you guys have to talk with the most understandable words and graphics ? Why make it so scientific.?? If this is for professionals say it on your subject. I wish there was something more SIMPLE to understand ! I’m not saying it’s bad. Bc it sounds very smart and true … but not for normal people .. beginners. Thanks though.. it was just an opinion. I got to hear another one ..

[@qualm43]

cycling = freedom.... This rigid programming would feel like a prison LOL.

[@WerdnaLiten]

Yeah, just get out and enjoy the ride.......forget this stuff. Most cyclists aren't interested in performance......it's all about fun.

[@OscarMacAnaney]

Great vid. Well done.