Balancing your training can be somewhat of a complicated affair and needs a certain degree of planning.
Rushing out and doing some monster training sessions is most likely going to demotivate you, cause you some injuries and keep you off the bike. Not the result we are looking for to say the least. The key is to
start slowly and deliberately.
We use periodization to plan our training, which is essentially a series of time blocks, which we use to build up our training volume and intensity and ultimately our overall fitness. These blocks of training are
generally around four to six weeks long with a one-week rest block in between.
For an untrained person, we normally do a 3-6 month building phase. The first block is inevitably an aerobic block at low intensity including mobility and stretching sessions. The second block is usually a
mix of low intensity and high intensity sessions with a few low intensity strength sessions focusing on form only. And the third block focuses on strength and power sessions.
After the building phase you can move into a specific phase of training where you train for the demands
of your sport which for Enduro is an even match of high and low intensity aerobics, strength and power
and mobility and stretching.
In a nutshell, start off slowly and build your training progressively by increasing volume and intensity
one at a time. Next month we talk about training zones and the 80/20 rule for race training.
Happy training guys
See you in the mountains… TB
~ Jason Livingstone ~
