Cardiovascular Training continued from page 2...

Cross-Country

Races usually last for 2 hours if not more, with varying terrains and intensities. Sometimes you might be battling with the bike in a tight rough section, and at other times you might be holding the throttle wide-open, resting your body in a field section. The sport of cross-country racing is very demanding and hard to train for; the conditions can vary extremely from lap to lap. Getting stuck on a steep hill, or mud hole is not uncommon. At times riders heart rates can be as high as a motocross racer, but in open field sections drop to much lower intensities. The training for cross-country racing must reflect both these high and lower intensity levels. 

        
Sunday- RACE

Monday- Rest Day

Tuesday-  Long Duration Interval Training- Running or Cycling
Warm-Up for 5-10 minutes, light exercise and stretching.   
You will perform 3 x 10 minute intervals of exercise at an intensity of 60-70% HRmax, followed by 2 minutes of active rest (e.g., slow jogging or slow pedaling), before the next bout. Try and beat the distance reached each time. After completing this part of the workout, you will rest for 5 minutes. You will then repeat the 3 x 10 minute exericse/rest sequence. You have now completed 60 minutes of exercise. You will then perform a light cool-down for 5-10 minutes followed by a stretching routine.
Wednesday- Short Duration Interval Training
Warm-Up for 5-10 minutes, light exercise and stretching.   
You will perform 10 X 1 minute maximal effort sprints, followed by 30 seconds of active rest (e.g., slow jogging or slow pedaling), before the next sprint. Try and beat the distance reached each time. After completing this part of the workout, you will rest for 3 minutes. You will then repeat the 10 x 1 minute sprint/rest sequence. After completing the sprint/rest phase of the workout, you will now jog or cycle at an intensity of 70% of your HRmax for another 20 minutes. You will then perform a light cool-down for 5-10 minutes followed by a stretching routine.

Thursday- ATV Practice
You will ride 1 hour at as close to race speed as possible, on your Cross Country Practice track or local trails. After completing this you will rest for 10 minutes. This is a good time to check over your bike, fuel-up and drink plenty of fluids. After 10 minutes its time to restart your bike for another hour of practice. You have now completed 2 hours of ride time, the same length as your next race!

Friday- Same as Tuesdays workout

Saturday- REST

Sunday – RACE

Please note this Cardiovascular training schedule should be used in addition to your ‘on-bike’ practice time. The examples of running and cycling are used purely as a guide, since most people have a bike and the ability to go for a run. If you have other fitness equipment available i.e. Step machine, Rowing Ergometer or Swimming, these activities are suitable to substitute into the above workouts.

Following the above BASIC workouts will definitely help your riding reach the next level. Of course some of you might not be able to dedicate this amount of time to working out during a busy week at work. So try and do as much as you can and you will see a huge difference on raceday!

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Residing in New Jersey, Phil Cole is a GNCC racer that works full time for a large corporate fitness company. He holds his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology. Phil is a certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is also certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health Fitness Instructor. Phil has worked with numerous top athletes and racers over the years, and is available for consultation to both individuals and Race Teams. He can be contacted via email at ATVFitness@hotmail.com.  Look out for future articles by Phil exclusively here on AEM.
 


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