winter training

one of my favourite off season threads.

feel free to chime in with," i do x reps and y sets of blah…. but what I am really interested in is what are the favourite RIDING programs for DH training. and yes timmy, we know you hit the x-box

Are you doing 30 second lines on your DH rig, all DJ's, more long all mountain rips or just hitting the moto?

I already have my 2011 team DH, thanks Norco. this is my first attemp at riding an 8" bike with correct Dh angles so i'm still learning just how fast it can go. (well how fast I can make it go).

I hve been trying to get 10,2-3 minute race laps in focusing on cornering. s the winter a good time to risk injury learning more challenging skills? Is it a season to ride fast and loose or smooth and in control

advice and opinions greatly appreciated.

Is the winter a good time to risk injury learning more challenging skills?

Winter is a good time to work on skills.

Is it a season to ride fast and loose or smooth and in control

Winter is a good time to work on speed and strength. Simply because most of us don't want to spend time outside in miserable weather any longer then we have to. And if one has to ride on a trainer there is only so much time one can tolerate watching TV while doing it.

I'll be relaxing on a beach and/or exploring Southeast Asia this winter! :P does that count as training?

Winter is a good time to work on skills.

Winter is a good time to work on speed and strength. Simply because most of us don't want to spend time outside in miserable weather any longer then we have to. And if one has to ride on a trainer there is only so much time one can tolerate watching TV while doing it.

What do you do for training during the long Onterrible winters? I'm bringing my trainer for one, and I also plan on hitting up the indoor skills park a few times as well, otherwise I'm left with the gym because I'm pretty sure the local riding will be under several feet of snow at the rate that it's coming down now.

advice and opinions greatly appreciated.

-short laps (sub 1 min)

-hike back up the trail

-learn the lines/features, push to the point of disaster and try and hold on

What do you do for training during the long Onterrible winters? I'm bringing my trainer for one, and I also plan on hitting up the indoor skills park a few times as well, otherwise I'm left with the gym because I'm pretty sure the local riding will be under several feet of snow at the rate that it's coming down now.

Usually run more in winter. This year I got to lose 15 pounds.

One thing about winter I noticed. Riding in winter really helps you with smoothing out your pedal strokes or applying of torque. If you aren't smooth enough you start going no where fast as the tire spins.

A lot of guy's out here use this time of year for XC skining instead of riding.

Usually run more in winter. This year I got to lose 15 pounds.

One thing about winter I noticed. Riding in winter really helps you with smoothing out your pedal strokes or applying of torque. If you aren't smooth enough you start going no where fast as the tire spins.

A lot of guy's out here use this time of year for XC skining instead of riding.

Yeah that's what I figured. I mostly rode at 3-stage in the summer and I'm guessing that there'll be several feet of snow up there until March at the absolute earliest (and probably later).

Oh well. Treadmill and trainer it is then.

Dreadmill and trainer it is then.

FYP.

Depends on how serious you are about your DH racing. Training for DH is very complex, much more complex then training for XC or road racing.

The key to success in DH is a high a skill level. Nobody is born with a high skill level, everybody acquires it through practice. The more quality practice you have the better you will be.

This is where fitness comes in. Most people have a fitness level that allows them to do at most 1hr of quality practice in day. Their training day may be longer but they are lucky if there is an hour of quality practice. People with a high level of fitness are capable of more quality practice, more quality practice means more skills.

Of course their are many ways to develop fitness. What you do in the winter to improve your fitness is quite a bit different then what you do in the summer.

The winter is the time to work on your aerobic system. The aerobic system play an important role in any event longer then a minute and a half, it also allows quicker recovery from maximal efforts.

There are tons of ways to develop the aerobic system, the best way to do it is debated constantly among endurance coaches. The traditional way is start with long steady duration and then proceed to shorter and harder workouts.

So…..
Depending on your back ground if you are serious about racing you should be doing 4 to 6 aerobic workouts (road rides, XC rides, XC skiing, or running) that are 1 to 3hr is duration per week. Do this more two months or so and then proceed change to a bit more intensity.

Some time should be spent in the gym to develop strength to help you handle crashing. A lot of time in the gym is not necessary however, there is very little correlation between gym strength and riding speed.

Right now is the off season. While a bit of cycling specific training is good. Now is the time to add some other stuff. Things like,

rowing
plyo
basketball
running

and so on.

Winter is long and training to focused to early will lead to burn out. Use the time to do other types of training. Not only keeps you fresher but also causes you to relearn how to actually use your body.

but what I am really interested in is what are the favourite RIDING programs for DH training. and yes timmy, we know you hit the x-box

In his recent book Come and Gone. Joe Parkin observed that DHers are closer to sprint specialists.

I do curls, and sit ups. My beach bod is lookin good, my biceps are bigger than yours.

i am still looking for how to go improve DH skills in the winter.

personal case study.
i've always been a racer who relies on fitness and pedaling for results so base isn't such an issue.
i work out 3X per week and snow shoe, ski tour, etc. etc.
my home (sunshine coast) has year round riding so i'm not forced inside for any long periods and can basically train all winter.
i've been riding 200+ days/ year for 20+ years so burnout isn't likely.

my goal for the winter is to ride a downhill bike faster and learn to effectively ride a DH rig. so on bike DH training programs will be the biggest benefit to me. (i think)

thanks,
gary

come to the gym with me and the team.