Base training weeks 1-4
Remember that the emphasis here is on aerobic workouts. There are no high intensity sessions at this stage. Make sure you drink and eat sufficiently during training, for example use High5 Energy Source.

	New to MTB Rider	Regular MTB Rider	Experienced MTB Rider
Monday	30 minutes MTB	REST	45min MTB
Tuesday	REST	45 minutes MTB	REST
Wednesday	REST	REST	30 min turbo / road ride
Thursday	30 minutes cross training session	45 minutes cross training session	45 minutes cross training session
Friday	REST	REST	REST
Saturday	1 hour MTB / Road bike	1 hour 30 min MTB / Road	2 hour MTB / road bike
Sunday	REST	30 minutes cross train or MTB	45 minutes cross training session

PROGRESSIONS WEEK 1-4
Week 2 (build week) – Repeat the same workouts as week 1 and keep your 30 minute sessions unchanged. Increase the duration of other sessions by 15 minutes. Regular MTBers and experienced riders should increase the duration of their longest ride (Saturday) by 30 minutes.

Week 3 (push week) - Repeat the same workouts as week 2, still keeping your 30 minute session unchanged. Increase the duration of other sessions by another 15 minutes. Regular MTBers and experienced riders should also increase the duration of their longest ride (Saturday) by 30 minutes.

Week 4 (recovery week) - Continue the same number of workouts this week but reduce all of the week 1 times by 15 minutes.

SAMPLE WORKOUTS WEEK 1 TO WEEK 4 FOR ALL GROUPS
• Café ride. Social ride at conversation pace. Don't try to race your mates up the hills, hold back. No anaerobic work.

• Ride a rolling course with several easy hills. Stay seated. Don't muscle up the hills.

• Turbo trainer - focus on spinning / pedaling technique, maintaining a high cadence of 80-90 rpm.

• Really easy flat ride – focus on keeping high cadence and good technique

For riders competing in MTB Marathons at the end of the season - If your first MTB Marathon is towards the end of the summer and you have a second base phase to complete, repeat the base phase again exactly as you did for weeks 1-4. If you have 3rd, 4th or 5th base phase blocks, repeat the 4-week cycle again but this time, increase the duration of all the training sessions (except your 30 minutes session) in the start week by 15 minutes and continue to progress from there in the same way as before. If your base phase extends well into April and May, you can also afford to increase the intensity of some of your rides. Work a little harder on the hills, occasionally race your mates but leave off the specific interval training until closer to your event, otherwise you will peak too soon!