Have you ever seen pro-mountain bike riders who don’t sweat as you do, and they do not breathe as fast as you do, and wonder how it is possible? Well, it’s because they build endurance for mountain biking.
In this post, I will share 15 tips that will help you build endurance for bike riding. After that, you will be able to cover longer routes and climb trails without getting tired.
15 Tips on How to Build Endurance for Mountain Biking
Ok, so here are 15 tips that help me level up my endurance and stamina. It will also help you build your endurance and stamina.
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Start Slow and Build Up Gradually
Many mountain bike riders make a common mistake: They try to ride a bike too hard or too fast, which makes them feel tired too quickly or make them breathe too fast. And it’s reasonable; imagine if you run 100 meters like a sprinter, and another guy does jogging for 100 meters; who will get more tired? Of course, the sprinter.
These same fundamentals apply in mountain biking, too, so don’t try to ride a bike too fast or too hard; go slow, enjoy the ride, and see the beautiful scenery.
So the number one tip is, don’t ride your bike too fast. Instead, go slowly and start covering small distances, and gradually increase distances by 10-15% over time, such as every week.
For example, you are riding 1 km this Sunday. Then, starting next Sunday, you will ride 1.2 km for the whole week. And after that, starting next Sunday, you will ride 1.5 km.
It is just an example of how you have to increase your distance. In your case, it can be 1 km, 5 km, or 10 km, depending on your time and dedication.
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Mix in Interval Training
Once you develop some endurance and get comfortable with basic speed, then move to the next level and start doing Interval training.
First, you have to find a short hill and then try to push yourself hard to reach the top. And then come back down and take some rest. After recovering, repeat this again. It’s similar to what we do in the gym.
Do as much as possible. The more you do, the more benefits you will get. But always give your body some time to recover.
This Interval training will help you in multiple ways. First, it will improve your bike climbing skills. Second, it will increase your endurance. And third, it will improve your recovery time.
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Incorporate Long, Steady Rides
Interval training is good, but don’t stop doing long-distance rides. Consider interval training, just an exercise that you’ll do to increase endurance.
Besides this, you can go on a long ride at least once or twice a week at moderate speed, as you will not pedal as hard as you would while climbing but also not too slow, as it’s part of training.
This mountain biking exercise will not only build your endurance but also develop your mental toughness.
There are many trails in the USA, so you can choose one with moderate terrain and try to ride for at least one hour without a break.
This simple approach will build a strong aerobic base, which is really important for longer rides.
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Optimize Your Cadence
Pedaling with the wrong techniques will also consume a lot of energy and make you tired too quickly. So, don’t smash too hard.
Follow the right techniques to keep the same momentum going: You should keep the cadence rate around 70-90 RPMs. When you stick to a higher cadence at lower gear, you can cover longer rides.
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Strength Train Off the Bike
Besides spending time on the bike, you should also focus on exercises to build stamina and endurance faster.
To build your leg strength, you can do some common exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts to improve your power on climbs.
Besides this, core exercises are important, too. You can do planks and Russian twists to get better control of technical sections.
If you go to the gym, then you can have two strength sessions a week, as long as you don’t develop desirable endurance for longer runs.
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Prioritize Recovery Days
Many beginners make these mistakes when they want to improve stamina and endurance. They do equal or progressive exercise every day while thinking it will help them to build endurance. Well, this is a wrong idea.
If you do that, too, then you will start feeling sore and tired, and you will probably get injured.
You have to take at least 1 or 2 rest days to make sure your body recovers properly. Those days, you could also do simple stretching or foam rolling.
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Stay Hydrated
If you don’t want to feel completely drained, keep yourself hydrated. Whenever you are going on trials, especially if it is a longer one, then keep a water bottle with you.
Dehydration will consume your energy fast. But it also depends on weather conditions. During summer, I keep taking a small sip for 15-20 minutes to keep myself hydrated. So, depending on the weather conditions, you should also keep taking small sips.
If you keep yourself hydrated, you can cover long distances without even feeling completely wiped.
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Fuel Up Properly
Just like hydration, fueling your stomach is also important. Before leaving your home, make sure to eat something at least 1 or 2 hours before.
Besides this, when you are covering long distances or you are going on a big trail like in California, make sure you carry some bananas, peanut butter, or a small energy bar, which you can take during the bike riding.
You can even take a sandwich if you plan to ride for the whole day or maybe 5 to 6 hours. It totally depends on you. In simple words, you shouldn’t just keep your stomach empty and not too full.
Most of the time, I eat at home, but if I have to carry something with me, I would carry peanut butter with bread or banana because I think they are a better option.
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Practice Mental Toughness
Besides building your physical strength for mountain biking, you should also focus on building mental strength.
To build mental strength, you can do simple training. Suppose you want to ride 20 km in total. So first, you have to imagine that you are going to ride for 30 km instead of 20 just to trick your mind.
Meanwhile, when you’re covering a 20 km distance, then keep taking a break after every 5 km or 7 km, depending on you.
You can take the first break after 10 km, then the second break after 6 km, and the third break after 4 km, and then you will reach 20 km.
Now, for mental training, you can ride 1-2 kilometers extra, and this extra kilometer will help you build more mental and physical strength.
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Find a Riding Buddy or Group
If you ride alone, then try to find a riding buddy. It might change too many things. For example, they will push you and motivate you. Plus, you will have a lot more fun, so you will not feel tired quickly.
Besides this, when you join a group, they will keep you accountable. Plus, they will expose you to new trials and riding styles, which will help you improve your skills and will improve your overall experience.
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Use a Heart Rate Monitor
Some people think heart rate monitors are for ultra-serious mountain bike riders. Well, it is true they use heart rate monitors, but it is also good for you, even when you are just a normal biker.
When you keep tracking your heart rate, it helps you see how hard you are actually working. For endurance rides, you can try to stay in the aerobic zone, around 60-70% of max heart rate.
When your heart rate is higher, that means you will burn out too quickly; if it’s slow, you’ll cover more distance.
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Incorporate Hill Repeats
Uphill riding is energy-consuming, and most people don’t enjoy it, including myself. However, it’s one of the best exercises for building stamina for mountain biking.
You have to find an uphill or a flyover where you have to climb a little bit. Then, Go up and come down, and keep repeating this process.
This is a very simple workout that will help you build leg strength and endurance. You can repeat this 5 to 6 times.
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Embrace the Pain
Exercise is very important to build endurance, but it is also important to develop the ability to bear pain.
Many times, you will fall down, especially when you try to become a pro rider; you will get injured, feel tired, have muscle soreness, etc., and you have to bear it.
However, bearing pain doesn’t mean you ignore real pain, like sharp or sudden pain. I’m just talking about the muscle burn. Not bleeding or anything else.
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Track Your Progress
You should keep tracking your process to stay motivated. For example, you can note down the trial distance, average speed, etc., so that you know at how much speed you should ride the bike or how much you ride a bike today so that on the next day, you can ride further.
Just like the gym, you have to make progress in mountain biking. You can use apps like Starva. This app will help you track your progress and give you extra push. And it will also help you keep going on tough days.
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Stay Consistent and Be Patient
No matter what field you want to improve yourself in, consistency is always the key. When building stamina or endurance for Mountain biking, many times, you’ll feel as if you’re not improving yourself. But, still, you have to keep pushing yourself every day without neglecting rest days.
If you go with this mentality, trust me, after a few months, you will see real progress. That’s why I suggested you note down the progress earlier. So that after one month, when your 1st day, distance, speed, etc, with your 30th day’s speed and distance, plus energy, then you will see the real difference.
Conclusion
Building endurance for mountain biking is really important, especially when you want to become a pro rider or want to ride on a trail or cover longer routes.
Every push, every climb, and every ride that will challenge you will be a step closer to becoming a better mountain biker. You’re not going to build endurance overnight, so have patience; keep doing regular exercises. Someday, maybe after a month or two, you will see significant growth.
