4 Popular questions for cardio training in Motocross and Downhill Mountain Biking

On this article will focus on some questions that I’ve been asked from riders and parents of riders during the season of the British Youth Motocross Championship and British Downhill Series.

“What is the best cardio of exercise?”

Ideally you want to choose an activity that you enjoy so you can be able to stick with it. However what I personally like to use with my athletes include: stationary bike, rowing or ski-erg. You can also do running, swimming or road cycling. 

“How hard should I train?”

Well… I’ve got to go with the phrase “it depends”. It depends which training cycle you are on : “Off season or In Season?”

Aerobic base training should remain in the 70 – 80% of maximum heart rate zone.  To ensure that you are staying within the right training zones – use a heart rate monitor. 

If you have never used a heart rate monitor or if you don’t know what your heart rate training zones are, click here to find out more information about the heart rate training zones and your maximum heart rate.

“How long should my cardio be?”

My athletes do cardio for an hour to an hour and half. The length of your races determine the length of your cardio workouts. Again it all depends which training cycle you are on. During the off season you should work more on building the foundation of your conditioning. Work on longer, less intense cardio workouts.  Whilst closer to racing season you should start including intervals as well and add intensity.

“How many times per week should I train?”

I recommend you doing long aerobic workouts three times a week in conjunction with strength training= at least two times per week during your off-season.

That’s it for now, until next time, good luck with your training and if you have got any questions or you need help with your performance preparation, feel free to contact me by sending an email to info@olympuspro.co.uk or DM me on my social media Facebook and Instagram . 

Cheers Yannis K.