One of the most common questions I receive is “what type of training should I be doing”? The answer to that question is always “it depends”. It depends on what you are training for. Are you training for a marathon cross country mountain bike race, a shorter more intense XC mountain bike race, a 50 or 100 or 200 mile gravel race, a winter ultra, or a bikepacking race? Each of these events has different demands that require different preparation.
One thing that remains the same for all of the above is building a solid base. Base building isn’t always exciting and there aren’t any shortcuts to get there. This requires lots of “zone 2” riding—yes, I know it’s the “hot take” right now in endurance training circles, but in reality, it has always been the “in thing”. The goal of training is to stimulate the physiological adaptations necessary for our goal races. Zone 2 base building is where this starts. Regardless of the distance or intensity you are racing, this is key. The more of a base you build, the more metabolically efficient your engine will be. The more efficient your engine, the more intensity you can sustain when the time for that arrives.
How much intensity and what type of intensity you need will be determined by your goal event. Equally important to those questions are “when” do you need to add in or change your intensity focus. There is no easy canned answer to this question that can be applied to everyone. We each have a unique physiology and our training demands need to match that. We need to shore up our strengths, improve our weaknesses, and continue to build fitness as we go.
At some points during the training year this will look like the polarized model of training, at other times it may look more pyramidal. The idea that we have to pick one model and stick with it is a false choice. The base building time can look quite pyramidal for some athletes, while the “race” season will often look very polarized. For others, perhaps a polarized model is the best path forward for the whole year. Again, each athlete is different and what works for a friend of yours may not work for you.
This is one main benefit of coaching. If you are unsure how to best proceed to be the best racer you can be, or, if what you have been doing in the past is leaving you plateaued or fatigued, I highly recommend reaching out to a qualified coach.
