training question

[minidog]

I started racing hare scramblers this past year and really got my butt spanked pretty bad by me being out of shape-my question is is there any specific thing that you can do or exercise routine that the big guys do that will give you more stamina to last in these races aside from riding. Tried weights and although these helped my strength greatly it also led to more arm pump while on the trail. Anyone know what the routine regimine is for the guys who race these events professionaly.

 

[Twiztid One]

i ride a mountain bike to keep in shape , do that for a couple hours on the trails will flat wear your arse out .

 

[drk98]

All I know is that its easier to find a hobby thats good for you and do it aka moutian biking or other sports.

 

[farcry2]

In addition to riding, I used to weight train and do 3 mile runs a few times a week to prepare for harescrambles races. Guess what? It's not enough, I would still get winded in the nasties and very tired towards the end of the race, and revert to survival mode. When I took up mountain biking all that changed. I can now exert myself at a much higher level and for a longer period of time without being winded. I fell so in love with the pain, suffering simplicity, and freedom of mountain biking that I started racing them. It's funny, at this point my bicycles cost more than my motorcycles.
When bicycling for fitness you should build a base first, and that starts with long slow road rides. Your heart rate should be around 60% of theoretical max (max=220 bpm-your age) for the duration. This builds up stamina. Yes, to be precise you need a heart rate monitor. When you go offroad it is harder to regulate your heart rate because you'll be conquering terrain, like hill climbs, boulder fields, log hops, etc. You should still try keep your heart rate under 85% max heart rate. When you do go above 85% of max for short periods, that will build up your anerobic threshhold and contribute to the intensity aspect of your training. A structured approach will help build a fitness base and prevent training injuries.

 

[Bodge]

So while training you should try to keep your heart rate at 60% then do short periods of above 85%?