Linn Gustavzzon riding in her hometown Falun back in 2019.
© Niklas Wallner
MTB

Winter training with Linn (part 3): Intervals, mobility and common mistakes

We take a look at lung-busting intervals, stretchy mobility training, the most common mistakes made.
Written by Hanna Jonsson
4 min readPublished on
For the past two weeks, we’ve been diving into the world of winter training together with professional trainer and XC racer Linn Gustafzzon. We’ve looked at how to put a plan together (click here to read) and bike-specific strength exercises (click here to read).
In this last article, Linn shares her Top 3 interval sessions, the most important mobility exercises for bikers and explains how to avoid common mistakes and keep winter training as fun as possible!
Intervals in summer as well as in winter are important to any racer.

Intervals in summer as well as in winter are important to any racer.

© Niklas Wallner

What interval sessions do you find the most effective? And are they best done on a trainer or outside?

All intervall session work just as well inside as outside. Although it is probably easier to get more quality in a shorter amount of time if you do them inside on a trainer. But it can often be easier to keep motivation high and do longer sessions outside, so the best thing is to mix things up to keep it interesting.

Which are your Top 3 interval sessions

INTERVAL 1: Threshold

  • Warm up: 20 min
  • 8 min x 5 sets (Zone 4, threshold)
  • 2 minute rest in-between intervals
  • Cadence: 90-110
  • Cool down: 15 min
PURPOSE: You generally increase your threshold level by working at the threshold level for longer periods of time, thus this type of interval is really important. Your threshold level is in the middle-ish of zone 4 and therefore that is the zone you should work in. As for cadence, you should go with what feels right for you, however, it is good to vary and play around with it to find out what cadence actually works best for you at this level.

INTERVAL 2: Max heart rate

  • Warm up: 20 min
  • 4 min x 4 sets of Vo2max (i.e. all out)
  • 4 minutes rest in-between intervals
  • Cadence: 90-100
  • Cool down: 15 min
PURPOSE: This kind of interval works the heart's maximum pump capacity, i.e. the ability to pump out oxygenated blood as well as the ability for bike-specific muscles to absorb it. The heart rate is an important factor and should be above the threshold level, preferably in zone 5. Your power output (watts) should, however, be kept at the same level throughout all of the intervals and therefore it can be hard to reach zone 5 during the first 2-3 minutes of the interval.

INTERVAL 3: Strength

  • Warm up: 15 min
  • Set 1: 4x8 sec maximum sprints // Rest 2 min in-between sprints
  • Set 2: 3x4 min on 40-50 cadence // 10 beats under threshold // Rest 2 min in-between intervals
  • Set 3: 1x5 min 50-60 cadence // 5-10 beats under threshold // Rest 2 min in-between.
  • Set 4: 5 min 50-60 cadence, zone 3
  • Set 5: 5 min 105-110 cadence, zone 4
  • Cool down: 15 min.
PURPOSE: Endurance strength intervals on the bike can be done both on a trainer or outside riding up a hill. Focus is purely on strength and not on heart rate.

What mobility exercises are important for bikers?

Neck, thoracic spine and hip flexors tend to be very stiff due to the position on the bike. Make sure you specifically work on these three areas but also remember to stretch the rest of the body too. One really good exercise is the MAQ Olympic movement (see below).

1 min

Ida Jansson demonstrating how it is done.

What common mistakes do riders do when it comes to winter training?

Starting off too hard. It makes it difficult to keep up the pace throughout winter and it’s easy to get ill, injured and sad. In order to keep on top of your training and being able to keep the continuity in it, make sure you have rest, sleep and recovery in your training plan.
Rest is necessary in order to build up muscles, improve quality for the next session, and minimise risk of overloading muscles, overtraining and getting ill. Many elite athletes need as much as 10 hours of sleep in order to optimise recovery and performance after hard intense training. Massage is also good for recovery and for relaxation.
Good advice is to lie down for a few minutes after every training session to slow down and recover before you head off to work, school or elsewhere.
Remember to enjoy the process!

Remember to enjoy the process!

© Niklas Wallner

Your best advice to maximise your winter training?

It should be fun. That’s why we do it, right? Make sure you find ways of exercising that you enjoy and that you don’t have time to do during race season: running, XC skiing, dance, swimming etc.
Also, remember that you shouldn’t be in top form during this time of year, it’s okay to feel sleepy and wanting to do something else then ride your bike. If you’ve hired a trainer, make sure you follow his or her plan, and if there is something you don’t understand about it, ask! There is always a strategy behind every training session.

Good luck with your training!

Catch Linn's training part 1 and 2 here:
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