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Cross-country MTB training plan

  • 10 weeks
  • Cycling
Duration
10 weeks
Sessions
79 in total
avg. 7.9 per week
Training time
avg. 9.4 h/week
Peak week 11.5 h
Key sessions
16 key sessions

How the training load develops

Training time per week over 10 weeks. The toughest week is week 8 with 11.5 h.

Weeks 1 to 10

Plan structure

79 sessions spread over 10 weeks, around 94 hours of training and a total load of 4,330 TSS.

  • Cycling 60 sessions 1,915 km in total
  • Strength training 19 sessions
Week Sessions Sports Training timeTime
Week 1 8 2 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 10.2 h
Week 2 8 2 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 10.9 h
Week 3 8 1 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 7.1 h
Week 4 8 2 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 10.6 h
Week 5 8 2 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 11.3 h
Week 6 8 1 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 7.7 h
Week 7 8 2 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 11.1 h
Week 8 8 2 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 11.5 h
Week 9 8 1 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 2× Strength
 8.2 h
Week 10 7 1 Key
  • 6× Bike
  • 1× Strength
 5.8 h

A look inside the plan

Sample week: week 5 of 10

This is exactly how your plan will look in the Aspect App after you buy it. Tap a session to see its structure, intervals and target ranges.

You can also download bike workouts as FIT files for Garmin, Wahoo, COROS and others, or as ZWO files for Zwift.

Week 5 Build Phase 2 – Load Week 2 8 sessions 11:18 h 235.9 km 2
MonMonday 0:24 h
Rest DayComplete Rest
Today is all about full recovery. Your body gets the time it needs to regenerate and absorb the training load. Stretching, massage and foam rolling can help release muscle tension and support your recovery. Make sure you get enough sleep and fuel your body with good nutrition to get the most out of the break.
Mental Coaching
Dealing with Setbacks
This week brings the hardest sessions of the second block: the longest 30/15 sets on Thursday and the most hill intervals on Saturday. A set may fall apart because your legs can’t keep up the pressure, or you may have to get off three times at a ledge on Sunday. If that happens, write down two sentences after the session: what exactly didn’t work and what you’ll do differently next time, for example start the first set a little more conservatively or approach the ledge more slowly at first. A session that goes wrong doesn’t cost you any fitness. You only lose something if you skip the next one because of it.
Read more
Strength
Cycling-Specific Stretches
0:24 h8 exercises
TueTuesday 1:45 h
Bike Key
Over-Unders 4 x 10 min
1:45 h52.5 km143 TSS
WedWednesday 1:30 h
Bike
Endurance Ride
1:30 h45 km66 TSS
ThuThursday 1:24 h
Bike Key
VO2max 3 x (13 x 30/15 sec)
1:24 h42.4 km100 TSS
From the fourth repetition of each set your breathing gets heavy – that’s intended. If your legs start to fade before the last repetition, start the next set a little more conservatively.
FriFriday 0:45 h
Rest DayActive Recovery or Complete Rest
Today it is up to you whether you take a complete rest day or recover actively. Light movement such as walking, easy cycling or swimming can boost circulation without putting strain on your body. Stretching, massage and foam rolling also support regeneration and can help release muscle tension. Listen to your body and give it the recovery it needs.
Bike
Active Recovery
0:45 h22.5 km19 TSS
Optional workout
SatSaturday 3:15 h
Bike
Endurance Ride + 10 x 1 min Hill Intervals
3:15 h58.5 km196 TSS
SunSunday 2:15 h
Bike
Bike Skills: Roots and Ledges
1:15 h15 km40 TSS
Strength
Core Stability & Strength Training – for Cyclists
1:00 h10 exercises

About this training plan

Getting off the line at the front, climbing every ramp faster than the rest and racing for the placings – that’s the XC role this plan trains you for. It’s designed for performance-focused mountain bikers who have been training in a structured way for years. Intensity is set by heart rate – a chest strap is all you need; you don’t need a power meter.

Who the plan is for

You’ve been training in a structured way for more than four years, know your way around hard intervals and ride even technical trails confidently. Six riding days a week are normal for you. If staying with your group after the start matters more to you and you have five riding days, Level 2 is a better fit.

How the plan works

Three phases, each with a clear job, with a recovery week between them and a taper and race week at the end.

  • Base: Threshold intervals of up to 15 minutes and VO2max intervals of four to five minutes on the turbo trainer, plus low-cadence strength blocks of up to ten minutes on a climb.
  • Changes of pace: Over-unders with short surges of up to 4 x 10 minutes, 30/15 sets of up to 3 x 13 reps and up to ten one-minute hill intervals within the long ride.
  • Race simulation: Race-start simulations of up to 3 x 12 minutes on the turbo trainer and race simulations on a trail loop of up to 2 x 20 minutes, each block ridden in one go. In this phase the easy Friday becomes an hour of endurance riding with four race-start efforts from a standstill, the day before the race simulation.

Every Sunday up to week 9 you practise bike skills at low intensity: braking points and cornering, then roots and ledges, steep descents on fresh legs in the second recovery week, and finally line choice and setting off on a steep section. Core stability and strength training is part of every week up to race week, with cycling-specific stretching throughout. Before the race, volume drops significantly in a taper week, while short, hard efforts stay in. In race week, short openers keep you sharp, and on Saturday you recce the course.

What you need before you start

Your threshold HR (bike), from a 30-minute test at the weekend before you start; you’ll find the exact protocol in the plan. All targets are given as a percentage of it, built on Joe Friel’s proven zone model. A chest strap, which is all you need for every session, on the turbo trainer and off-road alike. For the weekday intervals, a turbo trainer that you ride in standard mode, using gear and cadence to hold your target heart rate; you ride starts, attacks, short surges and hill intervals by perceived exertion, because your heart rate lags behind such short efforts. For the Saturdays you need a steady climb where you can ride uphill for 10 minutes in one go (if there isn’t one, you ride the low-cadence strength blocks on the turbo trainer), a short, steep climb of about one minute for the hill intervals and a trail loop with ramps and descents for the race simulations. For the race-start efforts on Fridays you need a wide, quiet gravel track. For the skills sessions, find a stretch of singletrack with corners, roots, a small ledge and a descent you can already ride confidently. A helmet and gloves are a must, and always take a phone with you into the woods.

Support within the plan

At the start you mark the first singletrack after the start and the steepest climb of the lap on the course profile, each with a specific goal. In the race phase you ride the start lap in your head until the sequence of clipping in, slotting into position and changing pace is second nature. You also get a fixed routine for the start grid, a race-day checklist and tips for training off-road and for the time after the race.

Which level is right for you?

  • Level 1: Four riding days, two of them with hard intervals. You’re riding your first XC race in a recreational category and want to survive the start lap and ride your own pace all the way to the finish. Three-minute VO2max intervals, 30/15s up to 2 x 13 reps, no hill intervals, race-start simulations up to 3 x 8 minutes, race simulations up to 1 x 20 minutes.
  • Level 2: Five riding days, three of them with hard intervals from week 4. You race in licensed, masters or amateur categories and want to stay with your group after the start and gain places on the climbs. Four-minute VO2max intervals, 30/15s up to 3 x 11 reps, hill intervals up to 8 x 1 minute, race-start simulations up to 3 x 10 minutes, race simulations up to 1 x 20 + 1 x 10 minutes.
  • Level 3: Six riding days, three of them with hard intervals from week 4. You train with performance in mind and want to race for the placings at the front. VO2max intervals of four to five minutes, 30/15s up to 3 x 13 reps, hill intervals up to 10 x 1 minute, race-start simulations up to 3 x 12 minutes, race simulations up to 2 x 20 minutes, plus race-start efforts from a standstill on Fridays.

Intensity guidance

Your training thresholds

Session intensity is based on your personal thresholds. After buying, you enter them in the Aspect App – the plan then converts every target for you. If they’re already stored in Intervals.icu, you can import them with one click during setup. Here’s how to find your values:

  • Threshold heart rate (cycling)Targets are given as a percentage of your threshold heart rate on the bike – the highest heart rate you can sustain for about 60 minutes. How to find it: after a good warm-up, ride a 30-minute time trial on your own as hard as you can hold evenly – your average heart rate over the last 20 minutes is your threshold HR. A chest strap gives the most accurate reading. Stopgap without a test: about 90% of your reliably known maximum heart rate on the bike (185 bpm → 167 bpm).

Device sync via Intervals.icu

Your plan on your watch

Send your plan to your free Intervals.icu calendar in just a few clicks. From there, your bike sessions go to your watch and bike computer as structured workouts with intervals and target ranges – or into Zwift. No retyping and no file imports.

Ready in six steps

  1. Buy the planOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your access link by email.
  2. Save it to your Aspect accountWith a free Aspect account, you save the plan under “My plans”.
  3. Connect Intervals.icuTap “Intervals.icu” at the top of your plan and connect your free account on intervals.icu. No account yet? You can create one there in a minute.
  4. Match your target valuesThe app checks whether Intervals.icu holds the same values as your plan (e.g. FTP, threshold heart rate or threshold pace). Any differences can be matched with one click.
  5. Choose a start date and sendChoose your start Monday, check the preview, send.
  6. Connect your deviceIn Intervals.icu, go to Settings → Connections, connect your device or platform and enable uploading of planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”).

See every step with screenshots

What arrives where

PlatformWhat arrives
Garmin Cycling as structured workouts; strength: title only, no exercises
Wahoo ELEMNT, BOLT, ROAM Bike workouts
Zwift Bike workouts
Suunto Planned workouts (watches with SuuntoPlus Guides)
COROS Planned workouts – the first time only, drag the “Intervals.icu” training plan into your calendar in the COROS app.
Hammerhead Karoo Bike workouts – you set up the connection with Hammerhead (on the Karoo or in the Hammerhead dashboard)
Apple Watch No official integration – only via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature)
Polar, TrainerRoad No direct transfer
  • Most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time. The complete plan is in your Intervals.icu calendar.
  • Intervals.icu calculates the target ranges from your values there (e.g. FTP, threshold HR, threshold pace). If you change them, upcoming workouts are adjusted with the next sync.
  • During setup, the Aspect App checks whether your values in Intervals.icu match your plan. You resolve any differences with one click – in either direction, with a side-by-side comparison first.
  • If you move a session within its week in the Aspect App, Intervals.icu updates automatically – and so does your device at the next sync.
  • Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Enter the same values there as in Intervals.icu.
  • Strength sessions appear in the Intervals.icu calendar with a description and planned duration. On your watch they only show their title. You’ll find the exercises in the Aspect App.
Prefer not to use Intervals.icu?
In the Aspect App you can also download bike workouts as FIT files (e.g. for Garmin, Wahoo, COROS) or as ZWO files for Zwift.

What you get

  • The complete 10-week plan79 sessions, structured week by week and day by day.
  • All sessions in the Aspect AppEvery session with its full structure. In the browser on your smartphone, tablet or computer.
  • Flexible within your weekIf a day doesn’t suit you, you can use a free Aspect account to move sessions to another day within the plan week or change their order – by drag & drop on a computer, or via “Move to…” on a smartphone. You can restore the original order at any time. If you’ve sent the plan to Intervals.icu, it is updated there automatically.
  • Straight to your watch and bike computerAs structured workouts via your free Intervals.icu account – to Garmin, Wahoo, COROS & more. Or as a FIT/ZWO download. How it works
  • 16 marked key sessionsThe sessions that matter most in each week. They take priority if you need to reschedule.
  • Access with or without an accountPersonal access link by email. With a free Aspect account, saved permanently under “My plans” – and ready to send to your watch and bike computer.

How it works

  1. OrderAdd the plan to your basket and pay with PayPal, card and more (via Stripe) or by bank transfer.
  2. Check your inboxOnce your payment has been received, you’ll get your personal access link.
  3. Open your planThe link opens your plan straight in the Aspect App – nothing to install.
  4. Save it to your accountOptional and free: save the plan to your Aspect account and open it again at any time.
  5. Get it onto your watchOptional: send it to your calendar via Intervals.icu with your start date – and from there to your watch and bike computer. Here’s how

Illustrated step-by-step guide

Alex, coach at Aspect Endurance Coaching

Created by your coach

Hi, I’m Alex – coach and the mind behind aspect®. My training plans grow out of my endurance coaching work in triathlon, cycling and running. If you’d rather have individual coaching than a ready-made plan, take a look at 1:1 coaching.

More about me 1:1 coaching

Frequently asked questions

How do I get the training plan after purchase?

Once we’ve received your payment, you’ll get an email with your personal access link. Use it to open the plan directly in the Aspect App – in the browser on your smartphone, tablet or computer. You’ll also receive your invoice by email.

How does the plan get onto my watch and bike computer?

Via Intervals.icu. Open your plan in the Aspect App, tap “Intervals.icu” at the top and follow the steps: connect your free Intervals.icu account, match your target values, choose your start Monday, check the preview and send the plan to your Intervals.icu calendar as structured workouts. From there, Intervals.icu sends the upcoming sessions to Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift, Suunto and COROS – to set this up, go to Settings → Connections in Intervals.icu, connect your device or platform and switch on the upload of planned workouts (e.g. “Upload planned workouts”). For Hammerhead Karoo, set up the connection in your Hammerhead account. Zwift uses the values in your Zwift profile (FTP, 5K time). Most services receive roughly the next 7 days at a time.

See the step-by-step guide

Does it work with the Apple Watch?

Not directly: there’s no official Intervals.icu integration for the Apple Watch. It’s only possible via third-party apps (e.g. Watchletic – the Intervals.icu import is a paid feature). Polar and TrainerRoad aren’t supported directly either. You can still see all your sessions in the Aspect App at any time – including in your smartphone’s browser.

Does Intervals.icu cost anything?

No. A free Intervals.icu account is all you need for the transfer. Intervals.icu also offers an optional supporter subscription – you don’t need it for this. Transferring from the Aspect App doesn’t cost anything extra either.

Go to Intervals.icu

Do I have to keep my values up to date in two places?

No. In the plan view, the “Match target values” step (“Intervals.icu” button) checks whether Intervals.icu holds the same values as your plan – FTP, threshold HR, threshold pace or swim threshold pace (CSS), depending on what your plan uses. If anything differs, you see both values side by side, choose which one applies for each, and match them with one click. Nothing is overwritten without asking. To do this, you confirm access to your Intervals.icu sport settings once when connecting. Your indoor FTP stays unchanged, and HR zones are only recalculated if you explicitly ask for it. Zwift still uses the values in your Zwift profile.

Do I need an account in the Aspect App?

Not to view it: the access link also works without an account. With a free Aspect account, you save the plan permanently under “My plans” – and only then can you transfer it to your watch and bike computer via Intervals.icu.

When can I start the plan?

Whenever you like. The plan isn’t tied to a date but built in weeks (week 1 to 10), and each week starts on a Monday. If you have a race in mind, simply count back 10 weeks from race day. For the transfer to Intervals.icu, you choose your start Monday yourself – the Monday of the current week at the earliest.

What happens if I start later or need to reschedule?

No problem. If you want to start the whole plan later, simply choose a new start date in the plan view under “Intervals.icu” → “Reschedule” – the sessions are moved in your Intervals.icu calendar without any duplicate entries. If you no longer need the plan there, you can remove it again. Your own entries in Intervals.icu remain untouched. If just a single day doesn’t work, move the session within its week (see the next question).

Can I move sessions to other days?

Yes, within the plan week in question. With a free Aspect account, you can move a session to another day of the same week in the plan view or change the order within a day – by drag and drop on a computer, or via the “Move to…” menu on each session on a smartphone. The plan itself stays unchanged: moved sessions are marked with a small icon (e.g. “originally Tuesday”), and “Reset week” or “Reset whole plan” restores the original order. If the plan has been transferred to Intervals.icu, moves and resets are applied there automatically – and to your watch and bike computer at the next sync. If you move a transferred session within its week directly in the Intervals.icu calendar, the Aspect App picks this up (it can take about a minute). If a session ends up outside its plan week there, the app moves it back to its week and lets you know. Without an account, you can view the plan but not move sessions.

Is the plan tailored to me personally?

No – it’s a ready-made training plan that works for many athletes with a similar goal. If you’d like individual support, you’ll find 1:1 coaching at aspect-sports.com.

Explore 1:1 coaching

Do I have a right of withdrawal?

The training plan is digital content. With your express consent, it is made available before the withdrawal period has expired – your right of withdrawal then expires when provision begins (Section 356(5) of the German Civil Code, BGB). You’ll find the details in our withdrawal policy.

View the withdrawal policy

XC MTB Racing (Heart rate)

10 weeks · 79 sessions · €26.00 (final price*)

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Per week
Avg. 10.8 h · 7–8 sessions
Guided by
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Cycling Intermediate

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Per week
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Guided by
Power or heart rate (your choice)
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Garmin, Wahoo, COROS & more via Intervals.icu
€19.00Final price*, digital – no shipping costs