Building MTI’s Downhill & Enduro Mountain Bike Plans: What We Programmed and Why

By Emmett Shaul

Designing a training plan for Downhill (DH) and Enduro riders starts the same way we approach any new plan at MTI: define the sport’s real physical demands, then build training that directly targets them. Below is how we did that for DH and Enduro—what the research says about the sport, what we programmed, and why.

Sport Demands:

Downhill. Race runs are short, technical, and intense. Field studies show DH races are completed at very high heart rates—about 80% of race time >90% HRpeak, with elevated blood lactate and stress markers (Sperlich et al., Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2012). Research on-mountain also found grip strength drops ~5–6% from pre- to post-run and that heart rate is inflated relative to metabolic cost—riders work hard physiologically even when average VO₂ is moderate (Burr et al., J Sports Sci, 2012). EMG work confirms substantial upper-body/forearm activation during descending, especially on rough terrain (Hurst et al., J Sci Cycling, 2012).

Enduro. Multiple timed downhill stages linked by time-limited transitions. Winning performances require high technical velocity and large aerobic/anaerobic capacities; heart rate during stages can sit near ~90% HRmax in case observations around modern Enduro (Kirkwood et al., J Sci Cycling, 2017).

Injuries: Across MTB, and especially in DH, upper-limb injuries (shoulder girdle, clavicle) are common; reviews and case series show fractures trend toward the upper extremity, with serious shoulder-girdle trauma noted in MTB crashes (Fiore et al., MLTJ, 2020; BMJ Open SEM case series).

Bottom line for training: we must build grip endurance, upper-body durability, lower-body strength/power (with eccentric tolerance), short/high-intensity work capacity, and aerobic support to repeat efforts.

Programming

Strength

• Lower body strength/power: We used MTI’s Rat 6 progression for Hinge Lift and Front Squat to increase lower body max effort strength to drive force production for pumping, braking, and accelerations. We chose Rat 6 over Leg Blasters because Leg Blasters interfered with same-week pedaling interval quality—Leg Blasters and peddling intervals would work against each other.
• Grip endurance: Trained via two methods: Dead-Hang assessment with follow-on intervals, and Farmer Carries. This directly targets the observed grip drop post-run and the known forearm loading during descents.
• Upper-body hypertrophy: Purposeful mass and strength for durability. Given the injury distribution (upper limb/shoulder common in DH), we included upper-body hypertrophy sessions as “armor” for crashes and repeated rough-terrain loading.

Work Capacity

We built a repeatable work-capacity circuit that hits explosive power, whole-body eccentric absorption, and sustained bracing.

The circuit: 
Every 30 seconds (E30s) for a set number of rounds
5x Box Jumps
2x Burpees
hold a skier tuck for the remainder of each 30-second interval.

• Box Jumps: train explosive leg power and eccentric landing—simple proxy for repeated compressions/landings.
• Burpees: drive heart rate and add both upper- and lower-body eccentric loading.
• Skier-tuck hold: mimics downhill position—athletes are in a quarter squat, not seated during their runs.

What we tested and changed: We trialed 6 Box Jumps + 3 Burpees, but for our work capacity events we want at least half of each 30-second bout as “rest” (tuck) in the early rounds. With 6/3, early rounds left only ~8 seconds of tuck (short of the 15-second target), and late rounds dropped to ~3 seconds. In addition, 3 Burpees over taxed the upper body—not necessary for DH work capacity where the focus should stay on the legs. The final 5/2 scheme provides ~15 seconds of tuck in the early rounds; as fatigue accumulates, that rest naturally shrinks.

Progression: We progress one thing at a time during work-capacity events, and for downhill we progressed the total work time rather than reps. This also accounts for the varying nature of downhill mountain biking, some runs are short, and some are longer. Increasing total work time across the cycle lets us prepare for both ends of that spectrum while raising capacity.

Total Work Time Progressions:

• Week 1 — 12 Minutes total work time
  • Tuesday: 3 separate sets with 2 minutes of rest between sets
    • 8 Rounds, Every 30 seconds:
    • 5x Box Jumps
    • 2x Burpees
    • Rest in skier tuck
  • Thursday: 2 separate sets with 2 minutes of rest between sets
    • 12 Rounds, Every 30 Seconds:
    • 5x Box Jumps
    • 2x Burpees
    • Rest in skier tuck
• Week 3 — 16 Minutes total work time
  • Tuesday: 2 sets of 12 Rounds, Every 30 Seconds and 1 Set of 8 Rounds, Every 30 Seconds – 2 minutes of rest between sets
  • Thursday: 2 Sets of 16 Rounds, Every 30 seconds – 2 minutes of rest between rounds
• Week 5 — 20 Minutes total work time
  • Tuesday: 2 Sets of 14 Rounds, Every 30 Seconds and 1 Set of 12 Rounds, Every 30 Seconds – 2 minutes of rest between sets
  • Thursday: 2 Sets of 20 Rounds, Every 30 Seconds – 2 minutes of rest between rounds

Short vs Long Efforts: Because there are various downhill/endurance courses, we had to create work capacity events to account for shorter and longer efforts. By separating the total work time into shorter and longer efforts, we are able to account for a large variety of downhill run lengths. One work capacity session each week targets shorter downhill runs; another trains longer efforts. Total duration increases weekly to build fatigue resistance for all downhill run lengths.

Endurance

• Downhill plan: 60–90-minute progression rides so athletes can ride up and down a mountain for a full day of downhill racing and pedaling back up between runs.
• Enduro plan: A 30-minute pedaling assessment with progressive intervals that increase output for downhill corners and make athletes more efficient on uphill transitions.

Mini-Events – Enduro only

We added mini-events to simulate an Enduro competition day: pedaling endurance, work capacity event, and repeat. Sessions scale from ~60 minutes up to ~180 minutes to simulate an Enduro event.

Chassis Integrity

Circuits hit total-body, rotational, and anti-rotation/isometric demands. We use Farmer Carries (anti-rotation + grip), rotational work for bike/body control, and total-body patterns to keep the trunk solid when courses get rough.

Sport Demands and How we Train it

Sport Demand	How we train it
Very high HR during descents; repeated bursts, braking, compressions	E30s circuit (5 Box Jumps, 2 Burpees, skier-tuck) with weekly time progressions
Grip fatigue and forearm loading on rough terrain	Dead-Hang assessment + intervals; Farmer Carries
Upper-body crash risk / shoulder durability	Upper-body hypertrophy sessions for added armor and strength
Pedaling power for transitions and longer stage efforts	30-min pedaling assessment + structured intervals; mini-events that chain uphill transitions with work-capacity
Lower-body max effort strength	Rat 6 for Hinge Lift & Front Squat

Training Plan Descriptions:

• Downhill Mountain Bike Training Plan — 5 weeks, 6 days/week. Trains bike-specific leg strength, upper-body hypertrophy, and downhill biking fitness; prepares you for a full day of downhill racing and pedaling back up.
• Enduro Mountain Bike Training Plan — 6 weeks, 6 days/week. Trains leg strength, upper-body hypertrophy, pedaling power, and downhill fitness; includes mini-events to simulate race day.

Questions You May Have

Why 5 Box Jumps / 2 Burpees?
For our work capacity events, the early rounds should include at least half of each 30-second bout as “rest” (the skier-tuck). The 6/3 trial left only ~8 seconds of tuck early and ~3 seconds late—below target. It also over-taxed the upper body, which isn’t the priority for downhill work capacity. 5/2 restores ~15 seconds of early-round tuck.

Why progress time (and not reps/density) in the circuit?
We progress one thing at a time. For downhill, time is appropriate: some runs are short, some are longer. Stepping up total work time each week lets us prepare for both ends of that spectrum while increasing capacity.

What’s the point of the skier-tuck?
It mimics the downhill position—quarter-squat with trunk bracing—so the session rehearses the posture riders actually hold on course.

How do the Enduro mini-events help?
They simulate a race day: time-limited transition and downhill stage—repeated. Scaling these sessions from ~60 to ~180 minutes builds the capacity and sequencing athletes need for competition.

Why grip strength emphasis?
Grip matters—research shows post-run grip strength declines and high forearm activation on descents. We use Dead-Hang intervals and Farmer Carries to target that demand.

References

• Sperlich, B., Achtzehn, S., Buhr, M., Zinner, C., Zelle, S., & Holmberg, H-C. (2012). Salivary cortisol, heart rate, and blood lactate responses during elite downhill mountain bike racing. Int J Sports Physiol Perform.
• Burr, J.F., et al. (2012). Physiological demands of downhill mountain biking. J Sports Sci.
• Hurst, H.T., et al. (2012). Influence of course type on upper body muscle activity in elite XC and DH mountain bikers during off-road downhill cycling. J Sci Cycling.
• Kirkwood, L.A., et al. (2017). Physiological characteristics and performance in elite vs non-elite enduro mountain biking. J Sci Cycling.
• Fiore, D.C., et al. (2020). Injuries in Mountain Biking and Implications for Care. Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal.
• BMJ Open SEM case series: Complex shoulder-girdle injuries following mountain bike accidents. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.