No pain, no gain!

Cold, wet winter nights are not the best motivation for off-season training but now's the time to start preparing for the spring.

Make no mistake about it, championships are won and lost in the off-season. The hard work put in through the winter will make all the difference to your results come March and onwards - something it's always worth remembering when the nights are dark, the wind is blowing and the motivation is low!

At the start of a new season there are riders who you suddenly notice, riders who have moved up a gear and those that for some unknown reason are now at another level. These are the riders who managed to stay focussed and worked hard on their fitness and bike skills over the winter.

One rider who has the hard work attitude is MX2 rider Jim Murro. Putting in the long hours when no-one is there and pushing himself has led to a successful first season in the British championship MX2 class and now an exciting deal with KTM for 2006. And this will surely help motivate him further this winter when he's putting the hours in on the practice track and in the gym looking forward to spring. It's a chain reaction!

Winter training can be divided into two main categories - off-season training and pre-season training. The off-season takes us up to around six weeks before the season starts and then we can term it pre-season. The ultimate aim is to be completely ready for the season's start and this year for many it was that lovely crisp, sunny day at Hawkstone Park.

We need to plan the off-season well as it forms the backbone of the fitness you'll have over the course of the season. Many people who don't understand the physiological principles of training may end up putting in a lot of very hard work - but directed in the wrong areas - and this leads to them having unforeseen problems and disappointing fitness results. Training at very high intensity or doing predominantly strength-based training are two very good examples of this.

The first thing we must do is train for cardiovascular endurance. This is exercise in the range of 50-80 per cent maximum effort for prolonged periods, several times per week. The duration of exercise is a key factor and for many this means upping the duration - 10-15 minutes twice a week just won't cut it!

This endurance training is training that does not build up high levels of lactic acid, can be sustained for up to and over an hour in duration but is still taxing on the heart and lungs. There are many muscular adaptations that take place and these are important as increased aerobic capacity is vital in improving endurance performance.

Aerobic muscle fibres (known as type one) increase in size, there is an increased blood supply to the working muscles and there is an increased reliance on fats as a fuel - sparing carbohydrate so exercise can be sustained longer. These are some of the adaptations to endurance exercise and for two or three 30-minute motos you are going to be grateful for all of these!

One thing important to remember is that training for strength, power and speed has little effect on aerobic capacity. This high intensity exercise is of course very important for MX but, as it does not improve aerobic capacity, it needs to be added to the winter plan later. The endurance exercise builds a big 'base' of fitness from which to work on and the improvement in your aerobic capacity will aid the high intensity work when it is added to this foundation pre-season.

Winter in the UK is not very conducive to spending prolonged periods of time outside on a bicycle or running on a dark wet street so a lot of people will head to a gym to work out. So what is the best way to use the facilities at a gym?

Staying on one piece of equipment for up to an hour isn't much fun. Breaking cardio sessions into two or three different exercises will give variety but also still give the training response necessary (consistently raised heart rate). Here are some useful training tips for endurance sessions in the gym.

* Find your ideal training range - exercise at around 60 per cent maximum effort will predominantly train to burn fat and be a good starting point to exercise, whereas raising this to 80-85 per cent max will increase your aerobic capacity and enable you to go harder for longer. Gradually build up intensity - but not at the sacrifice of duration (yet).

* A heart rate monitor is a very useful way to find your ideal training range and monitor fitness and recovery. They are now relatively cheap and taking resting heart rate first thing in the morning will help you gauge your fitness and help you spot any sickness or fatigue that is creeping in.

* Exercises that train upper and lower body muscles are very appropriate for MX - rowing, the cross trainer and swimming are three very good examples and develop muscular fatigue resistance in major muscle groups.

* Duration of exercise is very important to adapting the body and giving increased aerobic capacity. Aim for training sessions of 45 minutes to one hour three times a week at least and try to incorporate sessions of around two hours to two-and-a-half hours a few times per month. A long bike ride every weekend is ideal and will train the body to utilise fuel sparingly and cope with long sustained effort without the big knock on of soreness from joints or muscles sometimes seen with running. Having said this, running is a great way to get your heart rate high and gives a good intensive workout - but wear proper running shoes and aim to run on soft ground where possible.

* Endurance exercise should form a good part of your training week in the off-season. A lot of people will go to the weights before they are doing enough endurance training. Weights sessions compliment endurance for MX training very well and are important but get the proportion right.

* Try to have three sessions a week of training. If you are training regularly at the moment, use one or two sessions a week on top of this to work on weak areas - muscular strength can be increased and core stability can be greatly improved (more on this in my next article).

Now is the time to put the effort into your training and plan your weeks well up to Christmas. Routine really is the key and joining a gym is a good way to keep you motivated and training regularly. This routine will give you momentum as you approach the New Year and as you build intensity remember that you are looking for that end point of the winter and the chance to get racing again.

Long, sustained effort doesn't sound like the ideal welcome to winter but make it fun by varying sessions in the gym and the pool and when the gate drops and you stay out front instead of fading you'll know it has been worth it!

A very big thank you to Virgin Active Health Club for accommodating us. Virgin Active Health Clubs can be found nationwide - for more information or to find your nearest Health Club go to www.virginactive.co.uk