Without getting lost in the weeds of training theory, all you really need to achieve a high degree of fitness for mountain biking is to go really hard fairly regularly, then go relatively easy most of the time. It’s called polarised training and it’s really effective at inducing the physiological adaptations we’re after in order to become much fitter and faster on our bikes.
The problem? It’s really hard, if not impossible, to do quality polarised training on an analogue mountain bike as most of your rides, even when actively trying to take it easy, end up being kinda tough. Not tough enough to elicit the peak performance gains we’re after, and not easy enough to promote
