Mountain Biking - Improving...

While my technical ability is beginning to develop (I've only been MTBing a handfull of times) I feel I'm lacking the 10% extra or so I need in my legs to get moving. I'm not sure what the best way to move forward with this is though.

Is it a good idea to go riding and not to do the MTB part? Just to try develop general fitness and build the muscles. Is it much advantage to stick to the roads some days and just try and put in a lot of miles?

And as a general rule, if you are avaragely fit and you are trying to build yourself up, how many miles should one be putting in every week? How many rides and how far? I'd really like a bit of advice on this.

Thanks a lot!

You should probably be looking at seperate exercises when you get to a pretty fit level... like leg presses and other leg exercises along with things for your chest and arms... It's a more efficient way to work on your entire body. Still riding 50 miles at a time helps.

There are a lot of ways to get yourself fit for mountain biking. You'll see results if you just ride trails as often as possible. You can also gain plenty of endurance if you crosstrain on the road. Stationary bikes and other machines in the cardio-deck of your gym provide methods for conditioning. Lifting will also provide strength. Personally, I don't like to lift legs during the cycling season due to the recovery time I find that my legs need when pushing weight. So, I prefer to increase my conditioning and strength through actual riding during the good cycling months.