The off-season is an excellent time to focus on improving body composition and getting lean. Why is that? Early season training typically means spending a solid block of riding characterized by long, low intensity to build aerobic endurance. More specifically, training the aerobic system develops important capacities like improving fat oxidation rates (i.e. increasing the amount of fat molecules we utilize for fuel/energy), improving metabolic efficiency, and increasing stamina/endurance via carbohydrate sparing, just to name a few.