Some riders may wonder what on earth a book about getting into shape for fighting has to do with trail riding, to which I would reply “a lot”. In fact, I have often said that I am more interested in what MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) guys do to get into shape for a fight than what roadies do to prepare for the Tour. The trail requires an amazing amount of care and upper body strength, skill and the ability to apply those things in a powerful manner over and over during the course of a ride – in short, if you looked at things from an Energy Systems standpoint mountain bike training has a lot in common with fight training.

I was turned on to Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamison when talking with the cycling coach for the T Mobile road cycling team and Athletes Performance, Darcy Norman. I am constantly evaluating my coaching and programming skills and one of the areas I knew that I needed to improve in was long term cardio training plans and so I had sought Darcy out since he was one of the best in world at that. He mentioned that I should check the book out and I ordered as soon as I got off the phone with him.

Ultimate MMA Conditioning is one of the best training books I have read in a long time – it takes an amazingly complex subject and breaks it down in a way that is relatively easy to understand. I say “relatively” because you can only boil it down so much but when most training books in this area make good reading material when you need to fall asleep this one does a great job of keeping it as simple as possible and interesting. While there were countless lessons I learned from it, but there were 3 main things I wanted to share with you…

Energy Systems Development vs. Cardio Training – One of the big takeaways from the book for me was the use of the term Energy Systems Development (ESD) instead of the term “cardio”. I have never liked the term “cardio” – I have several blog posts pointing out how it is just one part of your ability to endure on the trail – but ESD really helped solidify in my mind what we are really after with a training program.

In a nutshell, your body has 3 ways to produce energy – Aerobic, Anaerobic Lactic and Anaerobic Alactic. Some of us may think about it in the old school terms of Aerobic, Glycolitic and Anaerobic but the take home message is that your body produces energy through an intricate interplay of those 3 energetic pathways and that understanding them and how they relate to different types of trail riding is the key to developing a successful training program.

In addition to producing energy 3 different ways your body also has to be able to utilize that energy. Production and utilization are not the same thing – just because your body can do one does not mean that it is as efficient with the other. This is why the term Energy Systems Development is so appropriate – the ultimate goal is not to simply develop your cardiovascular system (which is where the term “cardio” comes from) but to improve your body’s ability to efficiently produce and utilize energy through the 3 energetic pathways as they apply to the type of riding you do.

The Importance of Aerobic Training – In a world gone mad with “anaerobic intervals” and “Tabatas”, the call for more aerobic training may seem a bit counter to the current trends. In fact, in the training circles I run in that part of the book caused a lot of controversy, at least until you read the book and understand what he is really saying.

Joel rightfully points out that a true anaerobic effort is something that you can not come back and repeat in a few seconds or even minutes. An all out 100 meter sprint or 1 rep max on the deadlift are true anaerobic efforts – it can take days or weeks before you can repeat those efforts. What most people think of as anaerobic intervals are, in fact, aerobic intervals.

Joel lists several options for training the aerobic system and only one of them is the dreaded Long Slow Distance method, and even then he only strongly recommends it for people who have a resting heart rate above 60 bpm. While he may include it in the early part of someone’s program it seems to be more of an active recovery method than a hard core training method and he lists several interval and tempo training options to help train the aerobic system to do what we really want it to do – support the anaerobic energy systems.

So yes, you do need to do some aerobic training but no, you don’t need to log hours and hours on the road to accomplish it. In fact, too much of that particular method is still a bad idea as it does not work on the specific type of aerobic efforts we need on the trail.

Strength Training is ESD Training – One of the most interesting parts of the book is how Joel includes different types of strength training in his list of ESD training methods. Of course, once you break out of the mold of “strength training” and “cardio training” this makes sense since strength training also improves your ability to produce and utilize energy through both the Anaerobic Lactic and Anaerobic Alactic pathways.

This is why I warn against taking a random strength training program and “cardio” program and mashing them together – without accounting for how one impacts the other you may be interfering with the results from both. Understanding how everything integrates together is the best way to develop an overall training program.

As mountain bikers we don’t need strength for strength’s sake – we are not powerlifters after all – but we do need strength to support our energy systems demands on the trail. This is another reason that you can not simply pedal your way to being the best rider possible since strength training is needed for well rounded energy systems development.

In conclusion I highly recommend checking out Ultimate MMA Conditioning and Joel’s blog at www.8weeksout.com. In a sport that is crazy for cardio training, this book does a great job of de-mystifying the subject and giving concrete examples of different ways to train the energy systems as they relate to the different types of efforts used on the trail. Few books have impacted the way I write programs as much as this one has and if you are interested in learning more about ESD Training then is the perfect place to start.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

There are two popular programs that get a lot of people drawing comparisons between them and my programs. The P90X and Crossfit programs do share some similarities in the exercises and tools used but the reality is that they couldn’t be more different in the results they produce.

Because both of these programs emphasize bodyweight exercises, basic compound lifts and Crossfit even uses kettle bells so they do indeed look similar on the surface. But the problem is that you are looking at the ingredients list, not at how those ingredients are prepared to produce the end result.

I was talking with a friend the other day about this subject and he gave me the best analogy I’ve ever heard to distinguish what I do from those other two programs. Imagine that both of us went to the store and bought a nice Rib Eye steak. The cut is the same, it came from the same cow, everything that could be the same is when it comes to those two steaks.

Now let’s say we get home and start to prepare the steaks to cook up. You take yours and tenderize it just right, let it marinate for a few hours, take a great steak rub and put it on and sit there patiently while it cooks.

I take mine, though, and throw it against the wall a few times, throw some salt and pepper on it and don’t really watch it too close while it is cooking. When we sit down to eat who do you think is going to be happier with the end result?

Even though we had the exact same ingredient (the steak) the end result was very different. It all came down to how the steak was prepared and cooked. The same thing applies to the P90X and Crossfit programs.

Sure, they do use a lot of the same raw ingredients but the preparation of those ingredients is totally different. We can argue about how good or bad a bunch of random exercises thrown together with a bunch of random set and rep schemes really is but you can not argue that programs like that are not nearly as effective for the specific purpose of helping you ride better as a program prepared for that specific purpose.

Even the creators of those programs will admit that they are general fitness programs and are not meant for people that have specific sports and goals – unless they just want to get your money and then will tell you whatever you want  to hear. If you want to improve your overall endurance on your bike, improve your technical skills and your overall fun on the trail then just doing a bunch of random stuff in the gym will not get you the same results as quickly as you would from a more specific program.

Remember that how you prepare your dinner and workout program is just as important as the raw ingredients.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

The “hip hinge” movement pattern is your basic ability to move from your hips and not your lower back. It is a vital movement on your mountain bike because without it you simply can not achieve good, balanced body position. Being able to get your butt back and chest down while maintaining a long spine improves your balance, pedaling power and reduces the amount of stress on your lower back and shoulders, however most riders have trouble with their hip hinge and so struggle with applying this concept to the trail.

On page 5 of this PDF handout covering the Functional Movement Screen is the Active Straight Leg Raise screen and if you struggle with it (or more simply struggle to touch your toes) then these exercises here will help you fix the movement issue. Once you have improved your hip hinge you will find yourself able to more easily achieve strong, balanced body position on the bike.

BTW, I just posted a skills training video covering body position and how the deadlift ties into the body position on the bike on my Inner Circle website, if you are not currently a member then you can learn more about the exclusive workouts, skills training videos and other stuff visiting www.mountainbiketrainingprograms.com.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Skills Training, Mountain Bike Strength Training

I would have to say that 90% of the MTB riders and racers that I have met would be defined as “over skilled”. It sounds absurd since most feel that some aspect of their riding needs work, be it skill related such as gate starts or fitness related such as better power endurance (I define MTB specific fitness as a “skill”). However, when you really understand how the human body functions and best adapts to MTB specific skills and fitness you will see what I mean. First, though, I need to explain the OPP.

The Optimum Performance Pyramid (OPP) was first introduced to me by Gray Cook, a highly influential figure in strength training circles. It is probably the best explanation that I have come across describing how performance training should be viewed. Gray uses the OPP to explain the 3 distinct levels of performance training, their prioritization and how to best integrate them.

The first, and broadest, level is Functional Movement. Contrary to the current fitness trends, this does not mean standing on a wobbly doo-hicky, looking like you are trying out for the circus. Functional Movement simply refers to developing adequate mobility, body control and movement awareness in order to safely handle higher level movements.

Examples of exercises in this level would include single leg box squats, pistol squats, Bulgarian split squats, single leg deadlift, push ups and their variations, inverted rows and alternating DB shoulder press. Bodyweight and unilateral exercises make up the bulk of this type of training. However, bodyweight exercises are extremely humbling when challenging variations are used. Do not underestimate the power of this type of training.

The Functional Movement level should also address any imbalances in the body, both mobility and strength wise, as they are a huge red flag for a potential injury. An athlete without a strong base built in this level of training will be far more prone to injuries, have a harder time mastering new skills and techniques and generally find that their training efforts yield few and inconsistent results.

The second level of the pyramid is Functional Strength. This level focuses on improving your raw strength and power. As I have touched on many times, increasing these areas will effectively add to your raw potential. Riders without adequate time spent on this level will also find that they have a harder time mastering new skills and will probably feel as if they have hit a plateau with their progression.

Examples of exercises in this level would include deadlift, front squat, bench press, military press, weighted pull ups/ chin ups, and DB rows. Compound, core exercises for the main movement patterns make up the bulk of this level.

The last, and smallest, level is Functional Skill. Unfortunately, this is where most training that MTB riders undertake would fall. This includes trail riding, DH runs, dirt jumping, 4X track time, gate starts, sprints, intervals and high level strength training methods such as plyometrics and Olympic Lifts. These methods will only yield the biggest “MTB specific” gains if they are used by someone who has spent time developing the base levels of the performance training pyramid. Believe it or not, over use of training methods in this level can actually slow down and stagnate skill development and fitness progression.

In fact, if you talked with any of the originators of a specialized training method I will guarantee you that they would tell you that they intended that method to be used by someone who had progressed into it. Every good strength coach understands the importance of laying a solid foundation and building on it in a progressive manner, but that approach is rarely reported on in the media or used by less skilled fitness professionals. What you find in the magazines and training boards is someone who reports on the specialized method independent of the progression intended to lead into it. Everyone wants to report on, learn and/ or use the “special” and “secret” training method of the champs, but failure to understand the progression into that method does a great disservice to the pioneers that gave us those methods.

Plyometrics have to be one of the best examples of this. Developed and refined by the old Soviet Union, plyometrics have developed an almost mystical status here in the United States. Almost every training conversation that I have with a rider eventually comes around to “what about plyometrics”, as if they hold the key to all riding goals. Riders who can barely pull off a bodyweight squat are jumping around cones and off of boxes in the quest for a MTB specific workout. However, the pioneers of the plyometric method would be greatly disturbed by this approach.

Some of the old Soviet training texts suggest that an athlete should have progressed (there’s that word again) to a double bodyweight squat before they were ready for depth jumps and other high level plyometrics. While I may not agree with that specific suggestion (more recent suggestions are around 1-1.5 times your bodyweight), it does underscore the fact that no one came into their training program and started off with plyometrics. In fact, it could be years before they would allow an athlete to use those higher level training methods if they felt adequate functional movement and strength had not been established. BTW, the Soviets kicked a lot off butt with this approach and this template has become the model for almost every high level strength and conditioning coach in the world.

So, as you can see from this point of view, most riders spend far too much time and focus on the Functional Skill level of the OPP. A lot of them may not have spent any time working on Functional Movement and/ or Functional Strength. This makes them over skilled, as their MTB specific skill and fitness progression is maxed out compared to the base that they have built. This means that a long term approach with an eye on safely progressing through the 3 levels of the OPP is needed for sustainable results. Without it, you are simply guessing at what will help you and hoping that it will. I don’t know about you, but that approach leaves too much to chance. If I’m going to invest time into training I want to be sure that it is going to pay off.

Note: do not confuse “over skilled” from a performance training point of view with having “adequate skill” from a pure performance point of view. Most of us will never be satisfied with our skill and fitness levels in every aspect of riding so we will always be looking to get a little better in some aspect on the bike. What I am saying is that at a certain point you must re-solidify the base of your OPP in order to continue to realize the gains offered by the higher level strategies.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Cardio Training, Mountain Bike Mobility Training, Mountain Bike Strength Training

I love to train and I love to play but I hate to workout. Confused by that statement? According to emails I get from riders trying to piece together a program to take their riding to the next level, if you are confused then you are not alone. However, knowing the difference and how to balance the 3 is the key to being able to see progress month after month and year after year without burning out.

First up is the word Training…

The definition of the word training is “deliberate practice in the attempt to acquire or refine a skill”. This means that you know exactly how what you are doing relates directly to the specific skills and/ or fitness you want to acquire or improve on the trail. Training has to be at the cornerstone of any training program but that is rarely the case, especially when it comes to trail riding.

For example, knowing how a deadlift relates to proper body position on the bike and the creation of a strong, powerful pedal stroke and then thinking about that as you are in the gym is training. Knowing how a windmill applies to the lateral hip movement you need to corner a bike is training. Spending time with some cones in a parking lot working on your basic handling skills is training. Simply going through the motions and trying to act it out is not enough – you have to know what you are supposed to be feeling.

I tell my clients that you can not look at the programs I create as a list of exercises to get through without any thought of the lessons behind each of those exercises. If you don’t walk out of the gym feeling that you learned something about how you move and how you can apply that to the bike then it wasn’t “training”. Just going for a ride with no idea of how to execute basic skills and a plan on how to practice them on the trail isn’t “training”.

At the heart of it is a desire to understand the “Spirit of the Thing Itself” (to quote Miyamoto Musashi from The Book of Five Rings) and, more importantly, a desire to understand how you suck and can tap into that spirit to get better. A humble attitude is needed to really train and, to be honest, is probably the biggest obstacle for most riders to overcome – knowing that you simply aren’t that good no matter how you stack up with the riders in your local riding group is tough for a lot of riders to accept.

Next I want to delve into Playing (I’ll get into Working Out in minute)…

Playing is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Training, when you don’t think about or worry about how what you are doing is going to help you improve. As you can see from the definition above, true training requires as much mental as physical effort and no one can do it all of the time without burning out, meaning that playing is also in integral part of a program.

For a mountain biker this means simply going out and having fun riding your bike, playing another sport or even goofing off with your family. Sometimes I get the feeling that a lot of us have forgotten how to do this – we want everything to count towards our fitness goals.

I get questions all the time from well meaning riders who are trying to calculate how their morning bike ride to work or weekend hike with the family is going to count towards their fitness goals and how to fit it into their program. While I will admit that a pro rider who is “peaking” (an overused term that I really hate) for an event needs to make sure that they don’t overextend themselves in the days leading up to it the vast majority of us need to relax and just have – gasp – fun!

Remember that bike riding, and on a larger scale life, is supposed to be fun and that adults have the uncanny knack of taking the fun out of everything. Most of us can simply relax and enjoy most of our rides and extra-curricular activities without having to worry about how it will impact our training plan.

Don’t feel that every ride you go on has to take your overall training goals into account. Don’t pass up a chance to play with your family and friends because you are afraid that it will affect your “mileage” or “training hours”. If you can’t go on a ride with your wife because waiting for her at the top of a hill lets your heart rate drop and interferes with your “training” so you can finish 15^th instead of 18^th in Cat 2 in your local race series then you need to chill out. If you can’t go on a hike with your kids because it might kill your legs for your big “training” session at the gym the next day then you need to get a clue.

No one will be lying on their deathbed wishing that they had trained or worked more but countless people realize – too late unfortunately – that they did not have enough fun when they had the chance.

Now, I’ll dig into the worst of the 3 – Working Out…

You don’t have to be religious to appreciate what Jesus meant when he said “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out.”

Working Out is the lukewarm area of a program and the one that we should spend the least amount of time in but, unfortunately, where the vast majority of riders end up. They know they need to be doing something but they don’t really know what and so every time they hit the gym or the trail they are neither training (with a specific understanding of what they are working on and how it applies to the trail) nor are they playing (just having fun with no thoughts as to how it applies to the trail).

Most training rides are not really “training”, they are hammerfests with riders going as hard as they can for as long as they can with no real plan or idea of how their previous ride set them up for this ride or how this ride is going to set them up for the next one. Most gym time is not training, it is a list of exercises that was acquired from a magazine or off the internet that riders rush through in an attempt to build up their “cardio” or “fitness”. And don’t get me started on skills training – the epidemic of riders on $5000 bikes with $5 skills is out of control.

Being able to differentiate between Training, Playing and Working Out is vital to your ability to improve on a consistent basis while also staying mentally fresh and keeping your passion for mountain biking. Understand that being lukewarm in your approach is the worst thing you can do – you either need to be training or playing, which means having a plan that you have confidence in and execute with a purpose and also being able to chill out and have fun.

In conclusion, the real key to this is having a coach. We are both our own worst critics and our biggest cheerleaders and relying on ourselves to evaluate what we need to improve on and how to do it leads to a lot of the mental stress and lukewarm working out that most riders find themselves caught up in. Remember that the rider who has himself for a coach has a fool for a client, myself included. Being humble enough to seek help, and actually pay for it if necessary, gives you the peace of mind that you need in order to train when you needed and be able to play when you can.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Cardio Training, Mountain Bike Strength Training

One of the common arguments against strength training for cycling is that the contraction speed seen in lifting weights is much slower than that seen during the pedal stroke. While I won’t get into how much more there is to riding – especially mountain biking – than pedaling, I want to stick with that idea to point out a few fundamental flaws in that simplistic view of performance training.

First, not all pedal stroke efforts are created equal. When talking about contraction speeds during pedaling the assumption is being made that the pedal stroke is a high RPM (90-110) and low resistance on the pedals. This does not describe all types of pedaling – low RPM grinds and standing pedal strokes both require a different type of muscle contraction. I’ve certainly had pedal strokes that felt like a tough single leg deadlift and that is one of the main points of training – work on the things you need on the trail but don’t use enough on the trail to significantly improve.

So, some types of pedaling efforts do require a type of muscular action similar to those seen during strength training. In addition to that, there are exercises that do train the faster types of muscle contractions seen during higer RPM pedaling.

Kettlebell swings in particular work on both the movement pattern and contraction type needed, making them a very sport specific way to train for cycling in the gym. Swings use a lighter weight and faster overall movement than the Olymipc lifts but are not as widely studied and so are rarely included when considering if strength training has specific carryover to the pedal stroke.

Lastly, your raw strength is a good reflection of how “stress proof” a movement pattern is. As you fatigue any cracks in your movement start to get magnified, meaning that you lose efficiency and start wasting energy. This is a double whammy – not only are you low on energy but you start wasting it and using it faster.

If you can lift a significant amount of weight in some of the basic exercises like the deadlift, front squat/ Goblet squat and KB shoulder press then you can be pretty sure that you can push those movement patterns hard and they will retain their efficiency. You simply can’t take bad movement very far in the gym – bad form will stop your progress or get you hurt if you try to get strong with it.

However, in the saddle you can lean on clipless pedals, bike fits and seated pedaling to let you get around bad movement, which leads to inefficient movement and overuse injuries. You can get away with crappy movement in the saddle and so strength training is a great way to “cement” better movement for use on the bike.

So, we have 3 reasons that strength training should be a centerpiece of a cycling program:

1) Some pedal stroke efforts, like slow RPM grinds and standing, do require muscular contractions similar to those seen during strength training.

2) Light weight kettlebell swings with overspeed eccentrics use faster contraction  speeds train similar contraction speeds seen during higher RPM pedaling.

3) Strength is a great indicator of how stress proof your movement is, which indicates how efficient you can remain as you fatigue.

I think that most coaches who dismiss or minimize the effect of strength training on cycling in general and the pedal stroke in particular simply have a very limited understanding of strength training in the first place. I think that it has a lot to offer from both a holistic and sport specific point of view and that any rider who is serious about improving must make it a priority.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Strength Training