I am just about to move from phase 1 to phase 2 in the UMWP. When I move from the last week of phase 1 to the first week of phase 2 I am unsure of how much I should be dropping my weight load down to. For example in phase 1 for the straight leg dead lift the load progression I used was 80, 90, 100, 110 through the 4 weeks. So for the first week of phase 2 what load would you recommend I start at?
Also I have noticed that when some of the people in the gym are lifting heavy loads they work their way up to the highest load in their workout. So for the first set of reps they will lift half the load, 2nd set maybe ¾ and then for the last set do the full load. Is this to prevent injury? What is your take on this?
Here is a video demo I just shot on how to do a single arm DB snatch. This is a great exercise that lets us get some of the power developing benefits of Olympic style lifts without having to spend a lot of time on the technical aspects of the traditional snatch and clean.
Power development is crucial for mountain bikers. This exercise will help you pedal harder and bunny hop higher on the trail.
Check out my new article on arm pump over at VitalMTB.com. Arm pump on the trail a subject I have gotten a lot of questions on lately and I got a chance to get Aaron Gwin to demo the exercises on the video. He even gave some input on what he thinks it takes to get rid of arm pump on your mountain bike.
I don’t know why but I have become obsessed lately with the whole “pedaling endurance” concept. The more I think about it the more I think it holds the key for most mountain bikers to take their riding to the next level. And far from being just a DH rider concept, this idea applies just as much to trail riders and XC racers.
I was going over the new programs with a couple of my riders this weekend and in talking with them I mentioned a saying I’ve heard many times before – Fatigue masks fitness.
No matter where you are or what type of riding you do this saying applies to you. When you get tired your “fitness” is hard to display. However, what is important to note is that fatigue from one thing can affect your fitness in another area.
Let me give you an analogy to illustrate my point – Read more…
I was going through my YouTube videos and found this one that never got posted here. It is a great video demo on how to squat properly – more importantly, it shows you how to avoid putting excessive stress on the knees during squats.
If you feel that you can not squat or that excessive squats kill your knees then watch this video! It will help you get more drive out of your hips, which will not only feel better but help you get more leg drive on the trail.
The last week has been pretty exhausting. Between tying to play catch up on missing a week while at Mike Boyle’s facility in Boston and getting over a head cold that just wouldn’t let go I was trying to help people keep some perspective on articles and posts I had written.
On NSMB.com I had posted an article on the Bulgarian Split Squat and found myself defending it against some people who felt I was either saying it was the best exercise ever or were upset that I did not go over a different exercise that they thought was more appropriate. It was one article on one exercise and yet some people lost perspective and it resulted in a lot of confusion and wasted online hairsplitting.
On Monday I posted some thoughts I had on pedaling endurance for DH racing. Some people had a tough time keeping perspective on the situation – I am not saying that pedaling endurance is not important for DH racing. It is very important for all mountain bikers and will always be a part of a good training program.
