The kettlebell swing and snatch are two of my favorite exercises for increasing mountain bike specific power. The hip action and upper body demands are very similar to riding a bike and I still say that doing a hard KB swing or snatch workout is as close as you can come to the physical demands of a trail ride without throwing your leg over the bike.

While most people who read my blog and follow my MTB Kettlebell Conditioning Program are familiar with kettlebell swings there are a couple of really cool variations that I use in my facility and have never shown before. I shot this video to show you the progressions I use to help a rider improve their power and body position on the bike with these two powerful (pun intended) exercises.

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

Here are two cool drills I used last month in my facility for some extra cardio at the end of the strength training sessions. These are a great way to get some cardio in if you only have a few minutes. They also work well for the time crunched mountain biker as stand alone workouts if you are really pressed for time but want to get something in.

- James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

Last week I wrote on article on Dan John’s 4 Quadrants of Training (link to 4 Quadrants article) – I don’t know why but this concept really pulled a lot of things together for me. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on how we can apply this concept specifically to mountain bikers and optimal journey they should take.

Q1 riders are those who are just starting with mountain biking. They would want to gain exposure to a wide variety of trails and types of riding. Short rides, long rides, epic pedals and downhill shuttles – they should try it all. Same with their approach to fitness – it should be a pretty simple program that works on a broad base of mobility, strength and cardio needs like my DB Combos Program (www.dbcombos.com). You don’t need a training plan based on finishing the Leadville 100 when you are still learning how to effectively pedal, shift and brake on the trail.

Q2 riders are those that have decided to get more “serious” and improve their riding. While the temptation is to hurry and pick a type of riding you want to focus on the Q2 rider is still building their base and needs to take their basic fitness and skills to a higher level before specialization will really help. This would be when you would want to take a skills clinic and get more serious with your strength and conditioning program, using something like my MTB Kettlebell Conditioning Program (www.mtbkettlebellconditioning.com). As a side note, there are riders who may need to stay in Q2, especially if you compete in multi-day “enduro” type events where you race a multi-event format like the Trestle All-Mountain Enduro event at Winter Park.

Q3 riders are those that have several years of basic riding under their belt and have started to gravitate towards a specific discipline. This could be competing at a low to moderate level or even just wanting to focus on a certain type of riding, which usually corresponds with the types of trails you have around you. You would want to start to slant your training towards the specific needs of the advanced trail rider, using a workout like The Ultimate MTB Workout Program that addresses the both the general needs of mountain biking and the specific demands of your chosen “specialty”.

Again, the danger here is thinking that you need to have a high level of everything when the truth is that you just need a high level in a few things and maintenance of what you built on the way through the first 2 Quadrants in others (which is why you have to go through them or else there is nothing to “maintain”). Even within this quadrant you have needs specific to the type of riding you do and you don’t need the skills of a World Cup DH pro and the fitness of a 24 hour solo racer – trying to train too many qualities will result in mediocrity.

Q4 riders are the best of the best – they need a very narrow band of fitness and skills and they need to push them to the highest levels humanly possible. That is why an XC rider can have a puny upper body and a DH rider can have average steady state cardio – they push for one goal as hard as possible and let everything else go. Unless you race on the World Cup circuit, draw a paycheck as a pro rider or have a legitimate chance to do so then I’m sorry but you are not a Q4 rider.

So, again, the trick is to honestly assess where you are in the 4 Quadrants and then use that information to focus your training. If you have just started riding then strive to ride as many trails as possible and don’t starting using Q4 equipment and strategies too early (like clipless pedals and “base miles”). If you are a Q3 rider then don’t worry about a Boot Camp type program that focuses on everything and instead focus on what you need to excel on the trail while maintaining the other stuff. If you are a Q4 rider then don’t worry about being able to stack up against anyone in anything except your competition.

There is an ancient Chinese saying that I tell everyone when they first start training with me – To be different from what you are you must first know what you are. Using the concept of the 4 Quadrants is one of the easiest ways I’ve found to help riders more honestly assess where they are so they can start the journey towards the changes they really want.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

This is a re-post from of my recent pinkbike.com article -

A couple of things transpired to give us this months training post. First, my wireless mic was used to announce some slalom racing at The Ranch – I got smoked by Geoff Gulevich, the eventual winner – and I couldn’t get it back in time to shoot a video like I usually do. This left me trying to find something that I could do that did not need a video.

Second, I had Mikey Sylvestri come to town so that I could help him develop an off season training program to help him take it up a notch next season. This reminded me that a lot of riders are probably looking for something to do this off season and so I decided to put together an example of what I would do with a rider at this point in the off season.

The first thing that we need to be worrying about this time of year is gaining overall core strength. We’re going to start the workout off with the Turkish Get Up, which is one of the best exercises around for building the type of core strength you need on the trail. You’re going to do 3 reps on each side but do all 3 reps on one side and then 3 on the other – make sure that you switch sides after each rep.

After some TGUs to get the body linked up and ready to go we’re going to move to the Focus Circuit. This is where we are going to put the exercises that we want to make sure get the most energy and attention, which will lead to them getting the best results. Bodyweight exercises have been effectively used for centuries to build strong, capable bodies and I like to emphasize them in an early off season program. Bodyweight exercises are great for building the body awareness, tendon and ligament strength you need to safely handle heavy weights in later workouts.

The four bodyweight exercises that we are going to focus on are the squat, push up, lying leg raise and chin up. Since they are in a circuit you will do a set of the first exercise, rest 30-60 second and then move to the next exercise in the series. Once you have finished a set of all the exercises then start over, going through the series again until you have done all the sets for each exercise.

After our Focus Circuit we’ll move to the Secondary Circuit, which is where we place the exercise we want to work on but know they won’t see the best results since we get to them when we are tired. For this workout, even though we want to emphasize bodyweight exercises we still need to use some more traditional strength training exercises where we are moving an external implement, like a barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell or other tool.

The ability to control your bodyweight is one aspect of performance, your ability to apply force into an external object is the other. While bodyweight mastery is vital, nothing can replace good old fashioned strength. I love the deadlift and cheat-curl-to-press for building strength in the areas we need on the trail – the hips, lats and shoulders.

Lastly, we want to work on building come cardio capacity, specifically the energy systems that are critical to trail riding. While the aerobic energy system is important, on the trail it comes down to how well it can support the anaerobic energy system that really counts. The ability to push hard repeatedly with incomplete rest is the hallmark of a great rider and to do that you need to work on the Aerobic and Lactic Energy Systems in that way.

I like to use Cardiac Power Intervals to work on cardio endurance at this time of the year. This protocol has you power hard for a relatively long time, digging into your anaerobic Lactic Energy System before backing off and letting your heart rate drop back down to 120 beats per minute (bpm) before repeating. I recommend using an AirDyne Bike (the one with the fan for resistance) or your mountain bike on a trainer. You can do these outside but the more factors you can control the easier it is to progressively improve.

So, in a nutshell we want to emphasize core strength and bodyweight mastery, work on some basic strength and build some general Aerobic and Lactic Energy System endurance. This approach will help transition the body from the rigors of the riding season to demands of grueling off season workouts.

So, here is a routine that puts this all together for you. Click on the links to see video demos of the exercises.

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Start with a warm up drill like this one – Dynamic Mobility Warm Up

Core Training
TGU X 3 reps(switch sides each rep until you have done 3 on each side)
* If you struggle with the full TGU then just work up to the point that gives you trouble. Getting strong in the earlier parts of this exercise will make the later moves much easier.

Focus Circuit
BW Squat 2 sets X 10-30 reps
Push Ups 2 sets X 5 – 20 reps
Lying Leg Raise 2 sets X 5 – 20 reps
Chin Up 2 sets X 1 – 10 reps
* Make sure that you come down to a count of 2, pause for a count of 1 and come back up to a count of 2 on all reps in this circuit. Stop with 1 or 2 reps left and don’t train to failure – form breaks down so bad when you do that you get nothing out of those crappy reps.

Secondary Circuit
Deadlift 3 sets X 8 reps
Cheat Curl to Press 3 sets X 8 reps
* Start out with a relatively light weight for the first set and try to add a little weight each set, working up to a strong effort on the 3rd set. However, don’t train to failure – it is even more important with weighted exercises that you don’t let your form break down to get a few more reps.

Cardiac Power Intervals
Work: 60 seconds – Your goal is to get your HR as high as possible on each round
Rest: HR returns to 120-130 bpm – don’t stop, keep pedaling slowly.
Start with 8 rounds and add 1 round each week.

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Do this routine 2-3 times a week. Know that you won’t be able to improve every time you train but as long as the weekly trend is for you to be doing a few more reps or adding a few more pounds then you’re heading in the right direction. In fact, I’d encourage you to make every 3rd workout a “back off” workout where you purposefully do a few less reps and pounds than you know you can. Progress is never a linear path and so don’t fight this fact of life by trying to push too hard and too often.

A couple of closing thoughts. First, this is not intended to be the “best” mountain bike workout for all riders and all situations. Exercise is like a drug and you need to take the right kinds in the right dosages to see the results you need. For example, if you are World Cup Pro then this workout may not be enough for you – but then again, a rider shouldn’t be looking for free advice on the internet if their paycheck depends on their performance.

Also, I did not include several things that I would in a more comprehensive program, such as corrective exercises and single leg exercises. This workout encompasses all the major factors that should be addressed this time of year but does not represent a complete use of every tool in my toolbox.

However, the 80-20 Rule tells us that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts and I believe that a routine like this represents a good chunk of the strength and conditioning 20%. When applied with 100% focus and intensity a simple program like this can deliver some pretty amazing result for the vast majority of riders.

So there you have it, something to get the off season training ball rolling. Races are won and epic rides are prepared for now and the longer you wait or the less organized your efforts the less progress you’ll make next year.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

Something I will readily admit to is that I am not the smartest guy in the whole world… BUT I am smart enough to learn from the best and “borrow” liberally from what they do. One of the brightest guys in strength and conditioning is Dan John, and I have been following his articles and books for many years. He has an uncanny ability to boil complex subjects in the strength training world down to a couple of simple points that make you wonder why you didn’t think of that sooner.

His latest book was written with kettlebell maestro Pavel Tsatsouline and is titled Easy Strength. While I have a separate book review for Easy Strength I thought enough of one of the concepts that Dan presented that I wanted to write an article specifically for it. In a nutshell, Dan says that there are 4 Quadrants of Performance and that understanding where you land in those 4 Quadrants is the key to understanding what you need to focus on to get better.

Here is a brief description of each Quadrant:

Q1: Lots of qualities at a low level of relative max

This is where beginners should, well, begin. In this quadrant you are after a low level of exposure to a lot of different things in order to develop a well rounded base. It also exposes you to a lot of different ways to use your natural fitness and will help point you in a direction should you want to get more serious about your training and participation.

Q2: Lots of qualities at a high level of relative max

This is a funny quadrant. It is the domain of team sport athletes and those who need strength, size, speed, power, agility, endurance – in other words, everything. It is a natural extension of Q1 and most people should pass through it but the reality is that very few should stay there. Everyone likes to think that they need a high level of everything but the truth is that, as you will see, the truth is that they don’t.

Q3: Few qualities at a low or moderate level of relative max

Dan points out that on first glance most people think that this is the loser’s quadrant – you don’t do much and you don’t do it very well. However, the key is to understand the term “relative max”. When you look at the rarified air the absolute best of all time you start to realize that you can be pretty freakin’ fit and still be at a “low level of relative max”.

For example, I can deadlift around 360 pounds at a bodyweight of 170-180. At first glance this seems pretty strong – most riders can not do a double bodyweight deadlift. However, when you consider the best deadlift of all time is 1000 pounds it looks pretty small. For most people there is a relatively narrow band of qualities that they should focus on and improve, however they will never approach true world class status and that is alright – using my deadlift example, while it is relatively low it is more than enough to let me ride as hard, fast and long as I want.

Q4: Few (or one) quality at the highest level of relative max

This is where God’s freaks hang out – those people who are able to take one thing to such a high level than the rest of us simply can’t fathom what it must be like. Running a sub 10 second 100 meters, pulling half a ton off the ground, riding a World Cup DH course at breakneck speed and riding in the Tour de France are some examples of the people who live in this quadrant. They need to do very few things but they need to do it at the highest levels in the world.

The downside to this is that things like “balance” and “symmetry” get thrown out in the laser like focus on the few things that will make or break their performance. The old Greek saying “where good sport begins, good health ends” was speaking about this quadrant or performance. What you do to your body to achieve the levels of performance needed here takes a heavy toll and unless you really belong in this quadrant the lessons learned from athletes here can be limited.

In fact, this idea of the 4 Quadrants can really help you filter the advice that you get on how to improve in any aspect of physical performance. Once you understand what quadrant you are in and what qualities you are looking to improve you can both look for others who are the same and also understand why someone else’s approach may not be the best for you.

For example, if you are a new rider (Q1) then you need to stick to the Q1 approach of being exposed to a low level of a lot of things and avoid the temptation to jump into specialized bikes and equipment too soon. Understand that all the well meaning advice you are getting from more seasoned riders is coming from their view as a Q3 rider. They are in a different place in their journey and sometimes they forget that there is something in the journey through the quadrants that needs to be experienced.

If you are an average trail rider (Q3) who likes to go out on a fast paced 1-2 hour ride most of the time with the occasional 5+ hour epic and/ or casual race thrown in then don’t get enamored with the training plans used by pro riders (Q4) or Crossfit (Q2). While these people are certainly “fit”, they are in different quadrants and therefore need a different training approach.

You can learn lessons from the other quadrants or types of athletes within your quadrant but be careful about “cutting and pasting” a training plan from a rider or athlete with different needs. One of the hardest things for riders to grasp is that just because someone has built an impressive level of fitness for their needs does not mean their approach will automatically provide what they are looking for. Dan John’s 4 Quadrants are a great way to understand this subtle concept and help provide some clarity to your own training.

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Mountain Bike Strength Training

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when getting into mountain biking is to think that it is a great way to get into shape. This mindset is actually a big problem with the fitness world in general – playing a sport is not how to get into shape. Things work out much better when you have a base level of fitness going into trail riding and it becomes a way to apply and hone your fitness.

There are a couple of problems with trying to use mountain biking as a way to get into shape. First, riding a bike is great fun but it is not the healthiest thing to do from a structural point of view. Sitting in a hunched over position while taking your  legs through a shortened, repetitive range of motion a few hundred or thousand times a ride causes all sorts of imbalances. Sitting down also takes your core and hips out of the equation and will cause movement dysfunctions that can lead to problems down the road.

Sure, you may lose some weight and gain some cardio fitness but you don’t create the type of broad based fitness you really need to be healthy from a larger point of view. Remember that you are a human being first and a mountain biker second – don’ ignore the need for basic human function before you try to develop specialized fitness.

Another pitfall to the mindset of using sports to get healthy is a lack of perspective on the training plans of the pros. As I mentioned before, sport is not really about health, especially at the highest levels. To get your body into shape to be excellent at a few things means that other types of fitness and movement patterns will suffer.

There is an old Greek saying – where good sport begins, good health ends. Pros know that there is a physical cost for what they do to hone their bodies into peak shape for the demands of their sport. However, your average rider who looks at riding as “healthy” doesn’t have the same perspective.

They think that the pros represent the pinnacle of “fitness” and try to emulate the lopsided, unbalanced programs they use. They don’t realize that the pros usually spent years developing their fitness base and go back to work on it often – all they see is the amount of time spent working on specialized fitness qualities and think that copying their approach is the key to achieving their fitness goals.

The truth is that most riders have no business following a program inspired by a pro rider – they need to focus on building their fitness and movement base through a strength and conditioning program and then just getting out on their bikes and riding hard. In fact, focusing too much on the narrow fitness qualities needed to excel at the pro level of mountain biking may lead to short term gains but will lead to long term stagnation and injuries.

My point is that if you love riding then ride for fun, not for “fitness”. Use a smart, balanced strength and conditioning program to address your basic fitness and then ride hard to hone that fitness into “mountain biking shape”. Riding is a great way to take your fitness to another level, just don’t come into it thinking that it is a great way to get into shape in the first place. Keep some perspective on what the pros do to excel at the highest levels and you’ll progress further, enjoy riding more and avoid overuse injuries by taking this approach.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Cardio Training, Mountain Bike Strength Training