Core training and cardio training are two things that most people don’t think of as going together. However, they are tied together for one simple reason – both drive your breathing and stability comes from the core. While the core has muscles specifically for breathing, sometimes things get out of whack and we “forget” how [...]
For a lot of racers in North America the Sea Otter Classic, which took place this last weekend, kicks off the official start to the racing season. Even if you don’t race, a lot of us are seeing the trails thaw out and the temps come up (finally!) so making the full transition to in-season [...]
This time of year I start to get a lot of questions from riders who have been training hard during the off season and are now getting ready to transition into their riding season. As many of them have found out, having a bad strategy for your in-season training can ruin all of your hard [...]
In my last blog post I talked about the importance of being able to deal with compromises, especially with your training program. One of the real dangers, however, is denying that something carries any compromises with it which leads to a fall sense of confidence in its effectiveness. Finding the balance between the two is [...]
The TRX is such a great training tool for several reasons but on of my favorites is the ability to get a great strength endurance workout with them. Since you can quickly switch from one exercise to another and modify the difficulty as you fatigue it offers a great way to challenge your work capacity, [...]
One of the hardest things for a mountain biker to admit is that they can’t just go out and ride as hard as they want every time they hit the trail. In fact, this is probably the #1 reason that riders invest in one of my programs – they feel like they are being physically [...]
One of the biggest concerns I get from mountain bikers about adding strength training into their regimen is that they do not have time for it. Family, work, personal lives and (most importantly) riding all add up leaving some of us with less than 3 hours per week for any other type of training. Because [...]
In this podcast I explain how to maximize your off season training plans. You can download the MP3 file by clicking on the link below. You can find the notes from this podcast posted below. Please post any questions in the comments section and I will get to them ASAP. Download this episode (right click [...]
One of the most overlooked aspects of cardio training is the quality of your breathing. Too many riders are breathing excessively with the chest and mouth and not enough with the nose and diaphragm, resulting in increased upper body tension and inefficient breathing. This means that they are simply getting better at bad breathing mechanics [...]
After posting my article on How To Use Road Riding as a Mountain Biker I realized that one of the things that easily gets forgotten in the never ending debate for the “best” training method or program is whether the method being discussed is General Physical Prep or Specific Physical Prep in relation to your [...]
I got some requests from people after my original Barefoot Pedaling post about how to pedal with the aid of the clipless interface. After thinking about it I realized it should be exactly how you run but clipless pedals allow you to change that natural rhythm. This video explains exactly how you should pedal, how [...]
Confusion on a subject starts when we start to confuse terms and use them interchangeably with each other. I have been as guilty of this as anyone of this in the past and much like I did with my Cardio vs. Endurance article, I feel I need to clarify my points on something, namely the [...]
Cardio Training is dead – at least, it should be if your goal is to improve your ability to ride faster and with more endurance on the trail. Much like bodybuilding workouts that try to isolate different muscle groups from each other, traditional Cardio Training tries to improve your ability to ride as fast and [...]
In this edition of the MTB Strength Coach Podcast I cover my new cardio training concept and how to use it to instantly gain a blueprint for improving any area of mountain biking. By understanding how to evaluate your needs from by looking at how you use tension on the trail you unlock the secret [...]
The Ultimate Sandbag is still my favorite new tool to work with. Since getting one in the facility a few months ago I have been using them more and more in rider’s programs. In fact, one my clients favorite new cardio workouts is a sandbag combination drill I recently created. This workout does a [...]
Heart rate monitors are a funny thing – they can be completely useless or extremely valuable depending on how you use them. First, let’s get the wrong way to use one off the table. With rare exceptions you don’t need to worry about “heart rate zones” and spending your training time worrying about keeping your [...]
In this episode of the MTB Strength Coach Podcast I interview Energy Systems Development expert Joel Jamison. Joel is the author of the book Ultimate MMA Conditioning and is at the forefront of a more functional look at “cardio” and “endurance” training. In this interview we cover: – How strength training supports and fits into [...]
One of the most overlooked aspects of cardio training is the quality of your breathing. Too many riders are breathing excessively with the chest and mouth and not enough with the nose and diaphragm, resulting in increased upper body tension and inefficient breathing. By learning how to drive your breathing from the diaphragm you can [...]
Today I wanted to share some insights behind two of the factors that make my program so unique and effective – High Tension Cardio and Metabolic Skills Training – and how they can help you ride with more power, endurance and confidence on the trail…. Q: What exactly is High Tension Cardio and how can [...]
One of the biggest concerns I get from mountain bikers about adding strength training into their regimen is that they do not have time for it. Family, work, personal lives and (most importantly) riding all add up leaving some of us with less than 3 hours per week for any other type of training. Because [...]
