Author Archives: bikejames

There’s one performance tool that most mountain bikers completely ignore — and it doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t require extra time in the gym, and you can start using it on your very next ride. It’s your breathing. Not just “remember to breathe” breathing. I’m talking about functional breathing — training the way you breathe so […]

There’s a moment most riders know well. You’ve been off the bike for a while — winter, life, whatever the reason. You finally get back out on the trail. And somewhere in the first 20 minutes, you get a very clear answer to a question you may not have even asked: Did my off-season training […]

What 82 studies actually say about how much protein you need to build strength after 40 Here’s something that might surprise you. You’ve probably heard the rule: eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to build muscle and strength. It’s repeated so often in the fitness world that most people just accept it […]

When you’re 25, you can get away with almost anything. Sleep 5 hours, ride hard every day, skip the warm-up, ignore your recovery…and you still feel fine the next morning. At 45? The game has changed. The injuries stack up. Those little aches that used to disappear in a day or two turn into nagging […]

Most riders have no idea how fast they’re moving the weight in the gym. They grab the bar, lower it in about one second, bounce off the bottom, and grind the weight back up as fast as they can. Then they wonder why their knees are barking, their progress has stalled, and their gym work […]

One of the biggest breakthroughs a rider can have is realizing this simple concept: movement is the building block of skill. A lot of riders struggle with their bike skills because their movement skills are holding them back. *If you prefer to listen you can find the podcast on Itunes‌,‌‌ ‌Podbean‌,‌‌ ‌‌Spotify‌‌ ‌‌and‌ ‌all‌ ‌other‌ ‌major‌ ‌podcasting‌ ‌platforms.‌* Think about […]

Next to cornering, getting better at jumping your bike is one of the most sought after skills for a lot of riders. Even if you don’t have any plans to send huge jumps at the Bike Park, most of us would like to be able to clear a small double with some confidence and – […]

This past weekend’s Red Bull Rampage lit up everyone’s SM feeds – both the highlights and the lowlights. As amazing as the riding was, the injuries were hard to watch.  One under-rotated double backflip and you’re asking yourself if that rider is even alive. The final body count was 8 – 5 of the ladies […]

One of the quickest ways to improve your performance on the trail doesn’t involve more intervals, fancy equipment, or even extra time on the bike. You can make a real difference in just a couple of weeks by improving two simple things: your breathing and your ability to create and control tension through isometrics. When […]