Most riders I talk to tell me that they face three big obstacles when it comes to starting a training program:

1) Time: We tend to live busy lives and when we get extra time we want to go ride, not go hit the gym. This makes stuff that you can easily do at home when the chance presents itself important, especially during the riding season.

2) Equipment: We happen to love a rather expensive sport and when you have to drop $100+ on something as simple as a derailer, you don’t have a ton of cash left over for a bunch of training equipment or expensive gym memberships. Besides, where would you fit all that stuff in your garage with your bikes? You need something that is relatively inexpensive and takes up very little space.

3) Lack of strength training knowledge: Most riders don’t come from a strength training background and so having to learn a bunch of new exercises can be a daunting task. Getting up to speed on a bunch of new exercises also takes time, which we’ve already covered as an obstacle. You need a couple basic exercises that are easy to learn but deliver great results for a long time.

So, that leaves a lot of riders doing some push ups and planks when they feel really bad about their lack of fitness but with no real plan on how to start an actual training program. 

In my quest for that answer I started to get more into kettlebell training and the more I did, the more I realized that it was the answer to all 3 obstacles. Kettlebells are not magical and just touching one won’t make you a better rider but the philosophy behind them is perfect for our purposes – do less stuff, but do it better.

Instead of trying to teach you a bunch of different exercises, kettle bell training has you start with 3 basic moves that deliver great results by themselves but also lay the foundation for more advanced exercises should you want to get more into it.

1. Goblet Squat: This simple squat exercise is great for building core strength and standing pedaling power.
2. Swing: This exercise works on the all important hip hinge movement, which is what you use to move through your range of motion on your bike. It also teaches you how to create power from the hips for bunny hops and jumps as well as teaching you how to better absorb impacts and landings.
3. Turkish Get Up: This exercise helps to build core strength in multiple planes as well as improving shoulder mobility and stability. 

Click here to see a video demo explaining how to perform The 3 Best Kettlebell Exercises for Mountain Bikers.

As you can see, just about everything you need to ride faster, longer and with more confidence on the trail is covered in those three exercises. Sure, you can add some more stuff in but if all you did were these three exercises you’d be better off than the rider who did everything BUT these exercises.

Here is a simple routine you can do with these exercises:

    • 3 Rounds of 5 Goblet Squats and 1 Turkish Get Up (do 1 rep on each side)

    • 5 rounds of 10-20 Swings

I recommend that guys start with a 16 kg/ 35 pound kettlebell and work up to a 24 kg/ 52 pound kettlebell and women start with a 12 kg/ 25 pound kettlebell and work up to a 16 kg/ 35 pound kettlebell. Of course, feel free to use a heavier kettlebell as you get stronger but these are good places to start for most riders.

If you are interested in a kettlebell training program that is custom made for the demands of mountain biking then check out the MTB KB Conditioning Program. It has everything you need to get started with Kettlebell Training for mountain biking and have more fun on the trail.

I know that kettlebell training has transformed my riding by focusing on the 3 exercises I shared with you in this post and I hope it helps you ride with more speed, endurance and confidence as well.