Body position on the bike is the foundation for everything else you do on the trail. From pedaling to cornering to jumping, everything takes place on top of the foundation your body position creates.
If you don’t know how to hold yourself properly on the bike it makes it a lot harder to improve your riding. This is why it is one of the most common things taught to new riders and usually one of the first things covered at a skills clinic.
However, there is a problem with the way that body position is taught and explained to most riders.
That problem is that there isn’t a “best” body position to use all of the time. Your body position should be dynamic and changing depending on the trail and terrain.
To explain this better I shot this video explaining the difference between the two most common ways of teaching body position, the Attack and the Throne Positions. As you’ll see through the power of bad stick figure drawings, you need to know how to use both of these positions so that you can apply the right one to the right situation.
One of the most worst things you can do is get stuck in one position while riding. Being dynamic with your hips and center of gravity to drive your bike is the key to riding faster while staying balanced and safe.
This also speaks to the need to be able to move well off of the bike in order to move well on the bike. If you struggle with your Hip Hinge and/ or Squat movement pattern then you will have trouble getting into the corresponding body position on the bike.
Using exercises like the Deadlift and the Goblet Squat to help improve your movement and strength in the gym will help you get into and maintain those positions on the trail. You can know what to do on the bike but if your body can’t do it in the first place then it doesn’t matter.
So make sure that you can use both the Attack and the Throne Positons and where they are best applied on the trail. Getting stuck using just one isn’t the best way and being able to flow from one to the other as needed is a lot more efficient..and fun!
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems
Another approach to talking about the attack position is to think of getting your body into the hips back-chest down and then sliding your hips backward and forward as needed to keep your center of gravity in the proper horizontal position. As you slide backward and forward you change your arm angle. The emphasis is on sliding backward and forward rather than moving your chest up and down. Keeping the chest down also helps to keep your center of gravity lower for better cornering.