In anticipation of the release of my No Gym, No Problem Workout Program I wanted to share with you exactly why I am creating this new program. I don’t create new programs unless I feel that they have something significant and unique to offer compared to my other workout programs. I also don’t want to create a “me too” program that isn’t better than something else already on the market and this one is no exception

A mark of a great rider is excellent body control and confidence in their ability to execute that control on the trail.

The last few months have been an interesting journey into the world of bodyweight training for my clients and me and that journey is what spawned the idea for this new workout program. I’ll admit that I was not as interested in bodyweight training as some of my online clients were but I kept getting requests from them for more bodyweight based workouts that allowed them to train at home with minimal equipment.

Even for someone like myself that owns a training facility that is a 15 minute drive from my house and has every piece of equipment I could want to train with having a good bodyweight program had some appeal and so I started to learn more about it. Little did I know that what started as a mission to learn more about it for other riders would turn into an experience that would change how I fundamentally view training forever.

I now realize that bodyweight training offers 3 unique advantages that every mountain biker can benefit from:

1 – Getting stronger without excessive wear and tear on the body. Let’s face it, after a while lifting heavy weights starts to catch up with you and can really take a toll on your joints. Loaded exercises can also leave you pretty sore for a few days afterwards if you are not careful and if you are sore then you can not ride effectively. Since getting stronger is essential to improving your performance on the trail you need a way to improve your strength without interfering with your ability to get out on the trail and enjoy it.

Something about bodyweight training (when done intelligently) leaves the joints feeling good and the muscles feeling strong and powerful instead of tight and sore. Since making bodyweight training a big part of my programs I have noticed a marked improvement in how my knees and low back feel and I my chiropractor has also noticed areas that were chronically out of whack have been holding in place much better (my chiro is also a client who loves the new bodyweight stuff I’ve put in his program). My clients have also noticed improvements along the same lines so I know that it isn’t just me.

2 – Improved body awareness and control. A mark of a great rider is excellent body control and confidence in their ability to execute that control on the trail. As you gain strength through bodyweight exercises you also become better connected with how you move. Body awareness and control are paramount to executing technical skills on the bike and being able to flow over technically challenging terrain.

In fact, when teaching a rider new skills I will work first on their body control and awareness and then show them how that applies to the bike – too many riders are trying to “act out” what they think they good riders do without having the body control and awareness to understand what they are actually trying to accomplish. When you have mastered your bodyweight you will find that everything you do on the bike will just come easier and new skills will be easier to learn.

3 – Access to a high quality workout anyplace and anytime. In a perfect world we’d all have access to a great training facility right around the corner that was open 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. However, this is not the case for a lot of riders. For most the closest facility is a commercial gym stocked with machines, tank top clad dudes staring at themselves in the mirror while they do bicep curls and spandex clad ladies looking in the mirror to see who is checking them out. Even if you do have access to a gym that you actually want to go to sometimes their schedule doesn’t match up with yours and you end up missing some workouts when time gets tight.

With a good bodyweight program in your arsenal you don’t have to worry about any of that anymore. Wherever you are you can get a high quality training session in at any time. I own a training facility 15 minutes from my house and I still have days that I am either too busy or just don’t want to make the drive – and with my No Gym, No Problem Workout I don’t have to. In the time it takes me to drive to and from the facility I can get a great workout in, keeping my results on track when my schedule just doesn’t allow me to get into the gym.

These 3 reasons are why I wanted to bring the power of bodyweight training to mountain bike riders everywhere through my upcoming No Gym, No Problem Workout Program. While there are some great bodyweight workout programs out there I felt that none of them did the best job possible addressing the movement and strength needs of mountain bikers – we have a unique sport that makes it hard for outsiders to understand everything we need to ride faster, longer and with more confidence on the trail.

For example, we need address three lower body movements – squatting exercises, single leg hip dominant exercises and split stance exercises. Squatting exercises address standing pedaling power, single leg hip dominant exercises address seated pedaling power and body position on the bike and split stance exercises allow us to gain strength and stability with either foot forward on the bike. Without addressing all three types of movements you don’t address everything you need on the trail.

So there you have it – the back story on what inspired this new program, why you need bodyweight exercises in your training program and why the No Gym, No Problem Workout Program offers mountain bikers insights no other program like it does. This will be the only bodyweight program created by a mountain biker for mountain bikers and will have some unique twists based on my experience working with riders at all levels and I can’t wait to share it with everyone this Friday.

-James Wilson-