The days are shorter, the temperatures are lower, and the cascade of riders who once flooded the trails has now dwindled down to those that can brave the cooler temperatures. For most mountain bikers, the winter months serve as the offseason: a chance to rest up, recharge the batteries, and quite literally take your foot off the pedal.
It also doubles as the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season. If you want to avoid spending the first part of your racing season getting back into peak riding form, take full advantage of this time by honing various aspects of your physical fitness that will pay huge dividends when you’re finally back in the saddle.
Ryan Bell, PTA, Clinic Director at Spooner North Mesa and avid mountain biker, shares his tips and tricks for staying in shape during the offseason, and what you can be doing now to ensure your body is in the best position to succeed when you return to the trails.
Tip 1: Switch it up
There are a couple terms often used in athletic training that are important to understand, especially when it comes to sports like mountain biking: aerobic and anaerobic.
- Aerobic is “with oxygen,” meaning if you’re performing aerobic exercises, they will be endurance-based, and your heart rate and breathing rate will increase over a long duration. (Example = Jogging)
- Anaerobic is “without oxygen,” meaning if you’re performing anaerobic exercises, they will be short bursts of high-intensity activities, to which you can only perform for a brief amount of time. (Example = Sprinting)
Mountain biking is an activity that is constantly fluctuating between both of these states. One moment, you’re maintaining a steady riding pace across relatively even terrain; then suddenly, you’re breaking out in an all-out sprint to the top of an incline.
In order to prepare for this variety of intensity on the bike, you should make sure you’re incorporating this same anaerobic and aerobic variety into your offseason training routine.
As Ryan states, “Off the bike, I have always enjoyed any type of interval training. This can replicate the quick bursts and heart rate spikes needed to pedal up a steep climb, followed by the immediate heart rate recovery while you begin a descent.”
Tip 2: Make it functional
Like with any training, it’s imperative that your preparations away from the sport are going to translate well when you return to full activity.
“I always recommend performing exercises that replicate sport and functional training,” Ryan explains. “For mountain biking specifically, I’d advise performing movements that incorporate various surfaces to simulate uneven terrain, and staggering your hand/foot positions to replicate handlebar and pedal placement.”
If you’re looking for a few suggestions: squatting with staggered foot positions, push-ups with one arm on a raised step, and lunging with medicine ball rotations.
Tip 3: Don’t ignore the core
“With mountain biking, we know there is a lot of core stabilization and rotational load going on while navigating the bicycle up and down the trails; therefore, it’s important to incorporate movements into your routine that are designed to load the core in the transverse plane,” Ryan mentions.
To give you a couple ideas: medicine ball twists and throw, and planking on a Bosu Ball with left to right shifting.
Ryan elaborates, “Loading the core in the transverse plane will help to stabilize the arms on the handlebars, and the rider will be more efficient in overcoming perturbation and forces felt when riding trails with aggressive switch-back turns and rocky terrain.”
Tip 4: Stretch it out
Because cyclists spend so much time hunched over, it’s important to spend time mobilizing and reversing the negative effects of that posture.
“My go to is laying on a foam roller to improve extension at my thoracic spine. If that’s an uncomfortable position for you, or if you don’t have access to a foam roller, you can also sit in a chair leaning over the back rest to promote thoracic spine extension,” Ryan describes.
Furthermore, when you’re on a bike for extended periods of time, the angle between your femur and your spine is almost always less than 180 degrees. Because of this, Ryan recommends consistent hip flexor stretching to open things up and prevent unnecessary strain to the joint.
Tip 5: Focus on the right muscle groups
“It’s not just about strength or endurance, it’s about efficiency,” Ryan notes. “I recommend focusing on the muscle groups that will help riders to be more efficient with pedaling and their ability to endure the rough terrain of local trails. Targeting larger muscle groups such as the quads, glutes, and core will provide greater control of the bike, greater pedal strength, and a greater ability to absorb shock on downhill trails.”
Tip 6: Don’t forget about the hamstrings
“With mountain cycling, I most commonly see insufficiencies between hamstring and quadriceps strength. Typically, those that clip into their pedals will have more symmetrical muscle development. However, those that ride flat pedals tend to be quadriceps dominant, as they cannot pull on their pedal through the cycle,” Ryan explains.
Why is this important? Well… too much of a disparity between your quadriceps and hamstring muscles inhibits your ability to perform at your very best; and more significantly, puts you at greater risk for injury.
Here are a couple exercise recommendations to build up your hamstring strength: Romanian deadlifts, and stability ball bridges with hamstring curls.
Tip 7: Listen to your body
“I hear so often that a rider may have knee or hip pain, and their only method of treatment is simply reducing time spent on the bike rather than seeking treatment for their issues. Unfortunately, a lot of these instances turn into bigger problems, and then people find themselves taking unwanted time off the bike due to injury,” Ryan observes.
Cycling, as with many sports, is very repetitive. Don’t let a nagging injury continue to the point where you now have chronic inflamed tissue. Don’t ignore your pain or discomfort. Let’s get you moving and feeling better and keep you on the trails!
Maximize your offseason routine with the guidance of a Spooner Physical Therapist! To identify your opportunities for improvement on and off the bike, schedule an appointment or complimentary movement assessment with our Spooner team here!