You peddle up the long hill, gasping for breath looking for the top of the ridge. How much longer you’re thinking? Am I almost there? Out of the corner of your eye you notice the breathtaking scenery below. You’ll have to enjoy that later…too much pain right now.

What if you could get to the top of the hill faster with the same fitness level? You can you know. Many XC mountain bike riders are not aware they are losing power below their knees…in their pedal stroke. Read the rest of this entry

You’re climbing the long hill, your legs turning slowly, when all of a sudden your buddy rides past you spinning at high rpm.  You down shift and try to spin faster to catch up but your legs start to burn too much and you slow.  Why can’t you spin faster?  Should you spin faster?

Although most riders and experts will tell you that spinning at higher rpm is usually more efficient, the perfect pedal stroke cadence for you is very much dependent on your genetic muscle strength, cardio fitness level, and current xc mountain bike training.

Everyone has different pedal stroke skills, leg strength, knee health, cardio fitness levels, and fast/slow twitch muscle composition.   Some of us use hard big gears like a tractor, and some of us spin our way to the top like a windmill.

Expand Your XC Mountain Bike Torque and Horsepower Read the rest of this entry

The Power of Stretching

Improve Your Mountain Bike Skills

You’re riding fast down the single track as you try to keep up with friends.  You’re tapping your brakes, and slipping and sliding on your seat.  Your buddies are faster than you on the downhill and the stress of trying to keep up is pushing you to your limits.  You come up to a large descent and hit the brakes in a panic…

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A Life Without Stretching

She stared into my eyes with hopelessness.  She had gone to doctors, chiropractors, and other personal trainers and no one could help her.  And here before her was a 20-something year old personal trainer who was supposed to make a difference.

It was my first day on the job as a personal trainer and my new boss thought it would be great if I took a client no one wanted.  Of course, he didn’t tell me that directly.  He only patted me on the back with a sparkle in his eyes. Later, after seeing her health chart, I understood why.

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Build A Bigger Aerobic Fitness Base

The mountain bike race season is coming to an end and the holidays with pumpkin pie, turkey and the works are upon us.  So how do you keep focused during these months to stay fit and keep the lbs off your body?  Why not take it easy and work on maintaining or rebuilding your aerobic fitness.  Consider forgetting the big hills and interval trainingfor now. Read the rest of this entry

Are you one of those individuals looking to make positive changes in your mental and physical health?  If you’ve decided to change your eating habits for increased energy, are you now thinking of adding a workout routine to your schedule?  You may have been hesitant about joining a gym or buying that fitness DVD on TV, but it’s important to understand that the best exercise routine is the one you enjoy.

If you like the outdoors or need a break from an air-conditioned office, grabbing that mountain bike in your garage and hitting the trails is an excellent way to improve your overall health.  A mountain bike training program provides many benefits to your body and mind.  Here are a few to consider:

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Before you ride your mountain bike to the starting line of your next XC MTB race, you may want to ask yourself what your goal is.  Is it to place in the top five in your age group, or beat your best time on that course?  Maybe it’s your first race and your goal is to finish.

Whatever race goal you choose, it’s a good idea to start planning how your xc mountain bike training will get you there in the weeks prior to the event.  Having a better understanding of the five components of training, and how you can adjust them will give you a better foundation for planning your next mountain bike race,

1. Frequency /Repetition – How many times you mountain bike in a week is an example of frequency while repetition is the number of intervals or hills you do in a given mountain bike ride.  Frequency and repetition are the components you can manipulate to ensure the quality of your training sessions.

The primary purpose of intervals is to allow for repeated sessions of high intensive exercise followed by a specific recovery time.  With proper rest and recovery, intervals will strengthen your mind and muscles to perform at a higher level.  For mountain bikers, this can easily be done with hill climbing. Read the rest of this entry