Mobility for Mountain Biking: Yes, It’s Worth It!

By Coach Keller

Let’s talk mobility– what is it and why is it important? Mobility, by definition, is how a joint moves through its normal range of motion. But even more accurately, it is how well we can control the joint through this motion. This is not to be confused with flexibility, which is the ability for a muscle to lengthen. Yes, flexibility is important, but it doesn’t take into consideration the neuromuscular systems’ ability to activate the muscles and control movement, as well as the joints’ ability to move. You can be flexible but still lack mobility.

This is important to understand in order to improve your mountain biking (and all activities!) and protect your joints. You can foam roll and go to yoga all day but still not have healthy joints. While we are biking, our ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and wrists are constantly working. Even with suspension, our joints are held at atypical angles and sustain repetitive impact. (Or worse… ever taken a hardtail down a techy line? Your wrists and knees get toasted!) This is why in the gym we frequently discuss the importance of improving mobility. We want our joints to be able to move freely, especially under load. 

Some common mountain bike injuries that can be prevented by having stronger, healthier joints include: tearing or spraining ACLs, MCLs, and other knee tweaks, shoulder tears or separations, lower back pain (from hip or SI issues), ankle sprains, or even carpal tunnel in wrists. Some of these are due to impact from crashes, others can simply get worse over time as a result of repetitive use. 

So how do we maintain or improve our mobility? It takes the right combination of stretching, moving each joint through a full range of motion, and building strength in a variety of positions. At Evergreen, our general class programming helps with much of this, but adding 10-20 minutes of targeted mobility work each day can make a huge difference in your joint health, injury prevention, and riding endurance.

This is why we have designed an effective mountain bike mobility program, available through Evergreen On Demand. It includes 3 levels based on your starting mobility, with room for progression. We suggest doing each exercise or holding each position for 30-60 seconds per side, and you can complete the full series in under 15 minutes. This is an incredibly easy way to keep your joints healthy and ready for riding.

Exercises include both active and passive stretching, the use of bands for joint distraction, and stabilizing poses– things like banded ankle lunges, superhero swimmers, and quad pulls. Often our class warmups include some of these movements, but it would be a good idea to create a regular routine of giving your joints a little love! If you haven’t checked out our On Demand program yet, you should. This is a great way to keep training while you’re on the road or for supplementing workouts at your home gym. And the mobility programming is included!

Take care of your joints regularly, and they’ll take care of you out on the trail.