The Forgotten Muscles of Mountain Biking: What They Are and Why You Should Train Them
By Coach Keller
Ok, so maybe it’s always mountain bike season for some of you, but with spring around the corner and more sunlight headed our way, the rest of us are gearing up to hit the trails again. Our 8-week Mountain Bike Training Program starts March 11th, and you will not want to miss it! We’re well aware that we use our calves, quads, and shoulders while biking, but you might not realize how many other muscles are needed to give you power, stability, and better control.
Today we are going to explore four muscle groups that you will want to target in order to be a stronger rider and more resilient to injury. By hopping into our 8-week mtb training, we will make sure to hit each of these muscle groups, in addition to cardiovascular training for improved endurance and faster recovery.
4 Forgotten Muscle Groups to Target for Mountain Biking Strength:
Hamstrings
The hamstrings are the large muscles on the back of your upper leg that run from the bottom of your pelvis, cross your knee joint, and connect on each side of your shinbone. These muscles extend the hip and flex the knee. While biking, our hip never gets into extension (like it does walking or running), but the hamstrings are what allow us to bend the knee while pedaling. When strengthened, you have more power with each pedal stroke as well as more stability while descending in a split stance.
Strengthening exercises: Deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, hamstring sliders, foot-extended glute bridges, and stability ball hamstring curls.Glutes
The glutes are composed primarily of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Think of these muscles as your built-in back brace. Strong glutes protect your lower back from being overworked or hyperextended, they propel you forward, and they also keep your pelvis aligned. Strengthening your glutes and then learning how to activate them with each pedal stroke will give you more power and again, more control and stability on descents, technical sections, and landing jumps.
Strengthening exercise: Squats, lunges, weighted step-ups, glute bridges, and hip thrusts.Core
Core is much more than a nice 6-pack. Your core extends all the way to your pelvic floor and wraps around your sides as your oblique muscles. It also includes hip flexors and glutes, even your lats and other back muscles around your spine are considered core! All of these muscles are vital for protecting your back. They are what allow your spine to move or not move. A strong core is critical for bike control and pedaling efficiency by preventing you going from side-to-side, as well as keeping your back safe from impacts.
Strengthening exercise: Planks, superhero raises, russian twists, mountain climbers, overhead kettlebell carries, and hanging leg raises.Wrists, Forearms, and Grip Strength
We know our shoulders take impacts from mountain biking, but by strengthening our wrists, forearms, and grip strength, we will lessen the work our shoulders have to do. Even with great suspension, your wrists and forearms will still get fatigued from gripping the bars and braking. With better forearm and grip strength, you will get less fatigued and have more control over your bike both climbing and descending.
Strengthening exercise: Farmer's carries, pull-ups, push-ups, ring rows, bent over rows, and renegade rows.
If you’re ready to get stronger for bike season, improve your power and control, and keep your body resilient to injuries, make sure to get into our 8-Week Mountain Bike Training Program! We will target all of these muscle groups and so much more. Starting with a test week on March 11th, you will be able to set a baseline for your current fitness level, and then we will retest the last week to measure your progress.
We look forward to getting everybody primed and ready for another great season! 💪
