| How much more do I need to ride my bike? | | | | to really improve them. |
| This is by far one of the most common questions | | | | This is why you should consider including strength and |
| from people who are starting a strength and | | | | conditioning in your program if you want to really |
| conditioning program for mountain biking. I understand | | | | maximize your performance on the trail. You simply |
| their concern since the best way to improve on your | | | | don't get enough volume and/ or intensity to really |
| bike is to actually ride your bike - or is it? Do you really | | | | increase strength and power and riding actually |
| need much more saddle time than what you are | | | | subtracts from your overall mobility. |
| currently putting in? | | | | Since strength and power are critical to redline climbing |
| While I could be wrong, the more I get into this the | | | | and sprinting efforts you will never get the overall |
| more I think that most mountain bikers "ride" enough | | | | endurance you seek by just riding your bike. Since |
| already. If you are getting 2-3 rides per week and/ or | | | | mobility is critical to proper position for execution of trail |
| logging 3-5 hours on the trail then this may be plenty of | | | | skills you will never develop the "flow" you seek by |
| riding for the average mountain biker. To really | | | | just riding your bike. If you do not address these facts |
| increase your overall trail endurance you need | | | | with your training program then you are leaving a lot of |
| something that trail time is not going to give you. | | | | performance potential on the table. |
| Here is how you might look at training for mountain | | | | This also means that you do not necessarily need to |
| biking - use strength, mobility, power, anaerobic | | | | put in more volume based riding, or rides where you |
| endurance and technical skills training to sharpen the | | | | are simply going out to log some more miles/ hours. If |
| tools you need on the trail and then use your riding | | | | you are already logging 3-5 hours per week on the trail |
| time to learn how to apply those improved tools to | | | | then look to use your extra training time to address the |
| your riding. This requires a paradigm shift to fully | | | | true weak links in your chain. Then use your current |
| understand - you really don't get better at riding the trail | | | | trail to time learn how to apply your increased potential. |
| by actually riding your bike. | | | | In my experience this is the real way to increase your |
| You get better at riding the trail by improving the raw | | | | endurance and skills on the trail. Remember that more |
| physical attributes/ skills you need and then applying | | | | training time is not better, better use of your training |
| them to the trail. When you ride you are simply fulfilling | | | | and riding time is. If you only have 2-4 hours per week |
| the potential that you currently have. | | | | to devote to training then you may want to consider if |
| Sure, riding can be used as a training tool, but it is a | | | | adding in more saddle time is really the best use of |
| very limited training tool. You can only address a few | | | | that time. Perhaps getting stronger, more powerful and |
| performance components with it. Things like strength, | | | | more mobile are really what you need to enjoy riding |
| power and mobility are critical to overall endurance and | | | | even more. |
| trail skills but they do not get used enough on the trail | | | | |