Suspension Training for Mountain Biking

!±8± Suspension Training for Mountain Biking

Few pieces of equipment are as valuable to the mountain biker as a suspension trainer. I'll admit that when they first came out I was a bit skeptical and thought they were more of a gimmick, like standing on a BOSU Ball, than actually filling a genuine need. However, since getting my hands a couple not a day goes by in my facility that they are not being used.

"Suspension trainer" is the term coined for long nylon straps with handles that you can hang from a chin up bar, a door jam or even a tree. The most common ones on the market are the TRX and the Jungle Gym, with the TRX being a higher quality version and easier to adjust. Whichever one you choose to use the basic idea is the same - by suspending your upper or lower body in the straps you can create some very challenging variations of common exercises.

I really like suspension trainers for a few reasons:

1) They allow you to make basic bodyweight exercises harder. As a mountain biker one of the most important things you can pick up from strength training is body awareness and control. These qualities are best trained through bodyweight exercises like push ups, inverted rows, split squats and planks, just to name a few.

Using a suspension trainer allows you to take exercise that you have grown strong on and add a degree of instability, which increases the core and body control demands. While free weight exercises like the deadlift will always be important, finding ways to make the basic bodyweight exercises harder is a great way to get more mountain bike specific results from your program.

2) They are extremely portable. Perhaps my favorite aspect for the mountain bike racers I coach, the ability to throw a single, lightweight piece of equipment in your bag which gives you access to dozens of high quality exercises can not be overstated. Maintaining your strength levels throughout the season is important in making sure that you finish strong and without a consistent strength training program you can not do this.

A suspension trainer makes it far easier to be consistent with your training since you can design an entire workout around it. This means that you are not dependant on what equipment you can find where you are staying and don't have to piece together a workout everywhere you go. Finding ways around excuses is a hallmark of great riders and this is an easy way to get around the excuse of not being able to train during the season.

3) They are fun to use and keep you focused. Perhaps the best part is that they are far removed from the mindless exercises that so many riders are used to. Even something as "easy" as a push up becomes a new adventure as you try to keep yourself from swinging around. If you break concentration for even a second the suspension trainer will smack you back into reality quickly and effectively - you literally can not complete the exercise without staying tight and focused. This not only keeps you engaged while training but it also works on the focus and mindset you need on the trail as well.

While I obviously think a lot of suspension trainers I do have to offer a few words of caution. First, a piece of equipment if not a "training system" and so you need to watch out for TRX Fanatics who will tell you that they all you need. While they are great tools, they are not the only tool you need.

Second, the temptation when starting out with them is to learn and try as many different exercises as you can. This is a big mistake and you should choose a few exercises to start out with in order to master some of the basics first. There are very advanced exercises that look cool but don't do much for you unless you have the basic core strength and body control developed with more basic exercises.

So, here are 4 of the exercises that I use with new riders to teach them those basics.

- Assisted Single Leg Squat
- Push Up
- Single Arm Inverted Row
- Lateral Fallout

You can see a demo of these exercises in the accompanying video. I recommend doing the exercises in a circuit (one set of the first exercise, one set of the second exercise and so on) and going through the circuit 3 times. Start with 8 reps and add a rep or two each week until you build up to 12.

Once you've got those exercises down you can start exploring some of the other great exercise options and seeing which ones work well for you. Suspension training is one of those popular fitness trends that can actually live up to the hype if you use them properly. Hope fully this article and video have sparked your curiosity enough to check one out and see what they can add to your training program and results on the trail.

-James Wilson

Suspension Training for Mountain Biking

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Advantages of Unilateral Training For Mountain Bikers

!±8± Advantages of Unilateral Training For Mountain Bikers

One of the best mountain bike training tips to improve your riding is to include a heavy dose of single limb training, also known as unilateral training. While bilateral training is better known and also important, there are several unique advantages that unilateral training offers that makes it a must to include in your program. Before getting into the 4 main advantages of unilateral training for mountain biking, though, let's clear up a common misconception.

Simply using dumbbells does not constitute unilateral training. Even though both limbs are moving independently, using both of them at the same time is still bilateral training. True unilateral training means that you are either doing one side at a time or at least alternating between the two sides. For example, a regular dumbbell bench press is still considered bilateral training while doing only one side at a time falls under the unilateral category.

Now on to the 4 indispensable advantages of unilateral training:

1) Increase pedaling power -- The first advantage of unilateral training is that it is more specific to the function of pedaling a mountain bike. Pedaling occurs one leg at a time with each leg working independently of each other. Since unilateral exercises also require each limb to act alone it only makes sense to include these exercises in your program.

They also ensure that there is not a strength imbalance between your legs. You may find that one leg is significantly stronger than the other, meaning that you are getting less horsepower out of the weaker leg. This makes your pedaling far less than optimal and something that can only be discovered and addressed through unilateral training.

2) Injury rehab and prevention -- Another advantage of unilateral training is that it helps to rehab and prevent injuries. After an injury it is extremely common to find that the injured side is weaker than the non-injured limb. When this happens it is impossible to restore that balance without using unilateral training. Even if you are not rehabbing an injury, making sure that you have balance between your limbs is also one of the best ways to decrease your future injury potential.

3) Recruit more muscles -- Without getting too technical into anatomy, when performing unilateral exercises you are forced to use stabilization muscles that are simply not recruited during bilateral training (and no, standing on a wobble board or balance ball does not do the same thing). As an example, unilateral leg exercises require that the adductors and abductors (the inner and outer thigh muscles) to fire in a synchronized manner in order to maintain balance.

In fact, this is the main reason that many people feel so unbalanced when starting unilateral leg exercises; they simply have not used those muscles in that way before and the body does not know how to efficiently accomplish the movement. Getting the body used to the demands placed on it by unilateral training will make for more fluid, athletic movement on the bike.

4) Build strength in a "spine friendly" manner -- Just like anything in life, overuse of something will start to cause problems and while the squat and deadlift are great, after a while they will start to put undo stress on the spinal column. Using a unilateral version of these lifts will not only give you all of the previously mentioned advantages, they will allow you to do so with literally less than half the stress on the spinal column. Over the years this will add up to far fewer back problems and injuries. This aspect will also breathe new life into the training program of those who have suffered a back injury since it allows them to train hard enough to elicit strength gains in a way that does not greatly increase their chance of re-injury.

Add all of these up and you must include unilateral exercises if you are serious about getting everything that you can out of your training program. Some of the best unilateral exercises are the unilateral dumbbell bench press, unilateral shoulder press, unilateral deadlift, Bulgarian split squat and the unilateral squat (or if you have the strength and mobility a full pistol squat)

One of the best ways to introduce unilateral training into your program is to replace one of your normal training days with a unilateral training day, performing nothing unilateral exercises on that day. Be forewarned, though, since unilateral training will produce some muscle soreness in places that you did not know you had and has also been known to increase performance to previously unattainable levels.

Advantages of Unilateral Training For Mountain Bikers

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