Mountain Bike Strength Training

Since mountain biking is an exercise in itself, many people forget weight lifting is an important part. Weight training is particularly important in mountain biking as riding on trails can jar the body, and put stress on joints and muscles. A couple of good exercises for the bikers, especially those with limited time to weight train, are the curl to a standing military press and the split squat.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Curl to Standing Military Press

Step 1

Stand with the dumbbells in your hands, palms facing the front of the room. The legs should be shoulder-width apart.

Step 2

Lift both dumbbells in a curling motion, keeping the elbows in close to the body and the forearms strong. Lift the weight until they touch the shoulders.

Step 3

Lift the weight straight up over your head, twisting the weight so your palms face the front of the room. The dumbbells should come close to touching above your head.

Step 4

Lower the weight, twisting the forearms so the palms face your shoulders again. Touch the shoulders with the weight and slowly lower the weights in a curling motion and return to the start position. That is one rep. Do 10 to 20 reps for three sets.

Split Squat

Step 1

Stand with the dumbbells in each hand with your arms hanging at your sides. Your feet should be separated as if starting to do the front-to-back splits but in a comfortable position.

Step 2

Bend the knees and lower your body until the back knee touches the ground. Make sure your front knee does not go past your toes when bending.

Step 3

Lift up through the front quads and return to the starting position with the same leg in front and the same leg in back.

Step 4

Do 10 to 12 reps with one leg out front, then switch legs and do 10 to 12 more reps.

Step 5

Do two to three sets with both legs, making sure to take a long enough break for your legs to recover. The exercise should be fairly intense, so be sure to rest your legs between sets.

Tips & Warnings

Both of these exercises will work the core muscles and the back. Be sure to pick a weight that is challenging but not one that would put strain on back muscles.

Article Written By Bryan Rose

Bryan Rose is an experienced journalist and web writer, spending nearly 12 years in the publishing industry. Rose works for a variety of Demand Studios websites, writing mostly for ehow.com and Golflink.com.

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