Prepping Your Body for Mountain Bike Season

Mountain biking is about more than euphoric memories. Who could plan – or forget – that sun-cracked rear tube hissing like an enraged rattlesnake, caroming off baby heads into a bramble patch, those beautiful moments of misery. Sometimes, mountain biking is more about elevated heart rates than elevated ridgelines. Preparation makes the mistakes tolerable, the lessons survivable. Consider Active Junky the voice in your ear, one muffled by a righteous helmet.

Unless you fat bike through December’s snowdrifts, coming off ski season means your body is adapted to non-biking movements. Time to wake up those rarely utilized muscles – or hobble home after your first ride. Three to five hours of spinning and weight-training exercises weekly greatly accelerate your success if you:

1. Ease into it: It’s easy to get sucked into a few big early season rides. Thirty to forty-five minutes on a spin bike, three times a week, will bring rewards when warm weather arrives.
2. Find the gym: Outdoor lovers frequently ignore indoor training.  Working on your core, arms and legs with simple training techniques decreases the frequency – and severity – of injuries.
3. Stretch it out: Riding’s repetitive motion and body posture necessitates stretching.  Hamstring, IT Band, low back and hip stretches loosen up tight cycling muscles; yoga is a bonus.

Active Junky Editor’s Picks:

From balance trainers to massage rollers and grip strengtheners, the tools you use to tune your body are as important as the ones you use to tune your bike.

Bosu Balance Trainer:  Start Strong, Rehab Fast

BOSU Balance Trainer

Active Junky’s used this one following knee surgery to accelerate recovery.  Joints get put to the test and core strength is elevated.  The Bosu Balance Trainer is easy to use, store and share with other athletes at 25” x 10”.  Plenty of workout options come with Bosu but feel free to improv during Breaking Bad binges.  With a 350lb capacity, there’s no excuse not to be riding high, Bosu-style.

Best For: General strength and targeted muscle groups

Trigger Point Grid Foam Roller:  What Goes Around

Trigger Point Performance The Grid Foam Roller

The utility of a foam roller is beyond debate.  What’s up for grabs is how big, dense and patterned a cylinder needs to be to deliver tension-breaking results.  Active Junky testers favor Grid as some movements benefited from the “distrodensity zones” variable contact widths.  At 1.5lbs, consider the Grid for extended road trips and even loosening up pre- and post-ride at the car.

Best For: Riders and multisport athletes looking for faster starts and accelerated recovery times

Metolius Grip Saver Plus:  The Power To Relax

Metolius Gripsaver Plus

Retaining bike control during downhill and extended cross-country rides gets tougher as the day wears on.  Keeping forearms relaxed and responsive is key and Grip Saver promotes the needed strength and muscular balance.  Made for climbers but suited for athletic riders, Grip Saver improves your trail results during the off-season and bad weather days.  Chuck the tennis ball and grab this one instead.

Best For: Hand, wrist and forearm training and injury rehab

Ripping down a rocky aspen-lined trail, chasing friends while the sun sets at light speed. Topping out after a grueling climb with a silent, peaceful vista of an alpine lake below. We ride to replicate these moments every time we turn over the pedals.

In reality, challenges and obstacles define our two-wheeled life more than perfect GoPro edits. Making the walk of shame back to the trailhead with our taillight between our legs is among the most defining moments.

Brain. Body. Gear.  Three elements that make for a faster, stronger start to your 2015 mountain biking season.