Mountain biking, in our opinion, is one of the most incredible sports that exists. But mountain biking is so much more than a hobby or sport. Whether riding through the wilderness or on a track, mountain biking is a journey.
Like every story of exploration, a journey takes preparation. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned mountain biker, you must prepare your body and mind for the exciting adventures that await you on the trail.
Training requires practice, building endurance and strength. Learn more about training for mountain biking below!
Mountain Bike Practice
The best way to get good at something is to do it over and over. When it comes to improving your mountain biking skills, there will never be a perfect substitute for putting in the hours and work on a mountain bike. Even if it’s getting on your mountain bike and biking around a park, you’ll build muscle memory in your legs and core to prepare you for the trail.
Try to practice in many different types of environments besides trails. Practicing in forests, muddy spots, sandy dunes, grassy fields, and diverse places will be key to building mountain biking skills. You’ll know how to pedal through sporadic patches of dirt and thick grass, around trees, over rocks. This will also help you build muscle strength and memory when you encounter areas like these on the trail and keep you from getting injured.
Build Your Endurance For Mountain Biking
Building endurance is key for mountain biking training. Some trails require you to bike long distances, sometimes uphill or over difficult terrain. By strengthening your endurance, you’ll be less likely to over-exert yourself or need to stop on the trail. You can build mountain biking endurance by biking in the off-season and incrementally increasing your session’s du
Bike in the off-season
It is important to keep biking in the off-season so you can continue building and toning the muscles necessary to mountain bike.
Another crucial reason for biking in the off-season is to maintain your endurance. Some excursions can last several hours, with as many uphill climbs as downhill slopes. Without training and building your endurance all year, those mountain biking adventures may be out of reach until the very end of the mountain biking season.
Therefore, it’s critical to look for ways to bike in the off-season. A great way to do this is to join a local gym, and practice biking on those.
If biking year-round isn’t an option, then try to practice biking approximately 1-2 months before you intend to go on mountain biking adventures. This will give your muscles some time to get back into shape and get used to the movements again.
Always remember, if the exercise you’re doing doesn’t feel right or hurts, you should stop immediately.
Increase Incrementally
When building endurance for the trail, it’s not enough to ride regularly. You must also increase the amount of time you ride. This will help you be able to pedal for longer periods.
If you’re practicing at a local gym on their resistance bikes, you can even increase the resistance of your bike in addition to the length of your workout.
Build Strength for Biking
Mountain biking works and tones your muscles, especially in your legs, shoulders, and arms. You’ll also build muscular strength in your core. To prepare for mountain biking, try to build muscles in your legs, shoulders, arms, and core. This will help you during the harder parts of your mountain biking routes.
Visit Some Trails
As you begin to train for mountain biking, take a road trip to some local mountain biking trails and scout them out. Check out what types of mountain bikes people are using on the trail. You can also observe how people are maneuvering the trails, especially if you’re a mountain biking newbie.
Maui Sunriders
Test out your mountain biking strength and endurance with the best Haleakala bike tour company! We offer tours of the best Haleakala bike route and share with you the best biking equipment! You can immerse yourself in the beauty and serenity of Upcountry Maui without the cumbersome restrictions of a large group as our riders ride at their pace stopping where they’d like to stop. It’s your day biking, your way.
