12 Best Strength Training Exercises for Mountain Biking
If you want to enjoy your mountain biking journey, it is very important to build up some strength so that you can ride on different types of trails and cover longer distances without feeling cramped or tired.
If you don’t build up strength and endurance for mountain biking, then you might feel shaky on technical descents and will also struggle with steep climbs.
In this article, we will discuss the 12 Best Strength Training Exercises for Mountain Biking, which will strengthen your upper body and lower body and will also focus on building your core strength.
These exercises are suitable for every type of rider, including enduro enthusiasts, weekend warriors, or people who are just looking for MTB workouts at home and just riding the bike normally.
Mountain biking is a sport and a hobby. That’s why it is important to strengthen your body, as your whole body is involved. For example, your legs power you up for climbing.
Your core will help you manage stability on the ride. And the upper body will absorb the hits from rough trails.
That’s why all these body parts need to be strong. And yes, the brain as well.
These strength training workouts are going to work on three things. Power, endurance, and control are all important for mountain biking.
Lower Body Exercises for Mountain Biking
First of all, you have to focus on your lower body, such as your legs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, etc, because they are involved in every pedal.
1. Squats (Back or Bodyweight)
Squatting is one of the best leg exercises for mountain biking, and it’s also the first exercise that you want to do to train your legs.
You can do it at home or in the gym if you want extra weight.
Squat exercise mimics the pedaling motion, and it builds strength in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, which are very important for clients riding.
How to do it:
If you are in the gym, you can use a barbell. Or if you are at home, then it’s okay to use body weight.
Stand on your feet, shoulders width apart.
Lower yourself.
Make sure your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Push through your heels to stand up.
Pro Tip: You want to go slow on the way down to build up some eccentric strength. It is good for controlled power, which you will need during descent trials.
2. Lunges
Lunges is another important mountain biking workout to build Single leg strength and balance, which is very important for technical climbing and paddling
How to do it:
Step forward with one foot and lower until both knees are at 90 degrees.
Push back to standing. Alternate legs.
Variation: You can add weights to make lunges workout more hard, such as holding dumbbells if you’re in a gym. Besides this, you can also try reverse lunges to reduce knee stress.
3. Deadlifts
Deadlift workouts focus on multiple body parts, such as the hamstring, glutes, and lower back. These body parts help you on steep and grueling climbs during bike riding.
How to do it:
You need to stand with your feet hip-width apart, with barbell or dumbbells
Bend at your hips and knees to grab the weight.
Stand tall, keeping your back flat and chest up.
Pro tip: You should start deadlifting with light weight and focus on form. This workout will improve pedaling power.
Step Ups is one of the best MTB workouts for building strength and endurance, which you need for steep climbs.
How to do it:
Step onto a sturdy bench, stairs, or a box with one leg.
Drive through your heel to lift your body up.
Now, lower yourself back down and alternate legs.
Bonus: Hold weights if you want to make it more difficult.
Upper Body Exercises for Mountain Biking
Many new mountain bikers think the upper body is not really involved in mountain biking, which is not true at all.
Anyone who wants to tackle a rock garden knows how important upper-body workouts are.
A strong upper body will help you stay in control when the trail gets rougher.
5. Push-Ups
Push-ups are the best upper-body workout for mountain biking. You don’t even need to go to the gym.
This simple workout can strengthen your chest, shoulders, triceps, etc. They are all important in controlling the bike’s handlebars.
How to do it:
Keep your body straight from head to heels.
Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
Push back up.
Variation: If you are new and cannot do a full push-up. Then, start with knee push-ups or incline push-ups. As a beginner, you can do four sets of 10 repetitions.
6. Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldowns
Lat pulldowns are a great workout in the gym. However, if you do not go to the gym, then you can do pull-ups. They are excellent to test your upper body strength.
Pull-ups target your lats and biceps, which will help you pull your handlebars during the technical section.
Also, when you want to lift your bike over any obstacles, use the bunny hopping technique.
How to do it:
Grab a pull-up bar with palms facing away.
Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.
Lower yourself with control.
7. Dumbbell Rows
Dumbbell row exercise will strengthen your upper back and will improve your posture when you sit on the bike. A strong back will prevent you from fatigue during the long ride. That’s why you want to do this workout.
How to do it:
Place one knee and hand on a bench.
With the other hand, pull a dumbbell towards your hip.
Lower it slowly and repeat.
Core Exercises for Mountain Biking
Core is a really important part; it holds everything together when you are riding a mountain bike.
When you do not have a strong core, your legs and arms cannot perform really well. That’s why it needs to be strong.
Let’s discuss some simple workouts that can help you strengthen it.
8. Plank Variations
Plank workout looks really simple, but it’s tough—and crazy effective.
How to do it:
Hold your body in a straight line with the help of your forearms and toes.
Tighten your core and hold for 30–60 seconds (Depending on your strength).
Variations: You can do side planks or dynamic planks (like shoulder taps) to make your workout more difficult.
9. Russian Twists
Russian Twist is another proven core workout that strengthens your core. It will help you stay in balance on trials and unexpected turns.
How to do it:
Sit on the ground, lean back slightly, and lift your feet.
Twist side to side, touching the ground on each side.
Pro tip: You can hold some weight or a medicine ball to make your workout a little difficult.
10. Bird Dog
Bald dogs are one of the most underrated workouts; they target multiple muscle groups such as erector spinae, glutes, and rectus abdominis. This simple workout can improve your stability and balance.
These two body workouts involve your whole body, theupper, lower, and core, so you can do that.
11. Kettlebell Swings
You will need power and endurance for kettlebell swing. This targets your glutes, hamstring, and core.
It also mimics an explosive movement, which is made for sprinting. This targets your glutes, hamstring, and core.
How to do it:
Swing the kettlebell between your legs and drive it up to chest height while using your hips.
Let it swing back down and repeat.
12. Burpees
Burpees are one of the best full-body workouts for mountain biking. It targets your core, lower body, and upper body.
Being a high-intensity interval workout, it mimics every demand of mountain biking.
How to do it:
Drop into a push-up position
Do a push-up
Jump back to your feet and explode into a jump.
Putting It All Together
If you want to get the most out of these exercises, then you have to do them at least 3 to 4 days every week. So here is a simple MTB workout at-home routine.
Squats: 4 sets of 15 reps
Push-Ups: 4 sets to failure
Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 10 reps per arm
Plank: 4 rounds, 45 seconds each
You can adjust the reps and weights based on your fitness level.
The Results You’ll See on the Trails
When you do these simple strength training workouts for mountain biking, you will feel the difference on trails.
For example, you will be easily able to climb up and ride on various types of technical sections, cover longer rides without getting tired, and you will not get injured easily.
How do I get in shape for mountain biking?
If you want to get in shape for mountain biking, you want to focus on cardiovascular endurance, strength training, and, most importantly, improve your mountain biking skills.
You can do strength training workouts around 3-4 days a week. Besides this, you want to ride your bike 2-3 times a week. And every time, you will note the time.
For example, on the first day, you ride your bike for 8 km, then on the second day, you will ride for 10 km, and on the third day, you will ride for 12 km.
It totally depends on your capability and stamina.
If you are completely new, you need to develop essential skills for mountain biking that match your fitness level.
How much should I train for mountain biking at home?
Training 3-4 days a week is enough, and you can do workouts for around 45-60 minutes. You can do a full-body workout every day, or you can also make a separate day for 1 day; you will do the upper body, 2nd-day core, 3rd-day lower body, and on 4th day, the full-body workout, and then rest.
On non-strength training days, you can do stretching, yoga, etc. Or simply ride your bike in your locality.
What are the best bodyweight exercises for mountain biking?
There are many of the best bodyweight workouts for mountain biking. For example, You can do bodyweight squats for leg strength and endurance.
Push-up for upper body strength. Plank for core and lunges to improve single-leg strength.
To get results, you need to do these bodyweight workouts at least for a few months, and each workout should be done at least once or twice a week.
Besides this, there are some best cross-training for mountain biking to focus on, such as Walking, Running, Swimming, etc.
How can strength training prevent injuries in mountain biking?
Strength training improves your muscle strength, joint stability, and overall body control.
When your muscles are strong, they absorb The mountain bikes’ jump and drop impact, especially when you face rough trails.
Strong muscles reduce strain on your joints.
For example, when your glutes and hamstrings are stronger, They will protect your knees, and if your core is stronger, it will support your lower back during long rides.
You can do simple mountain biking exercises like planks, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc.
