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Home / MTB Tips / Survey

Do you Lift Weights to Prep for MTB Season?

Lifting weights is a classic way to build strength, though there are certainly other methods for getting fit and strong for mountain biking.

By Jeff Barber
January 16, 2022

12 comments

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Mountain bike season is coming! Weight lifting is a classic strength training exercise, though there are other ways to get fit and strong for biking as well.

Tell us about your prep for MTB season in the comments, even if it’s just eating peanut M&Ms and binging on Ted Lasso.

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Jeff Barber

Jeff Barber has been mountain biking since 1992 and has tested hundreds of mountain bikes and components. He is the co-founder of Singletracks and serves as Editor in Chief. Contact him at [email protected].

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12 Comments

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GrundleJuice 2018
Jan 17, 2022

MTB season never ends if you don't mind a little cold

7 reply

guggino88 2018
Jan 16, 2022

Bought some studded tires a couple years back and geared up so the season never ends. Couldn't handle being stuck in the garage. Winter riding is a different kind of fun.

4 reply

Old Greg Missouri // 2018
Jan 20, 2022

I will be 70 in June. I hit the gym 6 days a week for an hour each day. If local trails (St. Louis) are dry and above freezing I substitute my gym work with a nice long ride. For the past five years I have spent my Summers in West Virginia as a MTB Instructor at the BSA's Summit Bechtell Reserve. We have 10,000 acres of mountains in the New River Gorge there and 29 MTB trails. Teaching fundamentals, I average riding about 20 miles a day, 6 days a week. All of this stuff keeps me young enough to stay healthy. But mostly, I do it all because it is so much FUN! Someday I will be too old to do this stuff. But not yet!
I think the gym workouts help me a lot.

3 reply

troutwest66 Idaho // 2019
Jan 22, 2022

That's awesome! I know I won't be able to ride my enduro bike down trails forever but if I can at least keep on the fatbike when my riding has to be mellower then that should be good. We'll see. Maybe I'll age better than I think!

0 reply

25psi Pennsylvania // 2017
Jan 20, 2022

My 63 year-old body needs weight training for my every-day well being, so it is a regular activity for me, regardless of season. Fortunately most of my hip, leg and core exercises end up benefitting my bike handling skills in many ways. My climbing can be explosive when necessary, I am steady on fast, winding descents, and for what it's worth I recover quickly from the inevitable crashes. Life is simply better when you're strong, and everyone should find time for weight work.

3 reply

Sunspot Colorado // 2019
Jan 17, 2022

I am done when the work week is over! I lift things that I get a paycheck to lift not things that an invoice appears for.

A few cylinder heads, a transfer case. A few batteries and other automotive components all week long. And no desire to add to the task!

All humor aside, scoliosis is my excuse as well as active chemotherapy.
During this, I ride on my good days. I play with my beloved Middlechild because pithy little bike loves to play and help me navigate my way through an adult strength disease that covid cannot compare to in any way, shape or form.

2 reply

Oldandrolling South Carolina // 2018
Jan 20, 2022

MTB and road cycling is an all year and lifetime hobby. Actually, I ride bikes to stay in shape for weight training.

2 reply

dlyskawa Colorado // 2020
Jan 20, 2022

MTB season is year round. Tires just get fatter and less inflated during the winter months. Strength training is a year round commitment that benefits MTB riding and daily life activities, and will add years of MTB fun! My strength program is a functional, full body program that improves mobility, balance, endurance, power, and strength.

2 reply

Mann California // 2018
Jan 21, 2022

Praise God for year round socal riding. I lift my bike into the rack 12 months a year.

2 reply

Called2RideMTB Maryland // 2017
Jan 16, 2022

With both shoulders compromised (left worse than right) and no left elbow (just a metal hinge) weights and pushups are out of the question for me. I get creative and do what I can do to keep upper body strength, but it's a big challenge.

Always looking for better ways to improve this!

2 reply

troutwest66 Idaho // 2019
Jan 22, 2022

Have you tried exercise bands? There are different resistances to fit what you're able to do. Any resistance training will help even if it's light. Just a thought. As long as you can ride do what you can!

1 reply

troutwest66 Idaho // 2019
Jan 22, 2022

I'm almost 56, a PE teacher and a hunter. I started my most recent (last several years) lifting routine to mimic hunting scenarios like hiking, lifting elk quarters and general fitness. Now that I'm about two years into riding singletrack mtb versus just exploring on my fatbike the lifts I was doing help with riding, too. I lift year round, twice a week and try to get three days of cardio in to round things out. It has been working very well for me for riding and general fitness plus being in the mountains. I used to feel running had to be my cardio but I have let climbing on a mtb ride fill that role whenever I have time to ride. Winter I have a studded wheel set for the fatty and not the same as summer riding but has been enjoyable. I'm just into fun and staying healthy so I can enjoy retirement in less than four years. If I was younger and competing in mtb racing I would have a different specific training regimen. Thanks for indulging my long winded reply!

0 reply

Tagged: fitness, strength training, survey, tips

First published January 16, 2022 @ 5:20:00