THE ELBOWS

Strengthen and stretch your forearms to lessen the strain on your joints

Think suspension, and invariably it’s linkage systems, springs and damping that instantly come to mind. But as mountain bikers we know that our arms and legs have more “travel” than any frame or fork. There’s no CE testing or maintenance programme for our limbs and joints, however, even though the forces you experience when riding are extreme and repetitive. So it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this combination can cause some funky issues in your joints.

If you’ve been riding for some time, you’ve probably experienced an occasional niggle or soreness in your elbow joints. Not from impacts necessarily, but from the relentless bombardment of vibrations and

THE COACH

muscular tension they undergo every ride. Compounded over time, without proper care, these small niggles can become larger issues in the form of tendonitis – the most common form for riders, lateral epicondylitis, is also known as tennis elbow.

At its onset, tennis elbow is relatively easy to ignore, which is exactly what most of us do in the hope that it will simply go away. And in many cases it will clear up on its own, as it may have started due to an increased volume of riding or training. But rather than cross your fingers and hope that your tennis elbow simply disappears, we are here to offer a longer, more robust approach, and one that might save you from some very uncomfortable and frustrating times ahead.

Let’s start with the basics before we get to the specifics: global strengthening. This may seem odd but our first suggestion is to strengthen your entire body, not just one joint. Squats, deadlift, pull-ups. You know the drill. Big compound exercise to develop overall strength. Also, don’t forget to work the opposing muscles to those that become overworked on the bike. If you commit to strengthening your whole body with exercises like the deadlift, you will be working your grip and may not need any supplementary work.

ROLLING PIN SMASH

Place a rolling pin on a table and roll, gently at first, the muscles in your forearms. Once you are comfortable with this, apply more pressure and massage deeper into the muscles.

■ Perform 20 passes on each arm of 3 areas once or twice a day.

Jonny Thompson is head coach for Fit4racing, an online fitness programme for mtb riders. Once a forensic scientist, Jonny has devoted the last 10 years to coaching athletes, from Paralympians to world number one enduro racers. His main focus with the Fit4racing team is developing and delivering fitness programmes to pro and amateur riders. Training the likes of Adam Brayton, Jonny also sends digital programmes to riders all over the world, many of whom ride professionally.