SPRINT LIKE A PRO
Building strength will massively benefit your riding, but it’s power that will help you explode away from other riders; here’s how to train it
Watch any pro mountain biker riding, and one thing they all have in common, other than being supremely fit, is that they have the ability to generate an impressive amount of speed in just a couple of short, sharp pedal strokes.
And while having a good start/finish line sprint has obvious advantages for racing, there are lots of situations on the trail where being able to put down the power with a few effective pedal strokes can make a massive difference to the outcome.
Like maintaining momentum when cranking up and over a technical rooty section on a climb, or simply smuggling in a few extra pedal turns just to make sure you clear that double jump. Having a good, solid sprint will also enable you
THE COACH
to get up to speed as quickly as possible when entering a trail, giving you the best chance possible of maintaining that speed and fun factor all the way down.
And while there’s simply no substitute for practising sprinting technique on the bike, there are some things you can do off the bike that will really complement and even enhance your on-bike performance.
Leg strength is obviously very important for sprinting, so we’re going to assume that you’re already doing heavy sets of squats and deadlifts to develop maximum strength. But simply being strong isn’t enough, we also need to increase the rate of force development and become more explosive. So some maximum speed work is necessary too.
We also want to tie the arms and legs together with a stable core to minimise power losses across the system. And by reinforcing good technique off the bike, we can get much better at sprinting on the bike.
As a trail rider, you still want to maintain a high level of aerobic capacity, as we’re not sprint specialists like track cyclists or BMX racers, so your training shouldn’t focus purely on sprint training. Instead, sprinkle some of the following exercises into your weekly workouts and watch your sprint really take off.
BANDED BACK SQUATS
By reducing the weight on the bar and adding bands to the barbell back squat you change the load and strength curve of the exercise. This makes the squat easier at the bottom, when the bands are more relaxed, and harder at the top, when tension on the bands increases. This simple modification really allows you to focus on exploding out of the hole, and generating the maximum rate of force development. The bands make the exercise safer too, as the increased tension at the top of the movement helps to control the momentum of the barbell.
KETTLEBELL SWINGS
The kettlebell swing is a hip-hinge movement pattern just like the deadlift. So it’s a great exercise for taking the strength gains you developed with the heavy, slow deadlifts and transforming it into the ability to move more explosively. The key to performing a good kettlebell swing is to set the hips back and explode using your glutes. Knee bend should be minimal, as you don’t want to turn your swing into a squat variation, and keep the kettlebell close to your groin at the bottom of the swing. All of the power to propel the kettlebell up should come from the hips, so don’t swing it up with your arms, as they are just along for the ride.
STATIC BIKE INTERVALS
Performing a couple of static bike interval sessions per week, even at the end of your strength training sessions, will boost your sprint capacity and improve all aspects of your fitness. Obviously you can do these on a ride, but given that most of us ride for fun, it’s best to do them during a training session so you don’t associate riding with so much pain and discomfort. Limit interval training to two sessions per week and vary the intensity/duration of the intervals from session to session.
Short 10-second sprints at max effort should be performed at full gas, on the minute every minute, so that’s 10s on, 50s off. Longer intervals of 3-5min have to be done at a more modest output so use a 1 to 1 work/rest ratio, so if you sprint for 3 minutes rest for 3 minutes before doing the next sprint.
DEADBUGS
There are lots of different core exercises but the deadbug is a great choice for sprint training as it forces you to hold your core in an isometric contraction while moving your opposing limbs. Which is pretty similar to what’s happening when you sprint on your bike.
To perform deadbugs lie on your back with arms up and your legs bent at the knees, with your thighs at 90° to your torso. Press your lower back into the floor by bracing your core. With your back set, simultaneously lower one leg and the opposite arm under control until your heel and thumb kiss the floor, ideally at the same time. Return to the start position and repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Don’t rush the movement and keep your lower back in contact with the floor at all times.