[roel_koel]

best way to buff-up for bike riding, with "real world" strength / toughness / stamina?

go dig trails....volunteering to dig trails is great karma, and a wicked work-out for sure

try digging for 8 hours in a day, on a regular basis, and see what a work-out it gives you?


we dig all-day, none of us look "big" but definitely "athletic" and toned with good core strength and upper body, even the legs get a horrendous workout digging and shifting dirt all day..try pedalling home afterwards and see how tired your legs are?

we've have had gym fanatic / weight-lifting buddies try and "help" out with the trails, and burn out in under 2 hours...they have to go off and have a sports massage or drink some funny protein shakes to recover

nothing like hard graft in the dirt, to prep you for bike riding

 

[- seb]

You make a good point - is that down at Wisley perchance?

 

[Nagaredama]

I agree with you. What are "pistons" though?

These done semi-quickly. (I"m at work and can't watch the video so I'm not sure how fast they are doing them.

 

[- seb]

Fixed:

 

[Iridemtb]

best way to buff-up for bike riding, with "real world" strength / toughness / stamina?

go dig trails....volunteering to dig trails is great karma, and a wicked work-out for sure

try digging for 8 hours in a day, on a regular basis, and see what a work-out it gives you?


we dig all-day, none of us look "big" but definitely "athletic" and toned with good core strength and upper body, even the legs get a horrendous workout digging and shifting dirt all day..try pedalling home afterwards and see how tired your legs are?

we've have had gym fanatic / weight-lifting buddies try and "help" out with the trails, and burn out in under 2 hours...they have to go off and have a sports massage or drink some funny protein shakes to recover

nothing like hard graft in the dirt, to prep you for bike riding

While I agree with you to an extent I don't what you said is entirely correct. Digging and working at trails sure can do a lot for someone. I have a good amount of hours behind a shovel/pick too. But whenever you can make it to a gym, one can progressively exceed their physical threshold and become stronger.

So lets say your friend Joe and you dig all the time. So you dig an hour extra every day for 3 weeks. Your friend Joe goes to the gym for 2 hours 2 days a week and does squats, deadlifts, leg curls, calf raises, etc... You both go out on a trail after 3 weeks. I guarantee your friend will not only have slightly more stamina, but a sh!t load more power than what you have acquired within those 3 weeks of digging and extra hour. And you've done 2 hours more work than him too (even though you may reap better benefits as far as fun and trails go vs your friend staring at a squat rack).

 

[bizutch]

I'm 37 now and this season have been getting better results than in the last few years. I shed roughly 10 lbs, but the secret for me is the trampoline in the back yard the mother in law gave us in the spring.

I never did any spinning, hopping or doinking around, flipping, etc in my life. Never had a diving board or trampoline growing up in the boonies. It's a blast and I just get goofy retarded silly on it. It's put a bounce in my step and helped balance, explosiveness...all of my DH skills.

 

[SCARY]

I'm 37 now and this season have been getting better results than in the last few years. I shed roughly 10 lbs, but the secret for me is the trampoline in the back yard the mother in law gave us in the spring.

I never did any spinning, hopping or doinking around, flipping, etc in my life. Never had a diving board or trampoline growing up in the boonies. It's a blast and I just get goofy retarded silly on it. It's put a bounce in my step and helped balance, explosiveness...all of my DH skills.

No kidding,after about 10 bounces I'm wheezing like a chain-smoking COPD patient.--I do find it amusing that people are seemingly suggesting removing whole major muscle groups from an exercise program.
--Their a plenty of highly credentialed,accomplished,stupid people out there.My favorites are the charismatic ones that have some sort of philosophy on whatever their field is ,that the think is sooo revolutionary,they have gotten to the point of excluding ALL other possibilities.
-This happens so often with people who ARE successful,and they get followers who espouse and repeat the opinion as absolute truth.
-Not every "thing"works for everybody.
-Are clipless pedals better than flats?Not if I'm thinking about getting my foot back in,in the middle of a rock garden.
-Are flats better than clipless?Not if you're genetically blessed with lungs like Lance Armstrong and you can sprint for 4 minutes, flat out.
-Are bench presses bad and flys good.It's irrelevant,thieir both bad cuz you're lying on a bench,and no good can come from isolating a muscle group like that.
-Am I rambling and wasting 45 seconds of your life?
Probably.

 

[tobes27]

Looks like the kids in the video are doing Crossfit which in my opinion is about the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for DH racing aside from actually riding. Anyone looking for off-season workouts through the winter to prepare for racing should definately look into it.

 

[dexter]

Bench press (obviously) develops pectoralis and anterior deltoid strength. These two muscles work together to stabilize (mostly isometrically) the body during rough sections on a DH track and work concentrically during absorption of impacts during landings.

It is important to work out the chest and not just one muscle group to mantain muscle balance and avoid injuries. Chest and anterior deltoid work as synergists in many other movements.

this guy knows whats up