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Reader You say you want to be a better rider. Stronger legs. Better fitness. More confidence on every trail. You want to ride longer days without blowing up halfway through. You want to keep up with your friends — or better yet, be the one setting the pace. You want to feel capable, not cooked, at the end of a big climb. So what’s stopping you? “I’m too busy.” “I’m too tired.” “It’s not the right time.” “I’ve got too many things going on.” “I don’t know if I’ll get the benefit.” “It’s too expensive.” Let’s be real. Those aren’t reasons. They’re excuses. Because there is time — you’re just not making yourself a priority. If you can doom scroll for 30 minutes or binge a show, you can train. If you can spend hours planning the next bike upgrade, you can carve out two hours or more a week to actually build the engine that makes that bike perform. A good strength and endurance program costs less than that fancy Fox 38 fork. Less than a carbon wheelset. Less than what you’ll spend fixing another crash that happened because you weren’t strong enough to hold your line. You don’t need perfection. You need commitment—discipline Two to four sessions a week, protected in your schedule like a doctors appointment. That’s where strength, endurance, and confidence are built — not in what-ifs and maybes. So before you tell yourself another excuse, ask: What do I have to gain? ✅ The power to ride longer and recover faster. You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need to start. Stop making excuses. Start building the rider you say you want to be. |
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Hi , One of the junior athletes I worked with last off-season had a performance recently that really stood out to me. He's primarily been a downhill racer. Lots of time developing technical skills, riding fast and learning how to race DH. Last off-season, he jumped on board and put more focus into his physical development. Strength. Power. Aerobic fitness. Building a more complete athlete, not just trying to make him better at riding fast for 5 minutes. He's continued putting in the work all...
Plyometrics aren’t just “jump training”, or lifting a weight fast. They rely on something called the stretch shortening cycle. When a muscle is rapidly stretched, sensors within the muscle trigger a stronger, more forceful contraction. Think quick stretch → explosive rebound. That elastic response is what allows you to absorb force and immediately redirect it. Think of it as reducing your rebound damping. Less damping in your body is a good thing. On the bike, this shows up when you: • Pump...
This athlete learned it the hard way. On the surface, everything looked right. The program was polished. The coach was well known. The investment was significant. Behind the scenes, though, something wasn’t working. As she put it: “My previous coach felt personalized at first, but over time it just became like she was spitting out some program she had on the internet.” That disconnect mattered. Communication was minimal. Context was missing. And when injuries and challenges in life got in the...