How to use Flexibility Training to improve your performance.

Flexibility Training is probably the least understood out of all of the 5 Essential Elements of MTB Training. It is one of those things that we know we need as part of our program but we rarely spend the time and effort needed to real results.

It seems that all of the other elements of training are always “more important” and we skip Flexibility Training to fit more of them in. So why is it that even though we know that being inflexible isn’t helping us on or off the bike but we don’t spend more time working on it?

Over the years I’ve found that there are 3 reasons most riders don’t make better use of this important element of training.

First, they might have heard that they don’t need it or that it can actually decrease your performance. Second, they don’t understand the real benefits of it so they don’t buy into it enough to spend the time and energy needed. And last, most rides simply don’t know how to make the best use of Flexibility Training.

So in this podcast I try to clear these things up so you can make better use of this powerful training tool. In it I go over:

1 – Myths and misunderstandings about flexibility training
    - What is flexibility training?
    - What is the difference between flexibility and mobility?
    - Why stretching will not make you weaker.
    - Why it is hard to stretch too much and become hyper flexible.

2 – Benefits of flexibility training
    - It is one of the only ways to work on decreasing muscle tension.
    - Flexibility is the foundation for efficient movement.
    - It is a good indication of how free of excess tension you hold.
    - It is one of the best ways to prevent overuse injuries.

3 – How to use flexibility training as a mountain biker.
    - You’ll need to watch the video/ listen to the podcast to find out…

Don’t make the mistake that so many riders make and skip over this important elements of training. It is especially important that you prioritize it now during the off-season so that you can restore the body from all of the riding you have been doing and set yourself up for a high performance, injury free season next year.

If you have any questions about Flexibility Training or about off-season training in general please feel free to post them below, I’m always happy to help out. And in my next post I’ll go over Strength
Training and how you can make sure you get the most transfer from the gym to the trail, including how improving your strength can directly impact your endurance.

Until next time…

Ride Strong,

James Wilson