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This podcast is dedicated to bringing the 40+ year old mountain biker the best training strategies to help them ride stronger now and for year to come.
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 29, 2017
Wednesday Nov 29, 2017
Every once in a while I have a lightbulb moment that makes me realize that I have been missing something really important in my training.
Like the first time I was introduced to using mobility exercises to compliment my usual focus on “get stronger”, these moments open up a whole new way of seeing the bigger picture that leads to being a better rider.
One of these moments happened to me recently at a Steve Maxwell seminar when he was explaining how he uses Isometric Exercises in combination with sport training.
While Isometric Exercises are something I have studied and used, I never really understood the best way to use them until I heard him explain it and now I realize that they are a must have component of a training program.
In this episode of the Bike James Podcast I explain what Isometrics Exercises are, how to use them and how you can use incorporate them into your program to help you ride faster on the trail.
Show Notes:
- Isometric Exercises
- No movement
- High muscle tension
- Relatively safe
- Strength is Tension + Technique
- The trick to sport-specific training is to develop your Tension and your Technique separately
- We screw up when we use strength training to teach a skill or skill training to build strength
- Use Isometrics to develop your Tension and then skill training for Technique
- Use Ramping Isometrics with 1 Set to Failure for each movement pattern
- 20-30 seconds at 50% effort/ 75% effort/ 100% effort
- Safe for 1 Set to Failure since you don’t move
- Allows you to really focus on quality of tension instead of movement
- Helps you develop your tension producing “volume knob”
- Helps you learn how to truly tap into 100% tension
- Develops mental and physical endurance
- Keeps the body fresh for technique training (deadlifting, riding your bike, etc.)
- Pick one exercise per movement pattern and do it 2 days per week
- Use the other training time to work on movement or sport specific skills/ endurance training
- Don’t go above 80% effort with skill training
- This isn’t easy or sexy but is works
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems & Pedaling Innovations
Monday Nov 20, 2017
Monday Nov 20, 2017
So, right off the bat I want to let you know why this may be one of the most important interviews I’ve done on this podcast.
Foot health and now it affects your riding is usually something most of us don’t worry about until there is a problem. However, even then most riders are usually in the dark about the best strategies to improve and maintain their foot health.
This leads to a lot of riders who just figure that sore feet, uncomfortable feet and the knee, ankle and low back problems that come with them are just part of riding a bike.
Which is unfortunate because a lot of these riders are suffering needlessly. There are things you can do both on and off your bike to improve your foot health and function, improving your performance and decreasing your pain in the process.
In this podcast I interview Dr. Marty Hughes and Dr. Robyn Hughes from www.NaturalFootGear.com. They are leading experts in the field of foot function and health and also happen to be avid cyclists, bringing a unique perspective to this subject.
In the interview we go over why foot health is so important for us, some common things that can be hurting our feet and what you can do to start improving your foot health both on and off the bike.
I know that talking about the feet isn’t what most riders think about when it comes to improving your performance on the bike but after listening to this interview I hope you’ll have a new appreciation for how important it is.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
Monday Oct 09, 2017
Monday Oct 09, 2017
Well, it’s official - Ryan Leech is one of my favorite people on planet Earth.
Rarely does someone live up to their internet persona but Ryan really is one of the nicest, most giving guys out there.
I’ve had the chance to talk with Ryan via Skype several times (a lot of them are published as podcasts) but I hadn’t had the chance to meet him until last week when he rolled through town and invited me and Aka the Trail Mutt for a ride.
After a ride, some pizza and coffee we were buzzing from all the great energy we had going and so we decided to sit down and do a Facebook Live shoot for his coaching group.
Not wanting to have you guys miss out on the goodness I also set up my mic and recorded what went down.
And what went down was an hour plus long conversation where we covered a lot of ground, including what he learned while creating his jump course, how the foot works and how it really applies to your pedals, the biggest mistake riders make with their cardio training and why a lot of the skills training advice you get is simply wrong.
It was another great talk and we left off with a lot left to discuss. I hope you enjoy this new podcast and get some insights and inspiration to help you enjoy riding even more.
And remember to check out Ryan’s coaching group, which offers the best online skills training programs available. Not all skills training advice is created equal and Ryan is one of the few coaches who values movement as much as skill and it shows in how he approaches things.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems
Monday Sep 18, 2017
Monday Sep 18, 2017
This month marks a big milestone for me - it’s the 2-year anniversary of the Catalyst Pedals!
That's right, it’s been 2 years since I sent out that first email letting people know about them and seeing if anyone would be interested in pre-ordering a pair.
And while I was hoping to sell 100 pairs, we ended up getting over 550 pre-orders. That was a great start and in the last 2 years we’ve gone on to sell over 5000 pairs of pedals and help a lot of riders in the process.
To mark the occasion I put together a couple of things.
The first is a podcast where I share the story of how the Catalyst Pedal went from an idea to an actual product that anyone can buy and put on their bike. It was an interesting journey into the manufacturing side of the bike industry and I learned a lot about how things really work behind the scenes.
You can download or stream this podcast below.
I also wanted to get a special limited-edition Catalyst Pedal made, one that captured the humble beginnings of the Catalyst Pedal as a simple prototype with a dream.
To accomplish that we used an anodized Polished Silver…and it came out pretty sweet if I do say so myself.
With the look of a raw aluminum prototype, it perfectly captures the feel of those first Catalyst Pedals I hand assembled in my garage.
But, like all the limited-edition colors we create, there is a very limited supply and once they are gone they are gone for good.
So, if you’d like to get a pair of our special 2-year anniversary pedals then just click on the link below and order yours today:
Click here to buy the Polished Silver Limited-Edition Catalyst Pedals
And while you’re there you can check out our new website. We had it updated to make it easier to use and learn about the benefits of the Catalyst Pedals. Be sure to let us know what you think!
Thanks for all the support, until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems/ Pedaling Innovations
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Monday Sep 11, 2017
In this episode of the BikeJames Podcast I go over the 4 basic physical qualities that make up your physical potential as a mountain biker as well. I also explain what the Specificity Spectrum is and how it applies to these 4 physical qualities as they relate to mountain biking. By understanding where you need to get specific with your training and where you want to stay more general with it you can save a lot of time and energy with your training program.
Until next time...
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems
Mentioned in this episode:
Why You Should Be Doing 5 Reps or Less
GPP vs. SPP: Why Riding a Road Bike is Different for Roadies
Show Notes:
- Training for a sport like mountain biking requires a balance of 4 things.
- Flexibility: Your ability to move your joints freely through a full range of motion.
- Strength: Your ability to produce tension in the muscles through a range of motion.
- Power: Your ability to apply force quickly through a range of motion.
- Cardio/ Endurance: Your ability to sustain your strength and power.
- It is the combination of these 4 things that make up your physical potential as a rider.
- As a mountain biker, your goal is to use a program that helps you improve these 4 things as they relate to your needs as a rider.
- However, these 4 things are not equal in the need to apply “sport specific” training to them.
- Trying to apply too much or mis-applying sport specific training can actually hold you back so it is important to understand the best way to apply this concept to these 4 things.
- Flexibility is the most general of all the qualities and almost any type of stretching will help your riding This is one reason that “yoga” can be helpful for mountain bikers.
- Strength is a little more specific and starts to require that we think about some things like postures and stances when picking exercises, although you still see a lot of transfer from just “getting stronger”. This is why the deadlift is popular in almost every sport since the strength gains can transfer to a lot of applications.
- Power requires more specific movements and stances to have a lot of transfer to the bike. This is also where you want to get into true “sport specific training” and use your bike for at least some of your power training.
- Cardio/ Endurance is the most specific of all the qualities, which is why the best cardio training you can do for any sport is to practice your sport. While you can and should use some other forms of cardio training in your program, you can’t build real MTB-specific cardio in the gym or on a trainer.
- As a side note, this is why I don’t like to use things that resemble riding our bikes for cardio training. Using a road bike or something that tries to simulate pumping your bike will actually create competing movement patterns since they aren’t exactly the same as riding your bike. Being “close” is actually worse than not resembling it at all, which is why I recommend running or some other form of movement for your non-specific cardio and using your mountain bike for any and all MTB-specific cardio training on the trainer or road.
- So what does this look like in practice?
- Flexibility: 15 minutes a day with 2 longer sessions during the week.
- Strength Training: 2-3 days a week focusing on building strength in the major movement patterns with a slight emphasis on the Hip Hinge and Single Leg/ Lunge patterns.
- Power Training: 1-2 days a week using sprints (both running and on your bike/ trainer) as well as some exercises in the gym for Upper Body and Single Leg power.
- Cardio/ Endurance Training: Ride your bike with an emphasis on the times and efforts you race at (Pacing Development Strategy) while using some long, slow distance runs to round things out.
- Understanding how to apply the specificity concept to each of these 4 physical qualities can help you from wasting time on things that are either too specific or not specific enough to fit your needs as a mountain biker.
Monday Jul 17, 2017
Monday Jul 17, 2017
Some people may wonder why I care so much about foot position on the bike.
I mean, does it really matter that much? Can’t we just ride what feels good and call it “personal preference”?
Well, foot position does matters…a lot. Your foot is constantly sending feedback to the brain and it plays a huge roll in your balance, movement efficiency and power generation.
So I guess you could say that foot position only matters if things like balance, movement efficiency and power generation on the bike matter to you.
Joking aside, it is extremely important and there is a “right” and a “wrong” foot position to use on the bike. When you use the right foot position you can create authentic movement the body works for you, when you use the wrong one it creates compensations that cause unbalanced positions and wasted energy.
The problem, though, is that in today’s world most people have weak and “dumb” feet that have spent way too much time inside shoes and sitting around doing nothing. And when you come into mountain biking with feet (and other things) that need help it can make it confusing about which is the best foot position based on authentic movement and not just a compensation that looks better.
To make matters worse you have a lot of mis-information and half-truths surrounding this subject being perpetuated by tradition and coaches who have staked their reputations on the ball of the foot position being “right”. This has created a virtual onion-of-confusion as multiple layers have been built around the foot position question, making it very hard to know what is the truth.
Which, if you think about it, seems pretty crazy in this day and age.
There is actual science, movement principles and real world results we can look at that cut through the layers of confusions. And when you do they point pretty decisively to the mid-foot position being the far superior position.
Which brings me to my latest podcast.
Just like I did with the Flat Pedal Revolution Manifesto - where I systematically shared all of the information surrounding the pedal stroke to dismantle the traditional arguments surrounding clipless pedals - I’m attempting to do the same thing with foot position.
Now, to do that I’m going to have to go deep into this subject. It takes far more than an elementary level understanding of things like movement principles, the science and how they apply to the bike to really understand what is going on when you change your foot position.
But that is exactly the problem…the vast majority of bike skills coaches and others engaged in this conversation don’t look at themselves as movement coaches. They spend little to no time learning about how to fix movement off of the bike and how that movement should then be applied to the bike.
Instead, a lot of them rely things I call “parking lot and pump track tricks” to make someone who doesn’t know better feel like they are improving without actually supplying the fundamental movement patterns they need on the bike to see long term, sustained progress.
Getting someone to go onto the balls of their feet to improve their hip hinge and pumping is an example if this. Pushing someone into an unbalanced foot position that creates a hinging compensation pattern is not the same thing as teaching someone to move better on the bike.
But again, you need a slightly deeper level of understanding on this subject than “this a squat and this is a hip hinge” to know that.
Besides this common myth I also take the time to go into the other arguments surrounding foot position - other athletes push through the ball of the foot, pro riders use it, you need it for agility, etc. - and show you how they are either being taken out of context or, once again, when you look at them with a more complete understanding of the subject you can see how they don’t really apply.
My hope with this podcast is to move this conversation forward with real science and movement principles. While I love this sport, in some ways cycling seems to be the least scientific of any sport I’ve worked with in how it ignores stuff like this and instead clings to tradition and acts as an echo chamber for people to just repeat the same tired old arguments.
Outside of “tradition”, the ball-of-the-foot supporters have nothing to support their notions. With science and movement principles supporting it, the mid-foot position promises to help you ride better and create less wear and tear on the body in the process.
While the choice is ultimately yours, hopefully after listening to this podcast you’ll be able to make a truly informed decision that will help improve your performance, safety and fun on the trail.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems
Show Notes
- Being on the ball of the foot when on your pedals stems came from the false assumption by guys from the mid- to late 1800’s (wearing bowler hats and handlebar mustaches with no way to test their theory) that pedaling a bike was like running or walking and since you pushed through the ball of the foot when you did that you needed to push through the ball of foot on the bike as well.
- This sounds great…until you start to look at the science and movement principles that we have added to our knowledge base since then.
- Science once described as “a beautiful theory destroyed by an ugly fact”, which is what you have going on here. The theory was great…but more recent findings present ugly facts that have to be dealt with.
- BTW, there has never been a “Council of Smart People” who sat down and looked and this stuff along the way. For some reason, a lot of people just assume that this council has occurred and smart people have already done this research and declared that public opinion (in this case being on the ball of the foot) is backed by the facts when this is not the case at all.
- Back to the matter at hand, your lower leg (feet, ankle and calf) act in two different ways depending on a very simple question…Does your foot lose contact/ come off whatever it is on?
- If the answer is “yes”…like when running, walking or jumping…then you do want to push through the ball of the foot since you want your foot to break contact with what it is on so that you can propel your center of gravity through space.
- If the answer is “no”…like when bending down to pick up a box/ child or lifting in the gym (squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc.)…then you want your heel to stay down so that both ends of your arch are supported and your center of gravity can stay balanced over your feet.
- In the case of riding a bike, since our feet are staying on the pedals then the answer is “no”. And since your feet are staying in contact with the pedals as your bike carries your center of gravity through space you want to have your heel supported as well.
- This is a simple yes/ no question. There is not third option that becomes available just because being on a bike is “different” no matter how much people want there to be. Just because you don’t understand how to square this away with what you think you know doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.
- Because it violates this basic movement principle, being on the ball of your foot on the pedals creates several problems including…
- Unbalanced feet
- Compensations that look like better movement to the untrained eye
- Extra tension in the calves/ feet and upper body
- Poor power transfer into the pedals
- Extra stress on the ankles and knees
- Makes it harder to recruit your hips (the muscle group that drives the pedal stroke)
- Want some science? Here are a couple studies that by themselves are interesting but when you connect the dots between what they find you see something very important…
J.R. Van Sickle Jr, M.L Hull/ Journal of Biomechanics 2007 – This study showed no difference in power or economy between pushing through the ball of the foot and the mid-foot pedal position. They thought that there would be a decrease in those factors since you couldn’t use the ankles for leverage and push with them. However, this wasn’t the case and they found that pushing through the ball of the foot wasn’t “better” or the optimal way to apply power into the pedals. In fact, they also found that the mid-foot position took stress off of the calf and Achilles tendon, theorizing that it was instead being placed on the hips.
ELMER, S. J., P. R. BARRATT, T. KORFF, and J. C. MARTIN. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2011 – This study found that the hips (glutes and hamstrings acting to extend the hip joint) were the major drivers of the pedal stroke at all intensity levels. This means that the quads are never the major driver of the pedal stroke.
- Collectively, these studies have shown that:
1 – The mid-foot position also allows for better recruitment of the hips.
2 – The hips are the major muscles used in the pedal stroke.
- So, if your hips are the major drivers of the pedal stroke and the mid-foot position allows you to better recruit the hips then it would seem that the science favors a pedal that optimizes this foot position and hip recruitment.
- Despite science, movement principles and real-world results all pointing to the use of a balanced foot position there are still several arguments used by the ball-of-the-foot backers to support their claims of it being a better foot position. I’m now going to address each of them…
- #1 Other athletes push through the ball of their feet and it is needed for agility.
- Two problems here. First, even though we are looking at athletes that are running and jumping (making them a “yes” to the movement principles question covered earlier), this is only true some of the time.
Even these athletes still use a balanced foot position, especially when needing to change levels (which also makes them a “no”). If you look at a shortstop fielding a ground ball then you’ll see both heels in contact with the ground.
Every athlete referenced using this analogy also makes use of the balanced foot position as well as part of their movement skills. We are basically being told that we are the only athletes who never want their heels to contact the ground.
- The second problem is that we are looking at the wrong athletes to draw comparisons. There is another class of athletes that always get forgotten about when this discussion comes up and they share more in common with us that athletes that run and jump.
These athletes ride something that carries them through space, just like our bikes do with us. These athletes include surfers, skateboarders, moto riders and equestrian riders. And when you look at them you see an almost exclusive use of the balanced foot position.
Saying that you can’t be agile with your heel down doesn’t stand up when you look at these athletes. Surfers almost never have their heels off the board and they don’t have any problems moving. Skateboarders also keep their heels down except for when they come off the boards. But even then, when they are landing a jump they don’t have their feet extended, they are trying to get and keep their heels down so they can best absorb the impact.
So when you look at the athletes that share more in common with us they use a balanced foot position and do it because they know it helps them be more agile. Being on the ball of the foot actually decreases agility for these athletes so you can’t say it always improves agility…it only does so in a few select cases that have nothing to do with riding a bike.
- #2 Olympic Lifters push through the balls of their feet.
- First, Olympic Lifters both start and end with a balanced foot position. They spend way more time with a balanced foot position that being on the ball of their feet.
- Second, if you have had good O-Lifting coaching you know that you are literally supposed to jump off the ground and then stomp your heels back down (we’re talking full Cleans/ Snatches and not just Power Cleans/ Snatches here i.e. real O-Lifting). So while the feet may not come off much, the intention is there and so at that moment it becomes a “yes” sport so the comparison isn’t valid.
- Last, while you do push off the ball of the foot at the moment of max power, O-Lifers quickly get their heels back down. There is a distinctive sound to the stomp a good lifter makes from how fast they are able to transition back to a balanced foot position. They do this because they know they cannot effectively absorb the load as it drops back down until their heels are down so they can use the hips - you can’t change levels to absorb impacts when balanced on your toes.
- #3 When you jump or land from a jump you use the balls of your feet.
- While I technically addressed this one by explaining the basic movement principle behind how the lower leg works but I’ll address it since it is a common reason given.
- Once again, most jumps will start and end with a balanced foot position and will spend more time there than on the ball of the foot.
- You can’t generate force from a dead stop as effectively while balanced on your toes, which is why a long jump and vertical jump both start from a balance foot position. On the bike we don’t get the luxury of being able to use the elasticity in the muscles like you can when running (there is no load on the leg as it comes up to do so) making each pedal stroke more like overcoming a dead stop than bouncing along while running.
- And while you do contact the ground first with the ball of the foot when landing from a jump you are quickly guiding the heel down so it can make contact with the ground and you can start to use your hips to absorb the impact. The heels have to come down or else the landing is much harder on the knees and ankles and is much harder to stay balanced when landing.
- #4 You need to use your ankles for suspension and/ or for power generation.
- I already shared the study that looked at using the ball of the foot vs. the mid-foot position. It found that you didn’t need the ankle for power generation and that doing so placed more stress on the lower leg and less on the hips.
- When looking at the “Landing from a Jump” argument I explained how the ankle isn’t used to absorb impacts as much as guide the foot to where you need it so the hips can absorb the impact. Even if you want to land on the ball of the foot you still need to heel to be supported in the process of using the legs for suspension. If you stay balanced on the ball of the foot then you’ll have a harder time using the hips, actually making it harder to absorb impacts.
- #5 The pros use the ball of the foot instead of the mid-foot position.
- While this is technically true in some cases, there are a lot where it isn’t. Google some pictures of flat pedal riders like Sam Hill, Connor Fearon and Brandon Semenuk who use a decidedly more mid-foot position at least some of the time.
- Pro riders also came up practicing the ball of the foot position and never really tried the mid-foot position. In an interview with Connor Fearon he told me that he starts out on the ball of this foot because that is what everyone tells him to do but his feet naturally go to the mid-foot position once he gets going.
- The truth is that pro riders have a lot going for them and would probably kick our butts no matter what foot position they use. They are outliers and it makes it hard for normal people to read too much into what they can do and get away with.
- Up until the Catalyst Pedal, no flat pedals were made to support the mid-foot position which makes it hard to compare.
- The world of sport is full of examples of the pros being wrong. One example is the Fosbury Flop…at one point Olympic and World Champions where using a scissor kick to high jump, which proved to be an inferior technique. You have to be careful pulling out the pro-rider card because they have been wrong in the past.
- #6 It helps you move better/ pump/ hip hinge on the bike.
- There is a difference between a compensation pattern and authentic movement. The two may look similar to the untrained eye but they are very different.
- Authentic movement comes from a balanced position and ends in a balanced position, requiring the body to use the most efficient and balanced pathway to get there.
- Compensations occur when the body runs into a “roadblock” along that pathway and has to find a way around it.
- Authentic movement rely on the body’s natural alignment and stability, which requires less energy and puts less wear and tear on the body.
- Compensations go around the body’s natural alignment and create extra tension to make up for a loss of balance, which requires more energy and puts more wear and tear on the body.
- For example, coming up on the toes when squatting is a compensation pattern. Somewhere the body ran into a mobility or strength “roadblock” but it found a way to keep coming down…shift the weight to the toes. While allowing you to come down further, this unbalances the foot which requires the calves and feet to stiffen to keep you balanced. This results in a weaker movement that puts more wear and tear on the body (extra stress on the ankles and knees).
- When you put someone on the balls of their feet it creates an unbalanced foot since your weight has shifted forward. The body recognizes this and pushes the hips back slightly to compensate and keep you balanced over your feet.
- If you struggle with your Hip Hinge with a balanced foot, then because going onto the balls of your feet will put you into a Hip Hinge compensation then it will technically be easier for you to go into and out of that Hip Hinge…but it comes at a price and it isn’t the same thing as using and teaching authentic, balanced movement.
- First, it creates extra tension in the body to make up for the loss of balance at the feet (this is another movement principle that you can’t avoid no matter how much you don’t want it to exist).
- This tension shows up primarily in the feet, ankles and calves. Just try it for yourself…go from a mid-foot position to the balls of your feet, wait 15 seconds and note how much tension is now in these areas.
- The tension also shows up in the upper body. When you hold onto the handlebars it allows you to use the upper body as well to offset the loss of balance, making your “feel” balanced. Again, get up on the balls of your feet and then put your hands on something…notice how the feet and lower leg feel more relaxed but you’ve picked up some tension in the upper body.
- This mix of tension in the feet/ lower leg and in the upper body not only wastes energy (these muscles are now more metabolically active and using more energy) it also makes it harder to move and react to the trail (these muscles are also not available to assist with movement since they are acting as stabilizers to make up for the loss of balance at the feet).
- Second, being on the ball of your foot makes it harder to recruit your hips. The heels must be supported to optimally recruit the hips when the foot stays in contact with what it is on and when you don’t have the use of the stretch-shortening-cycle (remember that the muscles are not under load as they shorten and come up on the backstroke). This movement principle and the J.R. Van Sickle Jr, M.L Hull/ Journal of Biomechanics 2007 study show that it is actually harder to recruit your hips while being on the ball of your foot, which points even more to the hinging being a compensation and not authentic movement.
- Recognizing the difference between a compensation pattern and authentic movement is an important part of being a coach in any sport.
- Knowing how to fix compensations and turn them into authentic movement is something every coach should have a plan for.
- If someone cannot do a Hip Hinge/ get into the Attack Position on their bike the first thing to do is to check it off of their bike. Not on a trainer or with someone holding their rear tire to hold them up…just them standing flat footed on the ground while getting into and out of their Hip Hinge.
- You can’t fix basic movements like the Hip Hinge while on the bike or with skills drills. You have to check and fix the Hip Hinge off of the bike and then the rider can easily apply it to the bike.
- Pushing someone into an unbalanced foot position that creates a hinging compensation pattern is not the same thing as teaching someone to move better on the bike. You should be able to hinge from a balanced foot position both on and off the bike and the hinge should be fixed off the bike instead of parking lot and pump track "tricks" being applied to make up for not knowing how.
- The worst part is that once you put someone on the balls of their feet everything they “learn” from that point on is going to involve some sort of compensation. This means that they are not learning authentic movement skills to apply to the bike but instead a series of compensations that look better but fail to create balanced movement on the bike.
- So by this point I have addressed every common reason or analogy used and explained how they were either wrong or not being taken in their true context.
- I’ve also explained how being on the ball of the foot actually puts you in an unbalanced foot position that forces you into a compensation pattern, which is not the same as helping you create an authentic Hip Hinge on the bike. This puts extra stress on their knees, ankles and feet and makes it harder to recruit the hips.
- If you want to continue to believe that being on the ball of your foot is still a good idea despite everything I have presented here then I would expect that you have something to present that I am missing…some study or movement principle I am not aware of, something other than just your opinion or wishes.
- With that said I also know that there are some people who are going to cling to this notion to the bitter end. There a lot of egos and money tied up in the current paradigm and human nature isn’t to embrace change as much as double down when presented with something that challenges a long held belief.
- But honestly, in the same way some people want to believe the earth is flat no matter how much evidence you show them. And that is the point where this conversation seems to have gotten…a lot of people in denial about the evidence and using catch-all phrases like “riding a bike is different” to give themselves the mental wiggle room they need to feel comfortable with the lack of evidence supporting their views.
- We also need to feel alright with someone feeling “bad” about their previous ideas. First, no one can make anyone feel a certain way and we need to be adults here and not be so sensitive. Second, as a sport we can’t improve if we are wrapped in cocoon of denial when it comes to there being a right and wrong when it comes to things like foot position. Our gift to the next generation is to go through the tough parts that come with growth so they don’t have to go through the madness we’ve endured.
- Foot position matters…a lot. It dictates balance, efficiency of movement and power generation. Outside of “tradition”, the ball-of-the-foot supporters have nothing to support their notions. With science and movement principles supporting it, the mid-foot position promises to help you ride better and create less wear and tear on the body in the process. The choice is yours.
Sunday Jun 11, 2017
Sunday Jun 11, 2017
A persistent myth with mountain bike strength training is that because it is an “endurance sport” then you need to focus on higher reps and lower weights. Using 10-20+ reps per set and the relatively lighter weights they demand is supposed to help build the muscular endurance you need on the trail.
And while this makes sense on the surface, there is a flaw to this logic.
The truth is that most riders would benefit a lot from doing 5 reps or less per set and handling some heavier weights in the process. Far from making them bulky and slow, 5 reps or less would actually make them faster, improve their endurance (yes, you read that right) and create a more injury resistant body.
In this podcast I go over 5 reasons you need to be doing 5 reps or less as part of your strength training program as well as dispel some common myths about “heavy” strength training and give you some ideas on how you can use this concept in your own training.
Until next time...
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems
Show Notes
- Heavy weights doesn’t mean max effort “powerlifting” type training.
- Like anything else in the gym, you want to spend most of your time at the 80% effort range.
- This will still allow you to lift heavier weights while also minimizing wear-and-tear on the body and chance of injury while lifting.
- 5 Reasons to Use 5 Reps or Less
1 - It helps you focus on your form and execution of each rep which improves movement learning and decreases injury risk.
2 - It doesn’t tax you as hard metabolically, which helps you recover from your riding.
3 - It recruits more muscle fibers which gives you access to more of them when riding, which increases your endurance.
4 - It helps you get stronger without adding excessive muscle mass, which improves your strength-to-weight ratio, and what muscle/ armor you do build will be functional and not just for looks.
5 - Heavy weights create an “armoring” effect where the muscles can flex harder on impact to help absorb energy and protect you when crashing.
- Some ways to use this concept include:
- 5 sets of 5 reps (lots of applications of this one)
- 5 reps/ 3 reps/ 2 reps increasing weight each set
- 2 reps/ 3 reps/ 5 reps using the same weight (rep ladder)
Monday May 08, 2017
Monday May 08, 2017
In this episode of the BikeJames Podcast I catch up with longtime friend of the show Ryan Leech. I’ve had Ryan on more than anyone else and I think it is because we both have a lot of shared passions both in and outside of the mountain biking world.
If you don’t know, Ryan is one of the best trials riders in the history of mountain biking, inspiring generations of riders with his otherworldly balance and artistic line choices. He has become one of the best skills coaches in the world as well, sharing his knowledge and lessons he has learned both through clinics and his website, The Ryan Leech Connection.
Ryan is also huge advocate for flat pedals, having released his free 12 Ride Flat Pedal Challenge Course (which I contributed a workout to). As a yoga instructor and longtime practitioner, he is also passionate about helping people develop their bodies and minds off the bike in ways that will help them on the bike.
In other words, we usually have a lot to talk about when we get the chance to chat.
Usually we have a pre-set agenda but this time we just hit record and let the conversation go where it wanted to…and it went in some pretty interesting directions.
From the pressures and downsides of social media to assessing risk on the bike and why flat pedals rule, we covered a lot of ground. You can check it out by clicking on the link below.
Click here to listen to/ download this episode of the BikeJames Podcast.
BTW, besides finding it on Itunes you can also find the podcast on the free Podbean app, just do a search for the MTB Strength Coach Podcast.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
Monday Feb 27, 2017
Monday Feb 27, 2017
Top 3 Reasons Trackstands are a Must for Every Mountain Biker
In this new podcast I talk about the Trackstand and why it is an important skill for every rider to learn. In it I explain how they will help you improve your overall riding skills as well as some tips to help you more easily learn this important skill.
If you think that Trackstands aren’t important but you still struggle with things like Switchbacks, Techy Climbs and/ or Rock Gardens then you don’t want to miss this podcast. My goal with it is to help more riders understand how this lowly skill can help you ride with far more confidence and flow on the trail.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems
NOTES FROM THE PODCAST
- Trackstands are not an advanced skill or only needed for certain types of riding.
- Trackstands are an important skill for every rider to learn.
- They are also fun and safe to learn.
- They are also the best “balance drill” you can do on your bike, giving you way better transfer than balancing on a BOSU ball, stability ball or other balance training tool.
- Despite all of this they are still seen as a non-essential skill by most riders and coaches and little time is spent teaching or practicing it.
- This is a huge mistake that is leaving a gap in a lot of rider’s ability to balance on their bikes in certain situations on the trail.
- Track stands are an indicator of how well you can balance on the bike.
- When you are moving you are using momentum to help you balance and if you can't trackstand then you can't really balance on your bike since you always have to rely on momentum to help you.
- If you think about balance and momentum on a continuum you can see how track stands can help a lot of other skills. Think of it as your slow speed balance - nothing is slower than not moving at all!
- I personally put it in that 20% of skills that will give you 80% of your results on the trail and think that time spent on it will help riders out in a lot of ways. You should be able to control momentum and balance without it, otherwise your overall balance skills on the bike are lacking.
- If you lack slow speed balance then you will struggle with a lot of the more technical side of riding like 1) Rock Gardens, 2) Techy Climbs and 3) Switchbacks.
- So while a pure track stand might not have much carryover to the trail the slow speed balance it creates does help in a lot of areas.
- In fact, IMO this is the #1 reason that riders struggle with Switchbacks - they lack the slow speed balance needed to change the direction of your momentum in the turn. I’ll bet that that few people looking for the “secret” to riding switchbacks can trackstand very well, leading them to look for momentum based techniques.
- I also think that it is one of those skills that you should spend time learning early on and then you don't need to worry about training it as much (unlike a higher level skill like cornering or manualing where time off can erode your skill level).
- But, let’s be honest - most people want to learn the sexier skills like cornering and manualing and the trackstand is seen as a non-essential skill for some reason.
- I think that people should spend time learning to trackstand if they don’t know how already but they don’t need to spend a ton of time on it once they can hold a regular and switch-foot trackstand for a - solid 10 seconds. It is still good to come back to but at that point you spend your time on higher level skills now that you’ve backfilled a hole in your balance.
- IMO if we got beginners off of clipless pedals this wouldn't be an issue since trying to learn to track stand on clipless pedals is stupid and most riders switch to them before learning to track stand (along with several other vital skills).
- It also helps to use a mid-foot position and get off the ball of your foot, using the same foot position favored by surfers, skate boarders, skiers and other athletes who are balancing on top of something that is carrying them rather than running or jumping.
- Lastly, don’t let your ego hold you back by making excuses for why you don’t need to learn to Trackstand and just do it.
- Trackstands are only an advanced skill if you are trying to do it on clipless pedals and/ or on the ball of your foot, otherwise it is a pretty easy and fun skill learn and it will help you in a lot of ways on the trail.
Monday Nov 07, 2016
Monday Nov 07, 2016
Show notes:
- I think that everyone should use self-limiting methods as much as possible when learning something new.
- In the gym this means free weight and movements that limit how much load you can do based on your mastery of the movement (TGU and Single Leg Deadlift for example) and on the bike this means a using a hardtail. I’d go so far as to add in flat pedals and 26 inch wheels but that is another topic.
- A hardtail forces you to learn how to use your body to absorb impacts on the trail and how to use skill to maneuver your bike up and over things. It also teaches you that if you didn’t make it then it was something you did wrong, not the bike.
- A FS often teach new riders to rely on their suspension to absorb impacts. It also teaches riders to look to their bike for the solution to the problems on the trail.
- Riding around bashing into everything with your FS bike isn’t the same thing as riding a trail with some style and grace.
- Once a rider has spent some time (6 months give or take) on a HT then they will be able to get more out of a full suspension bike. It will also save them some money on their first bike, which is just going to get beat to shit anyways.
- The problem is that the mindset of putting new riders on a FS bike right off the bat - especially in areas that don’t have a lot of rocky, technical riding - stems from a larger problem in the mountain bike industry.
- At its core, this problem is what mountaineering legend Mark Twight called “replacing skill and courage with cash and equipment. They make the summit, not the style, the yardstick of success”.
- We should be telling new riders that it is alright to suck at first and that we don’t expect anything out of them. They should be taught that building their skill and courage will allow them to make better use of technology when the time comes.
- A FS also gives some riders a false sense of confidence. If someone doesn’t really understand their own riding ability and gets on a high-end bike that can get them through a lot of stuff they will be more likely to take risks that their skill level won’t be able to bail them out of if needed.
- We also forget that riding itself isn’t supposed to be fun. Mountain biking is an oblique path to happiness, kind of like climbing a mountain or writing a book. The act itself is often uncomfortable and painful but afterwards we find the contentment and happiness we’re looking for. Trying to make riding easier in an attempt to make the act itself more fun isn’t the real goal and sends the wrong message to new riders (That climb sucked? Great, it was supposed to! vs. That climb sucked? Have you thought about getting _______ to make it easier?)
- In the end we all want more riders to take up our sport and have fun doing it. But I also think that it is good for the sport if we also teach new riders that it is alright to suck as they go through the learning curve. Spending some time on a hardtail will help new riders speed up that learning curve since it forces them to use proper technique more than a FS will.
Until next time...
Ride Strong,
James Wilson