8 Myths of Strength Training for Mountain Bikers
Are you gonna bulk up and turn into the Hulk if you start strength training?
Photography: Nikki Rohan and Colin Meagher
I used to hate lifting weights. It felt like an exercise in futility and all I wanted was to be outside running, riding, or actually playing a sport. Now, as a 42 year old woman staring perimenopause in the face, I want to continue to play like I’m 21 but old father time has a different idea. Approximately 50% of women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis (Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation). In my 20+ years of mountain biking, unequivocally, the two biggest things that led to improvements:
deliberate practice (slowing down and sessioning sections of trail)
strength training
One happens on the trail, the other off the trail and can be completed in as little as 2 hrs/week. If you feel resistant to strength training, it’s likely you concur with one or more of the following myths. Read on to find out if your beliefs are indeed fact or fiction!
Myth #1: I’m gonna bulk up.
BUSTED: You’re gonna get strong AF!
The most common objection I hear is “I don’t want to get bulky” or “I’m gonna bust out of my pants!” When are we going to flip the script and acknowledge strong is beautiful, strong is capable, strong will make you faster on your bike. You’re not gonna “bulk up” unless you completely stop riding your bike, significantly increase your calories, and dedicate hours and hours to the gym. You will not bulk up considerably unless you meet the following criteria:
You eat in a calorie surplus and prioritize protein. A lot of protein.
You do little to no cardio (no running, no riding, no skiing…)
You have atypical genetics
You strength train 4hs or more every week.
People who put on considerable muscle mass are deliberately trying to grow their muscles. They do this by combining 3 factors:
1) Eat MORE calories than they burn
2) Lift heavy heavy weights at least 4 hrs per week
3) Do little to no cardio
If you do not meet the above criteria you are not going to bulk up. You actually may lean out because muscle is more dense than fat! If your jeans start to feel a bit tighter around your bum or quads, embrace it - those are your hard earned muscles!
Myth #2: Weights are Boring
BUSTED: Feeling like a bad a$@ is motivation for days.
We all have our preferences. I dislike dealing with my finances and organizing my photos. But I schedule those tasks into my calendar and do them routinely once a month for the health of my business! Your health is no different. As we age we start to lose bone density. Once you crest 30, women and men can lose up to 8% of strength each decade, according to Dr. Stacy Simms. Yikes!
Lifting weights is the single best thing you can do to:
Increase bone density
Stave off osteoporosis
Improve your mobility
Protect yourself from injury
If lifting weights isn’t what gets you up in the morning, treat it like any other habit you know is good for you: Stack it with something you love! Find a class you enjoy, lift with a friend, reward yourself with a trip to the spa after a month of workouts…Be creative, but, as my chiropractor said to me years ago, “You gotta pay to play.” The “pay” as we age, is in strengthening our bones and our muscles!
Myth #3: I don’t have time
BUSTED: Strength training will give you more time.
Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t have 2 hrs a week to devote to your personal health and wellness! Have you suffered an injury? Perhaps a collarbone fracture, IT band syndrome, thrown your back out, or unexplained knee pain? How much time did that injury cost you? Do you know people who have stopped riding altogether because they think they’re “too old?” In as little as two hours a week you can incorporate full body strength routines that will help you improve your lean muscle mass, mobility, and overall strength. Your strength training routine will help keep you injury free and agile in order to ultimately give you more time on the trails with your friends and family.
Myth #4: I’m gonna get hurt.
BUSTED: You’re more likely to get hurt NOT strength training.
We all have muscular imbalances. Cyclists tend to have tight hips, tight hamstrings, be quad dominant and suffer from poor thoracic mobility (think rounded upper back). Sound familiar? Strength training provides you the opportunity to strengthen areas of your body that are typically weak or turned off. As you strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, your low back will ache less and your hip flexors won’t need to work as hard. You’re also less likely to suffer from IT band syndrome or unexplained knee pain! A well designed strength training program for cyclists will incorporate 5 key areas:
A lower body hinge (think deadlift)
A lower body squat (think squats or lunges)
An upper body press (think DB press or push ups)
An upper body pull (think DB Row or pull ups)
Core work (both linear and anti-rotational)
With a well designed strength plan you will improve overall muscular strength and coordination, but most importantly, decrease your chances of overuse injuries.
Myth #5: I need to go to a gym
BUSTED: You can strength train from the comfort of your living room or with only 2 dumbbells!
If you’re new to strength training you can start with your body, no equipment needed! As you progress you can add in resistance bands and a set of dumbbells or kettlebells. Using a well crafted strength program, variables such as time under tension, isometric holds, and rest time can give you all the same benefits you would enjoy at a gym but from the comfort of your home!
Myth #6: I just need to ride my bike more
BUSTED: Lifting weights will not only make you a stronger cyclist, it will improve your whole body strength!
Unfortunately, bicycle riding is a non weight bearing activity. This means it does little to nothing to strengthen your bones or build muscle in your core or upper body. More bike riding will result in an improved cardio system and strong aerobic engine, but if you want to be riding your bike well into old age, you deserve to build the body that will keep up with your mind!
Myth #7) I Need to Stretch More
BUSTED: A tight muscle is often a weak muscle.
I fell pray to this one for years. I’d attend yoga 1-2 times per week, and while I definitely felt my core getting stronger, the tightness I felt didn’t actually go away until I committed to a solid strength training routine for 2 hours per week every week. What’s the connection between tightness and strength training? Often, a tight muscle is a weak muscle. Think about your hips for example. If you’re like most people today, you spend a lot of time sitting with your hip flexors in a shortened position. Once you start to strengthen your hip flexors, the muscle fibers themselves elongate and that tightness you’ve felt starts to go away!
BONUS Myth #8) Soreness = a good workout
Soreness represents novelty. If you are so sore after a workout that you can barely get off the toilet, or walk down a flight of stairs, you over did it! I tell my clients I like for them to feel strong and aware of the muscles they worked the previous day. Some soreness is fine and can be a good indicator that you pushed your comfort zone. But the idea that a good workout should leave you sore for days is myth and infact, is detrimental. If you’re so sore after a workout that you: miss a ride or a workout, or feel weak or slow on a ride in the following 1-3 days…
that workout was too hard.
When you first start working out, expect to be sore for 1-3 weeks. Start slowly. The initial start phase of a strength program is when you’re most likely to get hurt as it’s easy to go too hard too fast. As your body adjusts to the stimulus of either body weight movements or weighted movements, you will be able to increase the intensity without leaving your body wrecked. Do this over time and you will never miss workouts, you won’t feel sluggish on rides, and you will build a strong and resilient body!
So that’s it. Those 8 myths are the ones I hear repeated over and over. Let me know if you have other questions about strength training or if I convinced you to give it a try.
Looking to get started with your own strength training practice? Check out buildCLASS: At home strength training for mountain bikers, designed for women who’d rather be outside.