Enduro and DH fitness - what works and what should we be doing to max out the speed and fun?

[Capricorn]

OMG!!! Did one of the best and most versatile mountain bikers that ever lived just admit to using a backpack??????

 

What will the fashion police say?

so come tell us

[Reden]

Wear a hip pack then.

[Duane_Bosch]

so come tell us

I'm one of those unfashionable okes who wears a pack. I don't like sticky tape on my bike.

[Thermophage]

WHat's wrong with a pack? Well for a longer ride at least. 4kol point for a 20km or 30km ride unless your bike can't take a waterbottle...or you run thin sidewall tyres

[Jewbacca]

There's plenty of routines on the web and Youtube.

Information overload quite possible.

 

Check out Richie Rude's and Nino's Gym routines on youtube. Damn...

You mean the drug cheat?

 

Nah..... I would prefer to not watch him at all.

 

How fit is everyone to start off with? Looking at power based training, HR etc is great, but in reality one doesn't need to even get close to that for a really long time depending on where you are in the process.

 

Diet, consistency, basic interval sessions, consistency, some cross training/strength work, consistency...... Did I mention diet and consistency?

 

Boozing, eating crap, being inconsistent BUT still training to a 'program' is useless.

 

Developing ones lifestyle will see far better degrees of enjoyment and the proverbial 'gainz' than one thinks.

 

Once you get down to 10% body fat, have decent, even pedal strokes, can do 10 consecutive strict chest to bar pull ups and maybe run 10km in under 50 minutes, then look at going 'up a level' if you want to.

 

My experience is that 'science' might make 'numbers' easier to follow, but it also makes things a bit mundane and sucks the joy out of riding. As a non competitive level gravity rider, surely the joy is what you want to improve, not numbers?

 

But then that's just me. We are all different

[Reden]

I'm one of those unfashionable okes who wears a pack. I don't like sticky tape on my bike.

I used to wear a pack but was too hot for me.

Now I use the Leatt hip pack.

Feels funny at first but way less sweat on my back.

Down side is that a pack can have a back protector in it.

[MrJacques]

I a recent interview Gwin said that fitness is what keeps him from reaching his full speed.

[Jewbacca]

I a recent interview Gwin said that fitness is what keeps him from reaching his full speed.

Fitness or lack of fitness? hahaha

 

Being fitter DEFINITELY makes a huge difference in everything you do.

 

I do think using the Pro's as an example is a bit unrealistic though. They have the skills, the equipment, the backing, the confidence etc so small things do make a difference.

 

For a weekend hacker, basic fitness and skills will make them 200% faster. Nothing complex, really basic stuff.

 

Using extreme ends of the spectrum to cover the general populace seems to be the trend, but is pretty irrelevant when applied generally.

[MrJacques]

It's true... I make more mistakes when I'm tired and it's definitely more fun to ride when you aren't also struggling to catch your breath.

[popcorn_skollie]

An interesting thing I picked up on was adrenaline and how it impacts my stamina.

I've also become somewhat receptive to the difference between an elevated heart rate caused by either strenuous activity or just plain nerves. Since features are a big part of gravity riding.

Its worth mentioning that a bit of nerves before a big drop can often spike my heartrate.

And if I needed to pedal hard to get up to the required speed to do said feature safely.

I can almost tell at which point my nerves would impede on my stamina. 

 

This is especially true for shuttle days. Where I would drop in fresh but be cooked at the end of a run because I was trying to nail a flat corner I remember previously sliding out on. Or clear a jump that had tossed me into the bush or dirt on an occasion or two. Then there's those 'oh ****' moments where I might have held it together. Came through a section safely with a nice recovery but yoh my heart is pounding. Because for a moment there I thought I was a dead man. The only way around this for me. Is to relax. Ride, rinse, repeat. Till a feature wouldn't get me too nervous anymore.

 

Its akin to surfing where I noticed exactly the same thing. When its big and I see that set coming straight for me. My heart rate shoots up before I even start paddling for it. And just when the adrenaline hits I also need a short burst of intense energy to actually paddle into it. 

This is where I talk to myself if the other voices in my head would just shut up for a second.

Make the drop, slot in, don't get caught. Or on the bike its just...don't die skollie. Don't die.

[MrJacques]

I think that's where the singing (from the video posted earlier) can come in handy. Maybe to make you relax?

[Jewbacca]

An interesting thing I picked up on was adrenaline and how it impacts my stamina.

I've also become somewhat receptive to the difference between an elevated heart rate caused by either strenuous activity or just plain nerves. Since features are a big part of gravity riding.

Its worth mentioning that a bit of nerves before a big drop can often spike my heartrate.

And if I needed to pedal hard to get up to the required speed to do said feature safely.

I can almost tell at which point my nerves would impede on my stamina. 

 

This is especially true for shuttle days. Where I would drop in fresh but be cooked at the end of a run because I was trying to nail a flat corner I remember previously sliding out on. Or clear a jump that had tossed me into the bush or dirt on an occasion or two. Then there's those 'oh ****' moments where I might have held it together. Came through a section safely with a nice recovery but yoh my heart is pounding. Because for a moment there I thought I was a dead man. The only way around this for me. Is to relax. Ride, rinse, repeat. Till a feature wouldn't get me too nervous anymore.

 

Its akin to surfing where I noticed exactly the same thing. When its big and I see that set coming straight for me. My heart rate shoots up before I even start paddling for it. And just when the adrenaline hits I also need a short burst of intense energy to actually paddle into it. 

This is where I talk to myself if the other voices in my head would just shut up for a second.

Make the drop, slot in, don't get caught. Or on the bike its just...don't die skollie. Don't die.

My sweat also smells different when my adrenal gland works over time.

 

I find I start smelling like a mixture of sugar and dead goat, as opposed to just alive goat.

[Capricorn]

An interesting thing I picked up on was adrenaline and how it impacts my stamina.

I've also become somewhat receptive to the difference between an elevated heart rate caused by either strenuous activity or just plain nerves. Since features are a big part of gravity riding.

Its worth mentioning that a bit of nerves before a big drop can often spike my heartrate.

And if I needed to pedal hard to get up to the required speed to do said feature safely.

I can almost tell at which point my nerves would impede on my stamina. 

 

This is especially true for shuttle days. Where I would drop in fresh but be cooked at the end of a run because I was trying to nail a flat corner I remember previously sliding out on. Or clear a jump that had tossed me into the bush or dirt on an occasion or two. Then there's those 'oh ****' moments where I might have held it together. Came through a section safely with a nice recovery but yoh my heart is pounding. Because for a moment there I thought I was a dead man. The only way around this for me. Is to relax. Ride, rinse, repeat. Till a feature wouldn't get me too nervous anymore.

 

Its akin to surfing where I noticed exactly the same thing. When its big and I see that set coming straight for me. My heart rate shoots up before I even start paddling for it. And just when the adrenaline hits I also need a short burst of intense energy to actually paddle into it. 

This is where I talk to myself if the other voices in my head would just shut up for a second.

Make the drop, slot in, don't get caught. Or on the bike its just...don't die skollie. Don't die.

 

once took my HRM along for a downhill run. maxed flat start to end. Definitely wasn't just physical exertion. 

[Pieter1]

[NicoBoshoff]

Decent weighted Kettlebell (20-24kg)

 

20kg Sandbag

 

Skipping rope

 

Pull up bar.

 

I reckon these tools (and the enormous diversity of strength and conditioning workouts you can do with just these 4 items) complement my cycling the best. From pure strict strength and stability to HIIT / Crossfit type workouts I've seen a noticeable improvement on my downhill riding. Cycling, in my layman's view, tends to neglect upper body strength and stability and unless you attend to it through accessory work you're doomed to being a very fit Dadbod.

[Headshot]

Another thing that the recent talk of in and out of form riders im the XCO thread made me think of was that you should listen to your body. On Saturday after a quiet night out the evening before, I headed to Tokai. The previous night I'd felt slightly off but slept okay and was fine in the morning.

 

Shortly after starting my afternoon ride which includes an 8km warm up on bike paths, I realised something wasnt right. I blamed the heat on the day and carried on. Still managed a 32k ride but I was whacked out when I arrived home. I havent ridden home more slowly in fact. I felt utterly spent. Later I noticed I had a slight fever and took it very easy. Now I have a mild chest cold and still not feeling right.