The winter is over and your ready to get out and start “Shredding The Gnar,” and “Hucking Gaps!” But wait, you’re out of shape. At the beginning of January, I knew if I was to be competitive racing this year, I had to train and get fit. Time on my bike just wasn’t enough. I prepared that way last year. Trust me, it wasn’t enough…
Sure I had been competitive, but too many times I missed the podium and I can attribute this to my fitness level. Well, I wasn’t going to let fitness, or the lack of it, be the reason I missed the podium this coming year. So, I got a trainer. Sure, I could’ve gone to the gym and I could’ve worked out on a road bike. However, with a trainer I was able to identify problems in my fitness and then attack them.
(Read The Trainer’s Blog Here.)
I had to get my weight down, not just my overall weight, but my fat percentage without losing muscle mass. Simple dieting wasn’t going to work. I also had to work on my core strength and the many supporting muscles. Too many times during racing I would have to go stiff and rely on my skeleton to relax my muscles. I wanted to be able to ride the full run, pumping and sinking my tires into the loam and mud without ever getting tired. This would require that I could ride with my legs and core in a constant state of flex.
Dawn of The Exercise Space drew up a workout routine that always changed and focused on using three or more muscle groups at a time. For example, balance on a non-stable platform like a Bosu ball and doing curtsy squats while curling with dumbbells. These kind of movements engaged my entire body with the core being the center of all the strength movements. Think about it, this is very much like mountain biking. By training like this I was able to increase my ability to stand in the cockpit of my bike and drive it down the trail, instead of simply hanging on and riding it.
I feel like a completely different rider now. Being so thankful for the level of training Dawn has been able to provide for me, I asked her to offer a discount through Bones Over Metal to mountain bikers. She was able to provide a discount to her Bodywalk on Sunday mornings and after April 6th, on Wednesday Evenings. I too participate in this weekly event. It’s a 2 to 3 mile jog with core workout stations throughout. They take place at Discovery Park in Seattle. The normal monthly fee is 70 dollars month, but Dawn is willing to offer this to mountain bikers for 40 dollars a month. Learn more at her site.
Tara