When it comes to building MTB specific cardio, the best method is to actually ride your bike - that is the most sport specific training you can do. However, there are times when you can’t ride as much as you would like or you want to focus on s

8 Tips To Help Low Back Pain

Mar 8th, 2024 42m 14s

Low Back Pain is one of the most common things that riders suffer from both on and off the bike. It can ruin the good time that mountain biking is supposed to provide for us and in extreme cases can even make riders quit riding.Even more frust

Strength Training Basics For The 40+ Year Old Rider

Feb 16th, 2024 1h 3m

As you get older, strength training changes from a “good to do” to a “must do” status. Losing your strength, muscle and power are all realities for the 40+ year old rider and strength training is the best way to slow that process down.This is

My Morning Routine: High Leverage, Healthy Habits For The 40+ Year Old Rider

Jan 27th, 2024 29m 32s

In this episode of the Riding For A Lifetime Podcast I share with you my morning routine that helps me set my day on a good trajectory. Maximizing your health and longevity becomes a big priority as you get older. You can get away with abusing

MTB Specific Exercises You Might Not Be Using…But Should

Dec 8th, 2023 40m 39s

The term “MTB Specific Training” gets thrown around a lot but what does it really mean?At its core, it means using a training program that helps you ride faster, longer and with more skill. While the most “MTB specific” thing you can do is to

Meditation For Mountain Biking

Nov 19th, 2023 46m 31s

In this podcast I wanted to share my experience with meditation for mountain biking. I’ve been meditating in some way since I was first introduced to it through a Tai Chi class I took in college and I’ve found it to be a powerful tool in helpin

My Biggest Training Mistakes & Lessons Learned

Nov 10th, 2023 53m 20s

Something that I try to impress on my kids is the importance of being able to admit when you are wrong and make a change. Too often we spend our time trying to justify why we do what we do rather than trying to challenge it and see if it holds

HRT for MTB

Nov 3rd, 2023 33m 55s

Something that I think is hard to have a conversation about Riding For A Lifetime without touching on is the subject of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT has gotten a lot more popular over the last few years and is something that I think t

Core Training For The 40+ Year Old MTB Rider

Oct 27th, 2023 36m 43s

Core Strength and Core Training are two buzzwords that dominate discussions around improving your MTB specific fitness in the gym. It is pretty widely recognized that having a strong core can help improve your performance and prevent injuries b

Riding For A Lifetime Podcast - 3 Things the 40+ MTB Rider Must Start Training

Oct 20th, 2023 30m 3s

Since turning 40 over 7 years ago I’ve realized that my training priorities have to change. I’ve been talking more about the concept of Riding For A Lifetime to help give those new priorities a name.I’ve decided to change the focus of my podca

The Best Way To Improve Your MTB Specific Grip Strength

Apr 4th, 2023 36m 16s

While pretty much anyone who has ridden a mountain bike realizes that grip strength is extremely important, it is a widely misunderstood subject when it comes to how to best improve it for the demands of trail riding. This has led to an epidem

Training For A Lifetime - Steve Maxwell Interview

Feb 2nd, 2023 1h 2m

I have a special guest for today’s podcast. Steve Maxwell is one of the most influential people in my strength coaching philosophy and has been responsible for a lot of “aha” moments for me that have helped improve my training programs.I’ve be

Is Overbreathing Impacting Your Health & Performance?

Jan 31st, 2023 13m 37s

While we all breathe, few of us are conscious of it and the impact that it has on our performance and health. This is unfortunate because how you breathe is an important factor and most of you reading this have one or more breathing dysfunction

Medical Preparedness For The Trail & Life: Brian McLaughlin Intervie

Jan 26th, 2023 1h 13m

Over the last few years I’ve had my eyes opened to the importance of medical training in case of an emergency. Most of us are never exposed to the realities of incurring a serious injury on the trail and few are really prepared to do anything i

Improving Your Health & Performance With Isometrics: Interview with Isophit Inventor Brad Thorpe

Jan 19th, 2023 53m 13s

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of using Isometric Training to improve your health and fitness. I’ve posted a lot of articles, podcasts and videos going over how mountain bikers can use this powerful training tool in their programs.But I’m n

3 Ways To Use Isometrics In Your Training Program

Jan 17th, 2023 23m 40s

Isometrics are one of the most effective training tools in your toolbox. They are effective, safe and have a lot of research behind them. They are also extremely versatile. You can use them in different ways to accomplish different goals, incl

What is “off season training” if you can ride year round?

Jan 12th, 2023 17m 32s

For a lot of riders an off season is forced on them by the local riding conditions. However, this definition of an off season gets really blurry when a rider lives somewhere that they can ride year round or they are able to get out in less-than

3 Things To Increase Your Preparedness On The Trail

Jan 10th, 2023 19m 54s

One of the best things about mountain biking is that it allows you to get away from civilization and out into nature in a way that nothing else can. The ability to cover a lot of ground and do it in a human powered way means that we can get to

Ryan Leech Interview - Social Media, Changing Priorities As We Age & How To Improve Your Skills

Jan 5th, 2023 1h 33m

One of my favorite people in the mountain biking world is the legend Ryan Leech. Ryan spent decades changing what we thought was possible on a bike and has shared his passion for riding through in person coaching and his coaching website https:

Study Shows What Type Of Strength Training Works Best For Mountain Biking.

Jan 3rd, 2023 20m 21s

If you haven’t done it already then this is the year that you need to start making strength training a priority for improving your MTB specific fitness. Improving your strength can help your fitness, your skills and your ability to walk away fr

3 Things I Learned From Training Aaron Gwin

Dec 29th, 2022 20m 5s

One of the best experiences of my coaching career was being able to work with Aaron Gwin at the beginning of his riding career.I had a connection with Rich Houseman, who “discovered” Aaron at a local SoCal DH race. Rich called me and told me t

Seated Pedaling Myths: Why Standing Pedaling Is Better For Mountain Biking

Dec 27th, 2022 39m 11s

One of the things that I’m known for is that I am a big advocate for standing pedaling. In a sport where riders are told to use seated pedaling - particularly high RPM seated pedaling - as much as possible the advice to stand up more really sur

Does Nose Breathing Restrict Your Performance?

Dec 22nd, 2022 14m 35s

Something that I try hard to get riders to understand is that everything they do starts with their breathing habits. How you breath affects not only your cardio and endurance but also how well you move and can execute your skills on the bike.I

How To Work Around An Injury With Your MTB Training Program.

Dec 20th, 2022 25m 45s

Mountain biking is a great sport but it also isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a tough, grinding activity that demands a level of toughness from the people who do it that no other cycling sport does.A drawback to being tough, though, is not p

Do Mountain Bikers Need To Train Like Bodybuilders?

Dec 15th, 2022 23m 13s

I was working out with my daughter this morning and we were talking about how I was her age when I started to get serious about strength training. I told her that while I had “worked out” for a few years before turning 16 and getting my license