Exercises that will help improve your high speed mountain bike cornering.
Cornering is one of the most technical skills in mountain biking. Mastering the hard skills—like line choice, braking, and body positioning—is essential, but if you lack the mobility and strength to get into and maintain proper positions, training those skills becomes a challenge.
High-speed cornering places significant demands on your hips and core. Without hip mobility and core strength, you risk collapsing under the forces of a turn.
Here are three exercises that will help you move better in corners and resist the forces acting against you.
Exercise #1 - Turkish Get Up 'Lift Ups'
Why? Develops lateral core strength AND mobility - key for maintaining control in corners.
How?
Come into a half kneeling position, where your rear shin/calf is as perpendicular to the front heel as possible. Your front heel should line up with the middle of the rear calf.
Extend arm straight and maintain this position (it will want to bend, do not let it!).
Hinge your hips back and touch the hand that is not holding the weight to the floor, about one foot away from the knee.
At this point, your arms will be in a T shape.
Without using that hand to push off the floor, lift yourself back up to the start.
Try 2-3 sets, 8-10 reps each side.
Exercise #2 - Palloff Press
Why? Builds lateral core strength to resist unwanted movement and maintain position through those corners.
How?
Stand perpendicular to the attachment site. You can split your stance (either way!), or have feet parallel.
Hold band in your hands, and push straight out in front of your chest.
There should be enough resistance in the band so that it is challenging to hold in position!
Try 2-3 sets, 8-10 reps followed by a 10 count hold at the end of the rep range. Or, you can do less reps and 5-10 count holds each rep.
Exercise #3 - Hip Hinge With Rotation
Why? Enhances lateral hip mobility and rotational control, crucial for effective cornering.
How?
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width.
Push your hips back while keeping your spine neutral, maintaining a slight bend in the knees.
Rotate your torso toward one side while keeping your hips square.
Return to center and alternate sides.
Try 2-3 sets; 16-20 reps total.
Bring it to the trails!
Incorporating these exercises into your routine will improve your ability to move fluidly and maintain stability in high-speed corners. Give them a try and feel the difference on the trail!
Want more? Try our mountain bike fit virtual programs that are dedicated to enhancing mountain bike performance and reaching your optimal potential, or REACH OUT to chat about personalized training or coaching!
Comments