The Trials Training Thread

[Ash-Kennard]

Right, every serious trials rider has their own style of doing things and here is a fitting place for you to explain what you do differently and how you do it. If you go to the gym SPECIFICALLY to improve your riding, let us know what you do, how heavy, reps, sets, how often a week. Stamina and endurance exercises? Obviously you will need to tell us your height, build and weight so others can compare.

and also please give us a realistic weight of your bike

Does anyone concentrate on plyometrics and has it helped?

Does anyone stretch alot to be as flexible as they possibly can? Has it helped?

I personally use the gym very occasionally and don't use it to benefit trials just to keep myself from being a little porker. but am a very active kid due to having balls of energy constantly. I Ride, jog, rock climb and will play football from time to time if anyones up for a kick about. im 5.10/11, fairly average build and weigh 11 1/2 stone

Ash xx

[J.KYDD]

I dont do any weights or gym work specificly for trials. I have 3gym sessions a week with my college course so I tend to do abs work, free waights and benchpress.

After recently getting a new all mountain/trail off road bike im clocking up anywhere between 20-40miles a week on the Quontock hills which is really improving my cardio

Besides from that, I just ride my trials bike

oh, and the mrs

Edited December 10, 2009 by kyddie

[eep803]

Have you considered training your mind, not just your body?

[Joe O'Connor]

Riding in front of a lot of people helps heaps with mentality like eep803 was saying.

I thought that I was going to do really good at a demo/comp but when I got there I went so crap because of the presure of lots of people watching you.

[Kieran@ZSClothing]

I go gym almost every day but not rely for trials.

i train mma and boxing 3 times a week.

ride my bike.

and sex.

[Mikey-uk]

I go to the gym quite alot, for those of you that know Woody and Chinners im probs inbetween their heights (dnno what it is exactly but if you know them it gives a rough idea). Also on the border between 10/11stone despite having a bit of pudge.

I go to the gym whenever I can (3-4 times a week). Normally do a 5min cycle warm up, 5mins on rower set at 8, 3min jog followed immediatly by a 2min sprint and then go onto resistance training. I work arms / shoulders (the back part of my arms seem to tire quicker while doin trials), chest, abs and then upper back.

If I can't get to a gym then I generally do 25 pushups, 20 situps and 10 pullups. It doesnt matter how strong you're for push / pull / sit ups as it depends mainly on weight.

I stretch as often as possible, I'd start with legs kinda crossed? But with feet touching. Push down on your knee's, this will increase your flexibility in the legs, for arms i just put them behind my back, make them straight and then push against my hands. Doesnt sound like much but it helps. To stretch my abs (on a trials you're bent forward often so its good to have them loose) go into a push up possition but rest on your hips instead of toes, this will stretch out your stomach.

[T.McMillan]

GYM - Twice a week, for arms legs and back

XC - Once maybe twice a week, for cardio, 30 mile rides

Road Cycling - 5 to 7 days a week, cycling too and from work

Trials - Twice a week if its not pissing it down.

[ogre]

i'm riding 30 miles a week on my roadie and doing 2 nights in the gym every week, has had to real benefit to my riding what so ever although i am a bit more aggressive with riding, it's hard to tell with strength if it's making a difference, or your just pushing your ability cause you want it to seem like it's making a difference. i don't ride enough to actually know though. i seem to be going bigger more often, but usually i'm put off by the fear than my abilities. trials isn't just athletics, you could be as strong, light and flexible as f**k, but if your not comited or afraid of pushing yourself, or learning new moves, you'll be shit.

[Flip-Mod]

I have been doing a regime for about 10 weeks now and REALLY feel the results

Core: helps to maintain balance, stamina and ab muscles (Plank, crunches, burpees, squat thrusts, press ups etc)

Abs: Russian twists, crucifix etc (with a medicine ball)

Bar-Bell work outs (8 reps of 10 different sets times 3) for arms and chest

Cardio: running or cycling 40 mins

Then use the erg machines (rowing machines) do 10,000m and do it less than 20 minutes. helps with arm pump, back and core muscles.

All that 5 times a week, the rowing twice a week.

Also lost a stone and a half, without change in diet or drinking habits

In 10 weeks not only have my technique and TGS stats improved, but feel so much more stable and explosive.

[Mr Rankin]

Gilles coustellier focusses highly on core strength.....helps massively with stanbility.

Personally i go gym 3 times a week, weights and running mainly. Lots of body weight training ie pull ups and things like that. Also started playing squash again which kicks arse for cardio

Am doing this over the winter while im not riding as much and will hopefully feel the benifit in the new year......results to follow when comps start back up loool

[Ash-Kennard]

That all sounds really good. Tom could you elabourate at all on how gilles trains?

[Rob Brodie]

I've been going to the gym ALOT recently.

I'm about 5"9", 2 1/2 months ago i weighed 10"2 stone now I weigh 10"11

I started going because i got pretty bad arm pump during comps.

So glad that i did start going now.

Its just made me feel 100% better somehow, now i wake up in the morning and feel really good.

as for riding i cant really say untill i start comps again but i always ride good now where before i had good and bad days.

key is to bulk up but not to much because being hugeee means your flexibility wont be as good plus your bike wont thank you for it.

at the moment i am trying to bulk up but after Christmas im going to start strengthening.

Bulking/toning you do by doing more reps and less weight (I.E. 40kg and 3 sets of 10-25 reps, you should start struggling on a bout the 3rd to last rep )

Strengthening you do more weight and less reps (I.E Your max weight and 3 sets of 3-5 reps)

when your training specifically for trials try to think of the the movements you make on the bike and fit them together with a exercise.

take Olympic lifting ...

Youtube Video ->

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[John Shrewsbury]

Started to find trials abit boring at the begining of this year, so i decided to take up ride XC and DH. Do it nearly every wkd now aswell as skateapark once a wk.

It really helps alot, and im really getting into DH and thinking of trying race's later this year.

Do abit of weights and situps aswell.

[psycholist]

Watching this makes me want to exercise ...

http://www.bodyrock.tv/

Edited December 11, 2009 by psycholist

[Flip-Mod]

This Will do it...

[trialsalot]

hmmm interesting thread this.Gilles aint a big lad at all.In fact he is pretty darn skinny as hell.Gilles is all about mentality in my opinion and pure 100 percent technique.He is no bigger than you or I.Training for trials is easy.Ride more but dont just ride street.Get on some hard slippery rocks in the rain and your body WILL work harder.Remeber if you're built like a beast you have to carry a beast too.I ride a couple of times a week and mma twice a week too just because I love it but I dont rely upon it to get fitter.

Craig

Edited December 12, 2009 by trialsalot

[Luke.P]

I Train for javelin and we have to do loads of plyometrics and bounding also alot of olympics lifting e.g Snatch, Cleans, Squats. All this builds explosive power in your legs which is what you need in javelin and trials..You need to concentrate on exercise's that you have to do quite quickly which makes you muscles adapt to work really fast and give high octain power in one serge.

Hope this helps anyone

Thanks luke.

This is my javelin throw if anyone is intrested last year.

[Jake.]

trials isn't just athletics, you could be as strong, light and flexible as f**k, but if your not comited or afraid of pushing yourself, or learning new moves, you'll be shit.

TOTALLY agree here, when pedalling up I usually lose my nerve and dont bring the bike up high as i could (bum on wheel) but when I got over my fear and did it once i got up...

There was also this 1.5 meter dropoff (I can only get up things 5 pallets high) and i pussied out, went down to the side and managed to do a 1 meter dropoff, this made me feel like I came over the fear of a 1meter dropoff and now I need to gradually work my way to the 1.5meter

[bikeperson45]

Eventually you get to a stage where you just have to go for it, the more I leave something the more I think I'll bail.

[Alex Dark]

Meh bugger that, i Just ride trials once a week....do next to no exercise, and never been gym

[Luke.P]

Eventually you get to a stage where you just have to go for it, the more I leave something the more I think I'll bail.

Definatley

[Will Arnold]

i try to get to the gym as much as possible, although havent been in a week or so.

i usually do 15 mins on the cycling machine at varying resistances to get warmed up untill i can feel 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzI-UQ-JsaQ' in my legs. then do 2 or 3 k on the rowing machine (about 1.57 split ). then go onto core workout for around 20-30 mins with stretching throughout. then it's off to the sauna and pool for a muck about

and i try to ride twice a week, maintaining a positive frame of mind where possible - other than that, if you look into it too much some of the fun is lost.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Will Arnold

[hI-OOPS-CAPS]

core training and circuits, works amazingly. spine muscles generally go 'asleep' and core training engages them. so you can walk around all day with a superstraight back without even thinking about it.

i do rowing aswell, 30mins on rowing machine at low rate (bout 20 strokes per min). ive just achieved a split of 1min 58s.

[Will Arnold]

digging this back up. does anyone fancy sharing their comp training regime?

[ghostrider88]

train in the gym 3-4times/week,basic exercises for all muscle groups,normally I do pyramids,if i´m going for strenght,then I like bulgarian method.

for bulking?well,probably nobody here wants to bulk up,so it´s not important I guess...

And than,when the snow disapear,just go out and learn how to use that gained power on bike!