Upper-body Exercises for Technical Riders

Biking-specific Upper-body Exercises for Technical Riders

The Hucker's Move. This exercise improves your ability to throw the bike forward off a ledge. To avoid nose-first landings, you need to support the front end of the bike as you push it forward in relation to your body. Do three sets of 10 reps, increasing to your maximum tolerated weight for the last set. Males should shoot for 20% of body weight in each hand, females 10-15%. (Example, a 150-pound male should work towards 30 lbs in each hand.)

Exerciser	Set 1, 10 reps	Set 2, 10 reps	Set 3, 5-10 reps
Female, beginner	3 lb each hand	5 lb each hand	5 lb each hand
Female, conditioned	5 lb	10 lb	10 lb
Male, beginner	5 lb	10 lb	15 lb
Male, conditioned	15 lb	20 lb	25 lb


Stand in a slight squat, feet about a foot apart. Hold the dumbbells at your side, with the TOP of your hand facing forward.	Raise the dumbbells up and forward, to a position where your arms are extended at 90 degrees to your body.	Keep your hands in the position as though you're holding the handlebars. Lower the weights slowly back to the original position.

Cornering Power. This exercise improves your ability to handle off-camber landings and tight excess-G turns. It increases core strength. Do three sets of 10 reps, increasing the weight each time.

Exerciser	Set 1, 10 reps	Set 2, 10 reps	Set 3, 5-10 reps
Female, beginner	5 lb	10 lb	15 lb
Female, conditioned	10 lb	15 lb	20 lb
Male, beginner	15 lb	20 lb	25 lb
Male, conditioned	20 lb	30 lb	40 lb


Stand alongside a wall. Hold the dumbbell in the hand away from the wall. Put ALL of your weight on the leg closest to the wall.	Squat down slightly, letting the dumbbell come forward in a pendulum motion. Tilt as far sideways as you can, leaning towards the weight.	Straighten up, pushing upward with your leg at the same time you straighten your trunk. Repeat the full number of reps, then switch to the opposite side.

For a tougher variation on this exercise, keep the elbow at your side, with the forearm forward at 90 degrees. Hold the dumbbell with the back of your hand facing up (as though you're holding the handlebar). Keep your arm in this position as you dip up and down.

The anti-faceplant. This exercise helps keep your face away from hard objects when you slam down hard. If you have to bail, it can make the difference between a face-plant and a scramble.

Exerciser	Set 1	Set 2
Female, beginner	From knees, 5 reps	From knees, 5 reps
Female, conditioned	From knees, 10 reps	Whole-body, 3 reps
Male, beginner	From knees, 10 reps	Whole-body, 5 reps
Male, conditioned	Whole-body, 10 reps	Whole-body, 10 reps


Put two dumbbells on the ground, so the handles are lined up about two feet apart. Kneel down and grab the handlebars.	For from-the-knee push-ups, flatten your body at the hips, while keeping your knees on the ground.	For whole-body pushups, straighten knees and hips, with your arms at a 90-degree angle to your body.

Support yourself on your hands, holding the dumbbells as if they were the handgrips of a bicycle handlebar.	Lower yourself slowly to the level of the dumbbells and push back up again.	As you come up, roll to the left. Let go with your right hand, supporting your body with the left hand. Count to five.

Roll back, grasping the dumbbell with your right hand. Drop into a pushup again.	As you come up, roll sideways to the right. Let go with the left hand. Count to five.	Now roll back to the neutral position to begin another rep.