Instantly improve your hip hinge - and find out why you need it!

It has become obviuos to me that without good strength and Mountain Bike focused fitness there is only so far you can take your mountain biking. If you are stronger, fitter and lighter biking becomes less effort and more fun.

James Wilson is a leader in the industry of Bike Training - his approuch focuses on doing the exercises off your bike that will make you stronger on your bike. There are a million different exercise programs and ideas out there, at the core is use the one that will benefit you in your life! If you are trying to get thin do a program based on being thin. If you are trying to be a better biker do a program that will work the body the way it works on the bike.

James points out that few movements are as important to us on the bike as having a good hip hinge. Being able to shift your hips back and letting your chest come down while keeping your core strong is essential to having a strong, efficient seated pedaling and a balanced Attack Position.

However, it can be very easy to let the lower back start doing the work that the hips should be doing.This leads to both decreased performance and an increased chance of low back and hip pain. While exercises like the deadlift and kettlbell swing do a great job of training this movement, for a lot of riders it is important to "groove" the movement to get the feel for it first.

And few exercises do this as well as the Core Activated Glute Bridge.

In fact, I start almost every rider I train with this exercise for the first few weeks of their program to make sure they are really using the hips properly. A lot of times they find that their hips are kind of lazy and this exercise gets them back online and working efficiently.

Click here to see a new video where I show you how to do the Core Activated Glute Bridge and explain why you should be using it as part of your mountain bike training program.

Like I mention in the video, keep the reps low since this exercise is more about producing max tension and not doing a bunch of reps. 3-4 sets of 5 reps will be better than 1 set of 15 or 2 sets of 10 reps.

So give this exercise a shot next time you train and you're sure to experience a new understanding of what I mean when I say "squeeze your glutes and get tall and thin" in my exercise demos.

Until next time...

Ride Strong,