Mountain biking is a full-body workout. It challenges the muscles of the legs, arms, shoulders, chest, and back. It also helps improve coordination and proprioception.
For long gradual climbs, it's best to stay seated in the saddle to maintain an even pedal stroke and manage your power output better. It also keeps your weight forward to avoid losing traction with the front wheel.
When you are on a descent and come upon another rider climbing up a difficult section of trail, it is generally appropriate to step aside. After all, it is not safe for you to slam on your brakes at high speed and rob the trail of momentum as your tires grind into and scrape against rock gardens, off-camber turns, and other features.
In addition, locking your wheels at higher speeds creates more dirt scrapes than braking at lower speeds and can cause severe damage to the trail surface. Braking also makes it more challenging to maintain a smooth flow uphill and causes your butt to shift backward as you pedal, which is less efficient.
The increased effort to bike uphill requires a bigger gear at a lower cadence, which can cause your legs to burn as they are worked over by gravity. Using a power meter and doing thresholds on/off intervals in training can help you to improve your ability to manage the demands of long climbs.
The power required to overcome air resistance doubles when climbing hills and triples when you add gravity to the equation. Sitting in the saddle for as much of a long climb as possible is more efficient, but be careful not to ride too low as this can rock your hips and lock your knees. It is also important to avoid changing down a gear too soon, as this will sap your glycogen reserves and put unnecessary strain on mechanical components.
Mountain biking engages muscles throughout the body, but it is particularly effective at targeting leg muscles and improving strength. By developing leg muscles and focusing on technique, riders can increase their ability to tackle technical sections of trails.
It is essential to be mindful of other trail users when riding uphill. Downhill riders have the right of way, and it is polite to yield to them when necessary. This will help prevent collisions and builds good karma that will encourage other riders to extend the same courtesy to you on your next ride.
Mountain biking requires a lot of energy for both climbing and descending. The combination of a steep gradient and the weight of the bike and rider can make uphill cycling particularly hard.
It's essential to be careful not to push too hard on climbs. If you have a long climb, try to break it up into three sections. Ride the first part at an 'easy' pace, the middle one at 'tempo,' and the last section as hard as you can. This will give you a chance to recover before the next effort and help prevent crashes and over-exertion.
It's also essential to avoid wheelspin on the rear tire. To do this, reduce the pressure in your back tire to a lower value, e.g., 70-80psi, and use a wider tire (e.g., a 25). This will increase your traction and make climbing easier. It's also a good idea to drink plenty of water as the increased exertion and evaporative cooling from sweat will cause you to lose more fluids.
Long climbs can last hours and require extended periods of time pedaling at a low power output. This can drain glycogen and make muscles tired.
The higher up a mountain goes, the lower the oxygen pressure gets, and this makes breathing more complicated. Using the proper climbing technique to maintain speed and keep your body in a good position can help with this.
On some climbs, you can use short bursts of decisive action to get to the top; on others, it is a case of steady long work to build up to your maximum power output. If you try to do both, then your body will be unable to recover in between, so you will become tired more quickly.
Having the right pedaling cadence for climbing is essential too – too low and you will fatigue your leg muscles more. Too high and you may burn matches that you need for later in the climb. Being able to change gear smoothly and quickly can also save energy.