Mountain Bike Strength Training - My Favorite Squat Variation
I’ve seen a lot of discussion lately online about strength training for mountain biking and cycling, specifically training squats for increased power output while pedaling. From what I’ve seen, the consensus in these communities is that squats are either the greatest thing ever for cyclists or completely worthless. As someone who both trains with a barbell and rides bikes off and on road I thought I could give some feedback of my own experiences. My background is I’m 42 years old, and I’ve been lifting weights for the past 20 years. I’ve been mountain biking for about 4 years, and in the past I was an avid runner.
I specifically chose to focus on the front squat for this discussion because I think it is the best squat variation to train for mountain biking. Full disclaimer, I’m only sharing my experiences with the front squat as a weight lifting and mountain biking enthusiast. Having said that, my all time best squat/bench/deadlift total is 1,025lbs (non-competition) at a body weight of 182lbs. I’m not that strong right now, but point being is that I know what it takes to become reasonably strong. And over the years I’ve trained with multiple squat variations including the front squat, low bar back squat, high bar back squat, and goblet squat. (Disclaimer: This is what I do and what works for me, not advice. I’m not your trainer or your doctor, so ask them for help for what will work for you. Exercise at your own risk!)
Example of a Barbell Front Squat
Front squats and squats in general can definitely increase your legs power output when pedaling. When you’re cycling you’re basically performing thousands squats during the course of your ride. So increasing the strength in your leg muscles via front squats will allow you to generate more power when pedaling a bike. The front squat in particular is more quad dominant than other squats and closely mimics the pedaling since that is also a quad dominant movement. Therefore, logic would dictate that front squats would be a must for mountain bikers and cyclists to train these muscles. So first we will go over the benefits of front squats for mountain bikers, then get into some of the trade offs.
So let’s look at some of the benefits of fronts squats:
Anaerobic training (strength training) can improve aerobic performance. Don’t just take my word for it, the text book Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning which is published by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) cites multiple studies demonstrating this phenomenon. (See Ch. 3, Pg. 61)
I’ve found in my own personal experience that the front squat exercises both lower and upper body muscles very similarly to how the work is performed by those same muscle groups while cycling, in particular mountain biking. While the legs are generating eccentric and concentric movement the upper back, shoulder, chest, and abdominal muscles are working isometrically (a static position) to hold the upper body and torso in an upright position due to the weight being held in front of the body. This is very similar to what is happening on a mountain bike when trying to negotiate rocky terrain, like a rock garden or technical climb. The legs are putting out power, while the core and upper body are holding the rider in a stable position on the bike.
Mountain biking is very often an anaerobic exercise for the legs. The aforementioned examples of rock gardens and technical climbs are often short bursts of energy followed by a short rest while you go back down the other side of the feature. This is exactly what you would do when front squatting for sets in a work out routine.
Individuals with wrist injuries can still perform front squats by using straps to hold up the bar, a SSB bar in reverse (if available), or by using kettlebells instead of a barbell. The variation of crossing one’s arms to rest the bar on the front delts should not be performed, in my opinion, since it can easily lead to bad form.
Front squats are very safe to perform even without safety bars in a rack. If the weight is too heavy I can just drop it.
This is highly debatable, but I think that front squats are easier to learn on your own. Not easier to teach or easier to learn with the help of a personal trainer or coach, but easier to learn by yourself. This is because an individual can easily first learn to goblet squat then graduate to the front squat. I think most people could learn these two squat variations on their own much easier than they could self teach a low or high bar back squat.
However, no exercise is perfect, and I have found that training front squats comes with some of the following trade offs:
One of the first trade offs is that performing front squats or any squat variation will create some Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) that will limit the number of days you can ride your bike each week because of the need to recover. In fact, training front squats and trying to squeeze five or six days of riding will likely lead to overtraining, particularly the quads.
Other squat variations are not as quad dominant and place more emphasis on other muscles in the leg such as the hamstrings and glutes, which can be under trained in cycling sports.
In addition, only training front squats and not other leg exercises could lead to muscle imbalances making the trainee more susceptible to injury, such as pulled hamstring, and so on.
Many cyclists, particularly mountain bikers, have trouble holding a barbell in the front rack position due to wrist injuries. I don’t have previous wrist injuries, so it’s not a problem for me.
More weight can be moved by performing low bar and high bar back squats. The front squat is considered by some as an ancillary leg exercise mainly used by Olympic lifters to train for the clean & jerk and snatch. However, many strength & conditioning coaches use it as their primary squat variation for athletes, example Dan John.
All of these are valid points. However, I’ve found that front squats are still my go to squat variation to be incorporated into a training schedule. I think the inherent qualities of the front squat discussed above make it a worthy exercise for mountain bikers in particular.
Below is my own personal preference of squat variations for mountain bike strength training, and why I picked them in this order.
Front squat - For all the reasons I mentioned above.
Goblet Squat - Easy to learn. Has many of the advantages of the front squat in that it has similar isometric work for the upper body due to the off camber position of the weight since it is being held in front of the body. However, a trainee can move more weight with a barbell or double kettlebell front squat.
Low Bar Back Squat - This exercise allows the trainee to move more weight overall, and puts greater emphasis on the glutes, hamstrings, and low back which can be under trained in cycling sports. However, a trainee should learn it from a coach who specializes in teaching this squat variation, for example a Starting Strength Coach (SSC), which is not always available and can be expensive.
High Bar Back Squat - This is probably by far the most popular barbell squat variation performed in gyms. It puts more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings than a front squat, but not as much as a low bar back squat. You also lose some of that tension in the upper body that I like from a front squat, in my opinion. You can, however, move more weight with a high bar back squat than a front squat. There is probably a boat load of strength and conditioning professionals out there that would totally disagree with me on where I ranked this movement, but having performed all of these squat variations and I like it the least. It’s just my personal preferences. But what do I know? I’ve only been lifting weights for 20 years.
Overhead Squat - This is an awesome exercise for the legs and upper body. However, most mountain bikers are unlikely to possess the upper body strength to hold a weight sufficient enough to tax their legs, myself included. Can be great for a warm up combined with light snatches.
All the other squat variations - There are some other movements out there such as the Zercher squat, Hack squat, Pistol squat, Sissy squat, lunges, etc.… All of these have pros and cons, and for the purposes of what I’m discussing in this blog post the cons outweigh the pros.
Machines - Free weights are always superior to machines. There is a ton of information out there about this, so I’m not going to go into it here. If injuries or equipment availability limits someone to machines then it is far better than nothing. I like the leg press machine. I think it is the best machine for overall strength development in the legs.
So I’ve gone through the pros and cons of front squats for mountain biking and to a lesser degree other types of cycling. Now let’s talk about how I’ve incorporated them in my own training.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm 42 years old. I ride my bike 2-3 days a week for about 10-20 miles per ride. I’m not a competitive cyclist or mountain biker so this is fine for me. I do barbell front squats once a week. I also do some other leg exercises to target the glutes and hamstrings that same day and one other day a week. The total number of days for strength training is 3-4 days a week. If I ride my bike more I strength train less and vice versa. Some days I might do some upper body only strength training, then ride my bike. I always make sure I have at least 1-2 rest days each week.
In regards to front squats I keep the volume low with either 3 sets/8 reps, or 4-5 sets/5 reps. This allows my legs to get sufficient work to gain some strength without them getting totally wrecked. I think this hits the sweet spot for strength gains, recovery, and cycling volume, at least for me. I know the number of days and miles on the bike is a lot lower than what a lot of mountain bikers ride. If I were to increase the volume on the bike I’d cut out the squats because I’d become over trained. So for example, I’m probably going to ride a couple XC races next spring, so my miles on the bike will increase for a couple months. During that period I won’t be front squatting or doing much strength training for my legs. This sort of creates “seasons” for my various training routines. If I were to ride 5 or 6 days a week for 20-50 miles per ride, then I wouldn’t be doing any front squats or any squat variation for that matter.
A couple of final points I want to make about implementing different squat variations:
There is so much variability among the human population that not all squat variations will work for everyone, including the front squat. In addition, injuries may make one squat variation preferable to another. A qualified strength and conditioning coach can help determine what is the best squat variation for your particular body type and injury history.
Although the front squat is my “go to” squat variation, and I think it’s the best for mountain biking, I still change it up from time to time and incorporate low bar back squats or high rep goblet squats. I think this provides a little different stimulus to the muscles in my legs, and keeps my workouts interesting.
Having said that, I believe that for a lot mountain bikers the front squat can be an excellent exercise to increase leg strength, and therefore increase power output while pedaling. However, as I’ve previously mentioned get in contact with a personal trainer or strength professional to learn the best exercise program for you.
I hope this helps some of you out there who are looking into incorporating squats into a strength training routine for mountain biking and cycling. I plan on doing a future blog post about what other exercises I do for my legs that supplement the front squat and maybe have some benefits for mountain bikers.
Thanks for reading and remember new strength starts on Day 1.
