6 LIFE HACKS TO RIDE FASTER AND STRONGER

Habits that, once formed, will take your riding, health and wellbeing to another level

- Jonny Thompson

Whether it’s race-ready in two months or how to double your wealth in three simple steps; we all want easy, pain-free ways to get ahead. And while some hacks can work short-term, most are unsustainable. That’s where habit stacking comes in. Subtle changes that can be integrated into your daily routine and sustained long-term so they compound into improvements in general performance and ultimately your riding ability.

The six habits outlined here aren’t that different from the advice your grandmother would have given you and you don’t need to integrate them all at once. In fact, it’s probably best if you pick one or two and try to make them routine before adding the rest. Yes, there’s no substitute for riding to improve your riding, but these lifestyle modifications should mean that every time your tyres touch terra firma you’re ready for action.

1 START DOING SOME STRENGTH TRAINING

From the age of 30 you can lose between 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade through sarcopenia; it’s another reason why protein in the diet is so important. And as if sarcopenia wasn’t bad enough, bone destiny also reduces, so not only do we become weaker, we also become more fragile.

The good news is that this double whammy can largely be offset by strength training. Yes, it’s going to be harder than drinking more water, but the benefits are even more profound. For gains in muscle mass you should work in the 5-20 rep ranges, but don’t avoid heavy compound movements like squats, deadlifts and presses in the lower rep ranges for strength gains.

2 IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY