Whether or not you should de-restrict your e-bike is a pretty toxic subject, sure to divide opinion online and out on the trails. No matter which side you fall on though, the reasons behind wanting to de-restrict are ones we all share……
We want to ride further.
We want to ride faster.
We want to have more fun.
The great news is that we can achieve all three, along with improved health, and without the need for making your bike illegal and invalidating the warranty…….
In 2020 I want you to de-restrict your legs!
Improved strength and fitness will enable you to ride further on a single charge, faster when you exceed the max assistance speed, and it will let you take control of your heavy e-bike over rough trails. A couple of hours per week will let you de-restrict your legs (whole body actually) giving you more power, and more confidence, meaning more fun on your bike.
How?
You don’t need to adopt a full time, obsessive training regime to feel the benefits and you don’t even need a gym. A couple of focussed training sessions per week are all you need to get started and to feel the benefits. If you want then you can also take advantage of the power modes on your bike to do some more focussed on-bike training as part of your normal rides.
Strength
Using your bodyweight or the gym you need to work your whole body in each session. Leave ‘leg day’ and ‘chest day’ to the bodybuilders and try and tick off the following in each session:
Double leg exercise like squat.
Single leg exercise like lunge or step up.
Upper body pushing exercise like press up.
Upper body pulling exercise like a row.
Core exercise like a side plank.
To give you some ideas here are two exercises that I use with my athletes and trail riders alike.
To compliment the main exercises in the session it can also be beneficial to include some hip work to help keep them strong and to look after your knees when you are pedalling all the time. A great example is this side plank variation:
If you are doing two sessions per week then you should get some variety in there which will help you to progress and also keep you sane!
Example:
Session 1 single leg exercise could be a step up and session 2 could be a cossack squat.
Session 1 upper body push could be press up to downward dog and session 2 could be windmill press ups as seen earlier.
The key is to take your time, focus on technique and be consistent. After a few weeks you will start to feel the benefits on your bike and your mates will be asking if you have got fancy new wheels or a bigger battery! The added bonus is that doing some strength training is also really positive for your general health.
If you want to get fitter, faster, stronger and healthier in 2020 then please take a minute to check out The Ultimate E-MTB Programme, the world’s first E-Bike specific training plan. As an E-MTB Forums member you also get an exclusive discount code that will give you £6 off at checkout until the end of January. Simply use the code emtbforums at checkout.
Buying is risk free too: “Ride Faster Or Your Money Back.”
I hope that you all have a great start to 2020 and that you get out and ride loads. I’ll be back with more fitness content for you in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions then please leave them in the comments and I’ll get back to you all.
Ben
The Strength Factory