Kettlebells and Cycling - a perfect match!

Kettlebell training is top-notch for building stability, balance, coordination, and reaction time under load.  

The kettlebell's shape is highly ergonomic, fits most users well, and supports some of the highest mobility demands of resistance tools.  

We look for stability throughout movements on a bike as we go through changing terrain. Being able to shift your weight on a bike is similar to how we move our bodies for the kettlebell swing and snatch. 

Kettlebell training can be fast as well as slow, which will challenge your coordination and reaction time, which we all know is incredibly important on bikes, especially on trails!

You can get very strong with kettlebell training, especially in a strength-to-weight ratio.  

Many cyclists don't want to get larger or heavier, especially if they race. Kettlebell training builds power through fast movements and stability strength through slower movements. 

With certain full-body exercises, kettlebell work is very similar to riding a bike. Your whole body works as one unit, unlike training with isolation machines at the gym.  

You can train complexes, flows, or intervals easily with kettlebells.  

You can train different energy demands to match the type of riding you're doing. 

Need 30-second short hill climb bursts? Kettlebell Clean and Jerk with double kettlebells will be great.  

Need to challenge your V02?   Single-arm kettlebell snatching for minutes will be great complementary training that won't kill your legs.

Kettlebells are MEANT to build work capacity vs maximal strength. 

Kettlebells aren't meant to be dropped like Olympic lifting when you train similar movements such as the jerk, snatch, and clean. 

You have to absorb the weight for the next rep without losing balance, which makes it great for mountain biking.  

This builds strength in the eccentric portion of the exercise, transferring to better landing, cornering, and drops.  We're using less than maximal weight but building work capacity by doing higher reps and exercise flows. 

Having good mobility and strength not only in the muscle-contraction phase but in the lengthening phase as well will contribute to fewer injuries in the long run.  

Trust me, I've had some bad crashes before and can 100% attribute not getting much more hurt to the fact I've used kettlebell training for a long time,