THE BEST Upper Body Exercise For Mountain Biking and Motocross?

[@CodyWBrown]

This guy looks pretty strong. He should race.

[@geopietro]

Wonder how good he'd be if he started? :-)

[@travisdiller6879]

He would probably just break a chain and lose.

[@CarterLayne]

Wouldn't it be funny if that even were to happen in Austria? huh, good stuff.

[@leonpeckson]

I love the Aaron’s no fuss style to producing KZbin videos. Very on brand and leverages on his track record rather than on cheap jokes or gimmicks.

[@jamisonr]

I've been getting in to MTB from the road world (20+ years as a roadie), and I absolutely love that a top MTB rider has these sorts of videos. I'm not aware of any roadies that have similar types of content. This is the good part of technology, where you can be in the home of and working out with the very best!

[@robg112]

Drooling over his Bell Helmet Ad Poster.. some good memories watching Gwins world cup wins

[@stredula]

I can only recommend the exercises. I've been doing all three of them three times a week for about three months now and it's really made a difference. I feel more comfortable on the bike, can last longer in descent, and even my technique has improved. Thank you very much, Aaron!

[@GwinnerTube]

That's awesome! So stoked you're improving, thanks for sharing!

[@eugenegutierrez5106]

Lifting weights does help especially when you have an accident, your less prone to broken bones. I’ve wiped out few times luckily all my life I’ve been doing deadlifts and squat. It has help me a lot from broken bones.

[@smin4089]

Modified push press and MTB push row are brilliant

[@victorrosario4109]

I tried that last exercise and its no joke. I feel my abs and waist on fire. 🔥 Shit works.

[@CHuber-ct9np]

I hope this turns into a full off season series. I am currently recovering from a broken and dislocated shoulder and the last exercise video with bands and dumbells was pure gold for me. Keep them coming Aaron !

[@JordiMoll]

I notice every day that body position is the key in and out the bike. Thanks for this videos.

[@calebw707]

please do a race day routine video, or what its like during race week.

[@victorrosario4109]

That was awesome my dude. I was actually looking for a exercise that I could do not having to do any overhead presses. I had a bad wipeout a while back that permanently injured my left shoulder and I can't do any heavy presses with my left side because it always pops my shoulder out of place. The last exercise you did was the best in my case for my situation. Thank you for the sharing & keep up the good work.

[@robert50173]

I do the dumbell row just like you except I do them 'clapping/clanging '.

[@nmnate]

I'm a big fan of ring exercises (especially for pushups / pushup+flies) where the stability demands feel unmatched. The dumbell pushup and row looks like it would be fairly demanding in the row (for core strength / stability), very nice. :)

[@TeamOrbeta]

Great vid! A fan from the Philippines 🇵🇭. More vids to come.

[@nicholaslewis7148]

I guess I’d go for pull-ups given the variation you can do with it and the actual pure raw strength you can develop with help max strength, strength endurance and anti-rotation. It allows specialization and increased development by adding weight, doing eccentric or making explosive with unloading/plyo pull-ups. Given the criteria of a single upper body exercise this is what I would take given that especially Turkish getup is general total body development with real obvious limitation and cap to max weight and given that multiple studies focus on sprinting only, showed decrease in top speed when including it into controlled program (not sprinting but the idea of never specializing).

[@beerbikesbarbells]

Great to see actual compound movements in a MTB fitness video!!! Bodyweight movements and endurance work is great, but I think the value of strength training is sometimes neglected in "endurance" sports. Clean and press is a great full-body movement, so if people are going to pick just one version I think adding the hip extension back in here vs. the upper body specific version would be a great choice! Much of your power as an athlete (of any sport) comes from the hips, so once that barbell passes your quads you wanna initiate the throw with your hips...this makes it so much easier to accelerate the weight up to the overhead position. Keep up the great content 💪

[@energ8t]

I was just thinking about riding specific routines. Thanks🤟🏼

[@StrongNutritionPTY]

Excellent exercises selection. For mtb and mx riders try to prioritize any horizontal pulling movements like face pulls, inverted rows, ring rows, etc., and do lots of them. Squats and chinups are also good for any athlete.

[@GwinnerTube]

Agreed on all!

[@beerbikesbarbells]

Yes absolutely! More horizontal rowing and hip extension movements not only build strength, but help combat the sitting position we find ourselves in most of the day, whether on bike or off 💪

[@speedpilot]

Please do even more exercise videos :)

[@GwinnerTube]

Done!

[@EvgenyKopnin]

​@@GwinnerTube thank you for your explanations, they are very helpful. The "big impact" periodical training method improved the quality of my personal training and riding as result. From Russia with love!

[@reneethierry9507]

I like the idea of the pushup/row being in a wider position with hands facing forward to simulate riding. Had never thought of doing them that way!

[@alexblaj]

I would appreciate it if you could make more videos like this, very helpful.

[@kenyanettingham1818]

Nice, have been watching Marcus's content for a little while now. My experience with the TGU is through a kettlebell certification back in the day with Pavel. Glad to this exercise is in your toolbox. 👍🏽🙂

[@jeffarcher400]

And the best exercise for mountain biking and motocross is.... Mountain biking and motocross. Sorry, I couldn't resist. When I was young we rode because it was fun. Dang professionalism is taking all the fun out of it. We didn't need to train,just surf,kayak,fish,dive,climb, whatever else is fun. Now we have trainers,diet coaches, video analysis, kinesiologists, oxygen uptake treadmill with echocardiogram, oxygen deprivation,ice baths,sauna, chiropractic and branched chain amino acids, creatine phosphate,keto,carbo loading,vegan,fasting diets. If we could all just ease up a little there's more time for rides. But if you can't ride may as well do the right exercises. Thanks 👍.

[@fullsusloditv5495]

Thanks for these helpfull exercise 👍🚴

[@bensleeper]

Thoughts on Simple and Sinister workout? It’s just kettle bell swings plus Turkish getup.

[@DanielDunn]

Outstanding, thanks Aaron.

[@you_beut]

sick! thanks a dawg!!

[@nowitsdone]

Needed this. 10/10.

[@Nathanhardecki]

Great vid! What programing are you running on the peloton? I'd love to see a 5-6 week fitness course for MTB done by a pro! First offseason with a Peloton. Been doing the "Building your power zones" class, trying to get that FTP up.

[@philippebenard1075]

Really helpfull! This is a great trio

[@matheusneitzke3611]

Thanks for the tips Aaron !!!

[@williambanzhof9739]

EXCELLENT! Thanks for presenting!

[@jesswah82]

Dude! You are killing it with your content! So informative and well explained. It's not common to see a true world champion have the skills to teach so concisely. Really appreciate you giving back, I was a fan before but even more so now! 🙏

[@KTMSparky]

Interesting exercises definitely different from your run of the mill stuff. For me it would be rowing and pull ups.

[@nerdexproject]

I like your exercise the most! Will for sure try myself!

[@TrailDogsMTB]

Great stuff!

[@clemensdh6137]

Please do the best exercise for arm pump ! I’m training every day upper and lower muscles of the underarm… doesn’t help much.

[@skateanddadstroy1982]

Change your grips or loosen up your hands

[@beerbikesbarbells]

Getting thicker grips definitely helped me too...and so did loosening my grip because I had a tendency to white-knuckle my grips 😂 But also do a lot of farmer carries and grip training. You can either choose a certain weight and carry it for as long as possible before dropping, or choose a certain distance and try to move the heaviest weight you can over that distance. Not only will this strengthen your forearms so they're better able to resist fatigue, but a stronger grip allows you to transfer more energy into the rest of your muscles. Picture trying to deadlift with loose hands vs. squeezing the bar as hard as possible. Doing the latter helps the adjacent muscles exert more force 💪

[@e-nomad]

Perfect!! Thanks for charing your experience with us =)

[@joehoeper4648]

thanks for these! Any more workout routines you make would be much apprecaited!

[@dougcoleburn1579]

Very good

[@tanyagwin5697]

Nicely done!

[@daddudesdostuff]

Great video.. Aaron can you show proper ways maintain trail jumps. I find so many sketchy jumps. They are too steep, dangerous and send people OTB.

[@freendeed8410]

Thank you for sharing your quite obviously proven methods. Your consistent, high level of performance in the cockpit is proofing in the puddin. Similar training brought me back to riding at my personal highest level ever after a nasty crash that resulted in much work to re-assemble my R shoulder. Thanks again for giving priceless tips for those who love this sport as much as any. Sharin' the love. 🤙

[@jasonboulle]

Thanks for these Aaron! Super good 💯

[@AlwaysUseRightGear]

Coach Gwin, you are killing me with this exercises. Hope to see you next year in Maribor at World cup.

[@mtnrush666]

For an exercise like the push up row, what is your approach for reps/sets? For example, would you do this for 3-5 min periods similar to a DH run? Thank you for another great video!

[@beerbikesbarbells]

As a strength coach, the pushup / row is one of the few really good combo exercises I would recommend to clients. It's great for building strength-endurance. That being said, I'd keep the weight heavy enough to be challenging for 8-10 reps per arm. And also no need to go to absolute failure: for your sets, choose a weight you could maybe get 10-12 reps on, but do 3 sets of 8-10 (keeping a couple reps in the tank) with 60-90 seconds rest in between. This will allow you to complete all sets and reps within the rest period and will account for cumulative fatigue that sets in from the 1st to the last set. I would also place this movement near the end of your workout, doing the bigger compound movements first. Hope this helps!!! 💪

[@ark6959]

This video just cost me $30 for dumbbells! Thanks for the info👍🏻

[@ark6959]

Update: been doing the barbell push-ups. Finally got out on a proper ride after some bad snow conditions and… definitely an improvement! Thanks AG!

[@greaper42]

@Aaron Gwin Great video! You have a bad Jenson link in the description, though!

[@GwinnerTube]

Thanks for the heads up, fixed. 👊🏼

[@perplex3296]

Thanks for the great Videos. Your Videos helps so much. High quality content!

[@MTOProject]

Thanks for the video 👍🏼

[@shepardng]

Loving these workout videos! Coming off an injury from the fall these are some good tips to stay strong 💪

[@AdamClarkx1]

Great video.

[@azizkabadayi]

Thank you very much ❤very good video

[@bhuuthesecond]

The Gwinner!!!

[@IVANMTB]

Buen video bro!🤟🙋

[@rickbullotta8253]

Those are a great combo Aaron - not only for strength/fitness but also injury avoidance. Thanks for sharing. Also, what size kettlebell are you using on the first exercise?

[@GwinnerTube]

For this vid I went really light on all weights but generally for that TGU I'll use KB's anywhere between 18-53lb's depending on reps etc.

[@rickbullotta8253]

@@GwinnerTube got it. i'll start on the low end and focus on form. thanks again for the tips, and good luck this season.

[@johnrodgersbmx]

Thank you for all of these videos. I’ve started to get myself ready for a couple enduro series this spring and summer and loving any help

[@MTBraging]

Love this. If you only did these 3 movements, supersets say 3x15, 3x12, 3x10 @ HIT pace you could be light years ahead 💪🏻🔥🤟

[@trevorhernandez9381]

Always love the gym vids man! Going to incorporate the Turkish get up into my workout today Update: damn okay those are gnarly. Even with a relatively light kb I was burning up by about the 3rd rep

[@emonty62]

What is the weight of the Hexagon halters you use in de video, thxs!!

[@gordonhill28]

For the modified clean/press what are the breathing points supposed to be? And what set/rep structure to target for mtb/moto?

[@DJ_NR6]

Hmmm, Turkish get up is a bit cheating I would say haha. I guess from the three for purely upper body the row into push up would be most beneficial, especially when you are doing squats already. The clean and press is not really an upper body movement but definitely high on the list if you had just 1 exercise you could do in the gym.

[@TNW84]

Very useful moves. But man who centered your red picture between those windows?? Somebody needs a lesson with a tape measure lol

[@hollyingraham1]

Do you use the peloton at all or is it your wife’s? We have one and my mountain biker son turns his nose up at it. If he knew his MTB idol used it for training I know he’s change his mind!! He get so tired of being on the wahoo when tje weather is bad and it might be a nice change.

[@GwinnerTube]

It’s my wife’s, I usually use the concept 2 bike since I don’t need the instructor on screen but it’s nice!

[@MTB_Nephi]

Thx👍

[@cameronmoreland4299]

I’ve watched others use the PerformX clean and press movement before. It actually looks a lot like a muscle snatch with just a narrower grip. Curious if you have ever tracked or used Wingate tests or V02 max in your training?

[@trukweaz]

i noticed the same. there is no clean. its like a high pull that keeps going. but whatever right....just do something

[@jorgemartola846]

If I may ask you, why are you leaving California?

[@sugincuk]

the second exercise looks like a close grip muscle snatch

[@ckunstadt]

so kind of a slow snatch?

[@bennagtegaal]

Was thinking the same, it's sort of a close grip muscle snatch. great upper body exercise though.

[@ninoroldan2448]

poster behind him looks like a poster for a movie

[@joevarga3471]

I like your exercise, but wonder why you are only doing half as many rows as push-ups. Shouldn't you row both sides every rep?

[@GwinnerTube]

Yes, that’s normally what I do. 👍🏼

[@ogasi1798]

my choice if i could only have one: riding ;-)

[@KYMXRacer]

You should be able to bench 225 x 10 if you want to ride at a high level. Pretty weak for weight lifter standards but a good base for guys who prioritize riding.

[@GwinnerTube]

I agree that the bench is for sure one of the best overall exercises for riding strength. I would guarantee that very few top moto or mtb riders could bench 225lb for 10 reps though. I do follow a similar goal for myself however so I dig your thinking!

[@VelkePivo]

Ridiculous

[@cameronmoreland4299]

Please explain how bench pressing 225x10 translates to elite MX & MTB ? Like Aaron said I guarantee if you took the top 10 in either sport very few if any could accomplish that. Don’t get me wrong bench press is an amazing pushing movement for Pec/Tri / Shld strength but 225x 10 as a bench mark to be elite … ?

[@psychepath]

Goodbye shoulders.

[@rajavidhun]

Clean is not supposed to be an upper body exercise. The arms are just supposed to be ropes. Press is an upper body exercise. They could just do Push Press.

[@GwinnerTube]

You missed the point then. This modified “clean” is done with almost all upper body strength when compared to a normal clean and press where you’d be correct. Watch the vid again, you should see why. 👊🏼

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

Im taking my chain off while try this.

[@rayF4rio]

Pull-ups.

[@SB-xu8pi]

I like the barbell and dumbbell options, but my favourite was the Turkish stripper routine.

[@wslee2482]

What kettlebell weight will you recommend if I can quite comfortably exercise on a 15kg dumbbell?

[@GwinnerTube]

Slow progression is usually best. I don't think there's really a "best weight". Depends on what your goals are and how many reps your doing. Sometimes I'll do less weight and more reps and sometimes I'll do more weight and less reps. My opinion is to mix it up during different training cycles. Hope that helps!

[@wslee2482]

@@GwinnerTube Yea, it will help me a lot! Thanks.

[@themtbproject1422]

Always tricky to show training exercises to general public,there is a lot that can go wrong with the technique and if you perform those movements wrong can lead to serious injuries. If we take for example the second movement in the Olympic lifting world its called the muscle clean and its actually very technical to perform, and without going into your technique specifically I think that movement can get a lot of people in trouble and leave them with lower back injuries. It takes many years of dedicated practice to perform any type of Olympic lifting and if you are training by yourself without a supervision of a Coach I would stay away from the second exercise.

[@GwinnerTube]

For sure, same could be said about pretty much all weight lifting exercises. These are just demonstrations of our favorites not individual coaching. You could start that exercise you mentioned with something as light as a broom stick and then progress to 5lb db’s etc. Might of been worth mentioning that but again.. just demonstrating our favorites. 👊🏼

[@themtbproject1422]

@@GwinnerTube Absolutely we start with a stick and work with that for long time , the problem that I have with showing this movement is that 9 out of 10 people will use weight from the start . But I wasn’t trying to criticize you champ I was expressing an opinion.

[@MrSkipturner]

Shit, I thought mountain biking and motorcycles was my workout.

[@dk.650]

Calisthenics guys. This is nowhere near the benefits it.

[@celticknyt]

Yeah, pretty basic 3:55 lol

[@mead813]

Let's skip the let's just pick one bullshit and let's see what a well programed exercise plan looks like from a professional rider.

[@GwinnerTube]

Check the last exercise video I posted and you’ll find just that. 👍🏼