Strength Training for Mountain Bikers with Alex Ackerley

In this episode of The Mind Mountain Podcast, I sit down with Alex Ackerley, a passionate mountain biker and owner of Mountain Bike Strength Coach. Alex holds a degree in sports science and has a background in high-performance rugby and personal training. Today he specializes in mountain bike performance, injury reduction, and longevity in the sport.

Together, we explore what it means to train in a way that adds to your riding rather than competing with it. We dig into how physical strength supports technical skill and mental clarity, how to build a routine you'll actually stick with, and why full-range strength work can do more for mobility than stretching alone.

Whether you're a mountain biker who wants to ride harder or someone who wants to keep riding into your 70s, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can take straight into your next session.

You can learn more about Alex and his work at: mtbstrengthcoach.ca

Watch our Mobility Follow Along Video here.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro 
01:33 How Alex got into mountain biking
04:30 From rugby and personal training to MTB strength coaching
05:54 Why mountain bikers might skip the gym
10:26 Strength and MTB performance
16:36 Staying consistent with a strength routine
22:30 Building explosive fitness for aggressive riding
27:15 Staying mobile and managing knee pain
33:10 Injury prevention and riding into your 70s
41:55 Lifting and riding on the same day
43:54 Training before a race and muscle potentiation
47:44 Biggest strength training misconceptions
51:33 Alex's biggest mental shifts on the bike
56:35 How technology and AI are opening up coaching
59:38 Wrap up and where to find Alex

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DISCLAIMER: The opinions, thoughts, and views in the content created by The Mind Mountain, the Grit With Wisdom Podcast, and Jake Johnstone, including the guests they interview, are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of any other organization, person, or company mentioned or featured in the podcast. ...