Mountain biking is an exhilarating pastime that takes you on adventures through trails of all kinds from mild to wild. But did you know that mountain biking also gives riders a whole host of health benefits?
Biking works out your heart
One of the most important health benefits of mountain biking is the excellent cardio exercise it is.
Pedaling through trails and climbing hills on your bike, and pushing yourself to beat your best lap time (with the odd break in between for flatter or descending sections of trail) makes for great aerobic exercise and doing this consistently is proven to improve your heart health.
Mountain biking makes good use of some of the largest muscles in your body including your quadriceps and hamstrings, which require lots of blood flow to exert the effort required for mountain biking. This means your heart needs to pump hard to get these muscles the oxygenated blood they need.
Building muscle through MTB
Who doesn’t want to build muscle, tone up and look their best? And do so while having a blast?
As it turns out this is actually a reality with the sport of mountain biking. MTB works your legs hard, but its actually a great full body workout.
Remaining balanced over your bike through varied terrain, whether it be while climbing, riding over rough terrain or keeping your control and body position in check while descending really engages your abdominal muscles and core muscles in general.
Maneuvering your bike over obstacles engages your upper body muscles including your arms, shoulders and chest. After a ride through rough terrain you’ll probably feel it in your forearms.
And obviously mountain biking puts some of the largest muscle groups in your body to work, primarily in your legs. Your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves all get a good workout from going for a ride.
If you ride often, you’ll notice over time your legs, arms and core all getting stronger and more muscular💪.
Give your joints a break
Cardio exercise is important for everyone to maintain and improve their heart health, but some forms of cardio can be hard on your body in other ways. Running, probably the most common for of cardio exercise people do, can be quite hard on your knees because of the constant impact of your feet landing on a hard surface, which puts wear and tear on your knees, ankles, hips and more.
People who run often over a long period will often need some type of surgery eventually to repair some of this damage, such as knee or hip replacements.
Mountain biking on the other hand is a much lower impact form of cardio exercise. Because you’re pedaling to move yourself forward, you don’t put near the same amount of impact on your joints mountain biking, meaning you can ride more often and likely avoid painful procedures to repair damaged knees or other problems in the future.
Maintaining a healthy weight
Mountain biking is a fantastic way to maintain a healthy weight (or lose weight if needed) while having a lot of fun. While there are other ways people get their cardio exercise in, like a stairmaster, running, or even road biking, it is difficult to imagine how any of those activities could be anywhere near as fun and exciting as riding your mountain bike through some beautiful scenery.
Not only will mountain biking help to keep you at a healthy weight, it will do so while giving you an adrenaline rush!
Spend more time outside
Everyone intuitively knows that spending time in the great outdoors is good for you. Getting fresh air, unplugging and getting away from phone and computer screens, and exercising while doing so is good for your mind, body and soul.
Studies show that spending time outside in nature can boost your mood, decrease your stress levels and even lower your blood pressure.
Not to mention mountain bikers often spend their time outside in some of the most beautiful places there are. Whether that’s riding in picturesque mountains, through lush forests, or through red rocks in the desert, mountain biking can take you to some seriously cool places.
Mountain bikers sleep better
Another big benefit of getting out in to nature mountain biking and getting physical exercise is improved sleep quality that goes along with it.
Have you ever heard someone say “I’m going to sleep well tonight!” after spending all day being active outside? Well that very same effect happens when you go riding.
The combination of physical activity with fresh air that mountain biking provides is a great way to improve your sleep quality. People who occasionally have trouble falling asleep should try riding later in the day. Within a couple of hours of the end of your ride you’ll notice a relaxed feeling that comes from the energy you burn and fresh air you got.
Your body needs to recharge after a grueling activity and you’ll naturally sleep better when riding regularly.
MTB: a mood booster
Not to be forgotten is how much of a benefit mountain biking can have on your overall mental health, and there are a number of reasons for this.
First is the improvement to your self esteem comes from getting into better shape – the physical benefits of mountain biking make you feel better about yourself and provide mental health benefits!
Spending time outside in nature is known to decrease blood pressure, stress and boost your mood. It gets you away from our constantly plugged-in world of staring at screens, and gets you immersed in the natural environment around you.
Frequently asked questions
Yes mountain biking is a great way to add some muscle and start looking more toned. MTB works out your arms, chest, core and leg muscles and can have you looking your best if you do it regularly.
Yes mountain biking is an excellent way to burn calories which can help you to lose weight. As an added bonus, mountain bikes are a blast ride so you can combine improving your fitness with having fun.
Yes, mountain biking provides lots of mental health benefits, from improved self esteem and decreased stress to improved mood. These benefits come from spending time in nature and from the physical activity mountain biking entails.
Conclusion
Mountain biking, while loads of fun, is also a great sport to participate in for its health benefits! Better mental and physical health may not be why you ride, but they are a welcome side benefit that all regular MTBers enjoy.