Want to know the secret to Nino Schurter’s success? Take an insider’s look at Nico’s reveals his gym and fitness routines.
The reasons behind Nino Schurter being one of the most iconic mountain bikers of all date is ever growing. One thing that sets him apart from the rest is the atypical way he trains and prepares for the season. Nino decided to reject traditional training methods and to re-think mountain bike training from the ground up.
What does a mountain bike racer actually need? What do Cross-Country races require from a rider? The first part of “Hitting the Gym with Nino Schurter” dives into Nino’s coordination and balance workout, which Nino and his coach have built specifically for the needs of mountain bike racers. It combines power, coordination and regeneration exercises, replicating a race environment. Get a look at some never before seen cycling workouts that could very well change the way you ride a bike.
Nino Schurter`s coordination and balance workout consists of a 30 min circuit with 9 exercises- 3 for the legs, 3 for the arms and 3 for the core. In between, Nino is doing what he calls “coordinative recovery exercises”.
“As a rider, you always need power and coordination at the same time- whether going downhill, accelerating or simply when managing tricky trail situations. That`s why I try to combine power and coordination exercises in my workouts.”
Q & A with Nino Schurter:
Why do mountain bike riders need a good coordination?
“Mountain biking is a very demanding sport. Not only in terms of endurance, but also with regards to power and coordination. As a rider, you always need power and coordination at the same time- whether going downhill, accelerating or simply when managing tricky trail situations. That`s why I try to combine power and coordination exercises in my workouts.”
What does your indoor workout look like?
“My coach Nicolas Siegenthaler built up a 30 min indoor circuit with nine different exercises, which require a high level of coordination and balance skills. My goal is to bring these exercises from basictrainings to the next level and keep up a very intense level to simulate situations which are very close to race situations. All of the exercises are physically very demanding. My coach is a great man, always challenging me and innovating new methods to do so.”
What`s special about this workout?
“The exercises are specifically developped to simulate a Cross-Country race. Even the regeneration exercises simulate real situations in races- like downhills. After two power exercises I do one regeneration exercise but here I do not fully relax – like descending on a long section of a trail, I try to balance and activate the same muscle groups. I try to even close my eyes when doing these exercises to teach my body to feel what`s going on.”
Nino Schurter belongs on the list of the most successful mountain bike athletes in history. The UCI MTB World Champion and World Cup dominator is the leader of SCOTT Odlo MTB Racing, the international XC team run by bike legend Thomas Frischknecht.
“N1NO – The Hunt for Glory” is Nino`s first set of webisodes. The video series features various chapters illustrating Nino`s colorful life as a professional mountain bike athlete during the pre-olympic year. It´s not only about how Nino prepares for the biggest goal of his career, the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, but it‘s also about shredding trails, travelling around the world, and all the fun that mountain biking brings.
Keep up to date with Nino’s racing and training on his Youtube-Channel and his Facebook-Page.
Words & Photos: SCOTT-Odlo MTB Racing Team PR
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