Get a group of mountain bikers together and a lot of them probably have or have had some sort of shoulder issue. From overuse injuries due to hours in the saddle with bad posture to impact injuries from crashes, the shoulders are a sensitive area that takes a lot of abuse in our sport. Fortunately, you can use a smart training approach to both rehab back bad shoulders and create bulletproof shoulders to guard against a future injury.

To best do this you need a 3 pronged attack:

1 – Mobilize: You first need to make sure that the upper back and shoulders are mobile enough to get into the right position in the first place. Hours spent hunched over in our daily lives and when riding results in some muscles getting “locked long”, which means that they literally can not shorten enough to allow the shoulders to get back into a good position. Foam rolling the upper back and lats along with a T-Spine mobilization drill done with the foam roller are some of the best ways to address this problem.

2 – Pattern: Once you have established proper mobility you need to train the shoulders to move properly. The basic idea is the get the shoulder blades to pull back and down so that they can help stabilize the shoulders. If your shoulder blades move up and out then your shoulders get pulled into a bad position and are much more likely to get hurt. A corrective exercise like the Reach-Roll-Lift is a great way to re-pattern how the shoulder moves and help ensure that your shoulders stay strong and stable.

3 – Strengthen: Now that your shoulders have adequate mobility and proper movement has been patterned it is time to get them strong. Shoulder strength comes from a strong upper back stabilizing the shoulder blades and an understanding of how pressing comes from a forceful lockout of the elbow. Two of the best exercises for this purpose are the Quarter Get Up and the Single Arm Shoulder Press.

'Must Watch' video here

• GOOD NEWS FOR NEWBIES!!  We will be starting a new group for people who have mountain bikes but not confident enough to start riding with our Beginners Group.  Our Grade RR group will start on Saturday, 22 January and will be run every 2nd or 3rd week, depending on numbers attending.  We have a separate WhatsApp group should you wish to join - https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cxxk2oOLZPS1wJJeYy0rvX.  All you need is a bicycle, a helmet and a sense of adventure. Further details will be posted on the above group and on Telegram.
• We love having 'newbies' joining the Beginners Group, but before you do, you must be able to ride at least 30km and/or ride 2 laps of Rietvlei.
• Please check the average speed below and slot into the group relevant to your fitness level.
• Routes may be changed on the day, subject to numbers and ride captains.