In Over 40 Mountain bike Skills | Body Position 101, Alex is joined by Lee McCormack from LeeLikesBikes.com to debunk the old idea of a static "position" and discuss the dynamic movement of the hinge.
A strong hinge is absolutely vital for over-40 riders to ride their mountain bikes with more confidence. It is the foundation that all other mountain bike skills like jumps, bunnyhops and powerful cornering are built on.
Lee talks about his struggles riding, racing and teaching the "Attack Position."
Like most mountain bike riders over 40, Lee grew up with the "Attack Position" as a kind of sacred cow. Knees bent, eyes up. elbows out has been drilled into most of us for a long time.
Well, it turns out the "Attack Position" is about two thirds wrong. Extending the elbows like that nearly destroyed Lee's shoulders and ultimately caused so much pain he nearly had to give up on his passion for mountain biking. And bent knees cause crashes and the burning in the thighs many mountain bikers experience on long descents.
This answer for mountain bikers looking for an alternative is to develop a strong hinge. Bending at the hips and dropping the rider's torso so that it is horizontal. This universal human movement pattern puts the stress into your most powerful muscles and takes pressure off your arms and thighs. A mountain biker with a deep and powerful hinge riders better and longer with less stress on the body and the joints.
Lee goes on to shows how to practice and strengthen a mountain bike hinge off the bike. These exercises quickly build a strong foundation for mountain biking. A powerful hinge builds confidence and is the basis for mountain bike skills like pumping, jumping and cornering.
Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Lee McCormack and Brian Lopes
https://amzn.to/2Xgczvg
https://brianlopes.com/
https://www.leelikesbikes.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nino_Schurter
0:00 INTRO
0:37 ALEX LEARNS ATTACK POSITION IN 1979
1:19 ATTACK POSITION
2:00 THE SUFFERING
3:34 DISCOVERING THE HINGE
5:00 ALL YOU NEED IS HINGE
6:47 LET'S HINGE
7:30 MOTO HINGE
9:30 BIKE HINGE
9:53 NINO SCHURTER'S ULTIMATE HINGE
10:48 LIKE, SUBSCRIBE AND RING THE BELL
