The MTB pros' off-season training: How Melamed, Hoffmann and Textor keep fit

It is widely known that mountain bikers are doing themselves good if they stay fit throughout the winter. For professional athletes, the question of training or couch doesn't even arise. If they want to be successful in the coming season, a conscientious fitness programme is a must during the cold season. Nina Hoffmann, Christian Textor and Jesse Melamed show that it doesn't always have to be sweaty spinning sessions in small basement rooms. The gravity bikers are among the best in their field. Throughout the winter, they invest a lot of resources in alternative sports. This is not only good for their physical condition, but also for their psyche. The experts tell us how they benefit from different types of sport and what amateur bikers should also know.

On a big ski tour, like Jesse Melamed

When the snow conditions are right, enduro pro Jesse Melamed changes his sports equipment in winter and skis four to eight times a month. As Melamed grew up in the ski resort of Whistler, he started skiing at an early age and first wanted to become a professional ice hockey player, then a skier. As a child, the sport was primarily a family activity for him. Today, the enduro skier regularly incorporates cross-country skiing and ski touring sessions into his training, especially in the winter months from December to February. Jesse Melamed always goes on ski tours with a group of friends - this makes sense for safety reasons alone. He usually completes his cross-country training alone. The mountain bike pro does not compete on skis. Ski tours in winter help Jesse Melamed to get through long days on his enduro bike in summer. In contrast, cross-country skiing offers a very intensive workout for many important muscle groups, which the professional athlete enjoys and which he likes to incorporate into his training. During the races in summer, he benefits above all from this high training intensity.

Ski tours offer a good opportunity to train for long periods at low intensity. Especially where I live, this is rather difficult on a bike - so skiing is an excellent alternative when the snow is good. It helps me to get my training in during the winter so that I'm fit when the bike season starts again. Skiing can also help hobby bikers to stay fit during the winter and start the new bike season without any problems. - Jesse Melamed, Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team

Motocross action with Nina Hoffmann

Nina Hoffmann is not actually a big motorsport fan. She sporadically follows a few motocross races, but mainly likes motorised vehicles for their training effect. As many races had to be cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic, the downhill rider had plenty of time to devote to something else and started riding motocross in 2020. The many different tracks within an hour's radius of her home in Jena, such as in Pößneck, Triptis, Mattstedt or Ken Roczen's course, came in handy. There is even a small natural cross track right in Jena. In fact, it is easier for Germany's currently most successful downhill mountain biker to go motocrossing than downhill riding.

Since the pandemic, the cross bike has been part of Hoffmann's training schedule once a week in winter. A session usually lasts four hours, with her active riding time totalling around one hour. In addition, there is around 1.5 hours of warm-up time and three to five laps lasting 15 minutes each, depending on how she feels. Although Nina Hoffmann has not yet competed on a cross bike, she now feels confident enough to take to the starting line in this discipline. However, during the MTB season, the risk of injury in this alternative sport seems too high and the motocross competition period overlaps to a large extent with the bike season. Although some of the tracks are also open during the winter, if the weather outside is really bad, a cross-fit session in the gym is the alternative.

On her mountain bike, Nina Hoffmann benefits above all from the increased fitness she gains through motocross training. Keeping a motorbike under control requires a lot of strength. The forearms and calves in particular are challenged. But when it comes to feeling the throttle and balance on sandy tracks, there are overlaps with mountain bike skills. With a motor, it's often about high speeds, which helps Hoffmann to feel more confident on the bike.

If you already have experience of riding a motorbike and are fit enough, you should definitely give motocross a try. However, certain prerequisites are necessary in any case, otherwise it quickly becomes dangerous. It's probably not for the average hobby biker. I can rather recommend e-trial. There's less risk involved. I treated myself to an Electric Motion E-Trial last year and I'm thrilled! - Nina Hoffmann, Santa Cruz Syndicate

Lifting weights like Christian Textor

When Christian Textor started competing in downhill racing, he quickly realised how much time professionals spent in the gym and started lifting iron without much of a plan. As Germany's fastest enduro rider, "Texi" is now much more experienced and visits to the gym are a fixed part of his training schedule. During pre-season preparation, you can meet him three times a week at the gym round the corner. There, the 33-year-old found a motivating environment that helped him to develop a love of strength training. In his opinion, personalised exercises and friendly training partners are the key to motivation.

Christian Textor is the reigning German champion and has proven himself to be the fastest enduro racer in the country for the sixth time this year. He rides under the YT Mob banner in the World Cup. For the trained mechatronics engineer and father of two, off-bike training is part of his everyday professional life, especially in winter.

Training in the gym doesn't have to be boring. There are so many cool things you can try out. - Christian Textor, YT Mob

When he's on the road, Christian Textor can also enjoy a short workout "to go". He invests a lot of energy in therapeutic work due to a hip and thigh injury that is now fourteen years old. However, he also enjoys trying out new exercises in order to learn more about his own body and its ability to cope with stress. As a racer, he can ride at high speeds for longer and hold on to the handlebars properly in tricky situations on the trail thanks to targeted strengthening. In the event of a fall, balanced muscle training protects against new injuries. Equipment training and free exercises are ideal for counteracting the one-sided strain of biking. Bikers of all levels can benefit from the added stability and safety.