The Strength-Technique Tandem

As we head into warmer days that beckon more time on the Trikke, we should also begin to recognize the important relationship between strength and technique. I remember trying to teach my daughter how to ride a bike without her training wheels. She was 4 at the time and determined to get it quickly and move on. At some point she became so frustrated that she actually picked it up and threw it in a ditch! What she couldn’t grasp was the need for her body to adjust to the balance and strength requirements rolling without training wheels called for. This makes me think about the exact moment that frustrates so many trikkers—when momentum shifts and an incline approaches and you just can’t make it! Patient adults become frustrated very quickly are are ready to call it quits!

Well it’s not an invincible incline. There’s no need to throw your Trikke in a ditch somewhere and stomp off. You have to understand strength, and you have to understand technique. One without the other and you’re going nowhere fast and you’ll never truly get the most out of the fitness part of trikking.

When it comes to strength, you don’t need to be a gym rat or a fitness guru. You simply need to consistently train your body to respond in a way that allows you to ride the Trikke. Men tend to be stronger in their upper body- women in their lower. Because we are a handle bar nation (bicycles, Bikes, etc) we focus on that. So, new trikkers and experienced ones who don't focus on technique tend to put all of their body into that handlebar, swinging away! But the trikke is a full body workout and unless you are legitimately compensating for a reason why your cannot use your lower body, you should engage both the upper and lower. Strength comes with consistent practice. If you are winded after 10 minutes of trikking, that’s fine. If you keep riding 10 minutes - 3 days a week you’ll get stronger! What I don’t want to see you do is ride for ten minutes when you could and should ride for 30! Consistent riding, at least 30-45 minutes at least once a week is only the beginning. You can't ride once a month and expect results anymore than you can go to the gym once a month and expect to get stronger and see results. Consider your Trikke your fitness machine. It's a pretty cool one at that!

At the same time that you are building your strength, you should be equally focused on your technique. Body builders will tell you that without proper form, it doesn’t matter how much you can lift because your body will pay a huge price in the end with potential injury. Same goes for trikking. Doesn’t matter how strong you are and how fast you think you can ride the trikke down or up that street. If you don’t’ have proper technique you risk injury and you waste valuable energy. To see a rider gliding down the road at a good clip is pure poetry. To see them sweating and grunting along with poor technique, busting veins is not very pretty and for the most part doesn’t have to be this way.

In the next few weeks we will be presenting videos of strength and technique building exercises for you to do on your trikke. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a “strong" rider. These tips will help you reset your riding. To gain access to them, subscribe using the box in the upper left corner of the blog.