We’ll start with a set of quick-start workouts.

POSTED JAN. 5, 2018

Hi there!

Thank you for buying your RipRow™ and for visiting this site. I’m so excited I can’t even express it.

You might be like,

“Stoked! I have a RipRow! Now what do I do with it?”

This page will get you started with some workout ideas.

Have fun out there, and please tell me how it’s going in the comments field below.

Lee

(It’s crazy to watch these now. At this point I had no shoulder joints left. I was living in so much pain, I don’t have words but I can see it in my mannerisms and hear it in my voice. This machine, the RipRow, build so much skill and strength that it bought me another 10 years until I had to replace my shoulders. It’s truly an excellent training tool.)

Pick a stance

This video shows the three main stances you’ll be using. If you use bike stance, be sure to switch feet between sets (or halfway through sets).

Pick a level

You can count reps and sets on a Riprow™ just like when you’re lifting weights, but I think it works better to go by time. Treat each block of work (each “set”) as an interval.

Here are some interval durations for RipRowers of various levels:

• Beginner: 1 minute

• Intermediate: 3 minutes

• Advanced: 5 minutes

Do an interval, rest a moment then do another. If you feel great, rest less.

You might be a pro athlete, but you’re a beginner RipRower! RipRow is taxing in a very unique way. Start slow. Focus on form. Build intensity, resistance and duration gradually. You might feel great right now, but you might not feel that way in the morning.

Start with 1-minute intervals. If you can handle more work, don’t rest between sets.

Warm up

Set the machine to light resistance (1-4) and alternate ShredLifts and Low Rows for 5-10 mins until you feel warm. See below for movement videos.

Pick a workout

Start at the top of the list, with Workout A. The workouts start short and simple. As you work down the list, the workouts get longer and more complex.

When a workout gets easy, you can A) work faster, B) add resistance to the dampers or C) start doing a more challenging workout.

Do a RipRow™ workout every day. With the RipRow™ we’re not just building physical fitness. We’re also building the neuromuscular patterns — muscle memory — that help you ride safer, better and faster. These patterns can win races and quite literally save your life.

So use your RipRow™ every day. If you’re tired and pressed for time, do 5 minutes easy. Heck, do one minute easy. But do something every day or — even better — more than once per day. The more often you do the moves, the better your body adapts to them.

This is called greasing the groove. You have to watch this video:

Once you’re in the RipRow™ groove, you might do a hard workout a few days per week and an easier workout on the other days, or as a warmup for riding.

(Movement videos are below, thanks to the Wayback Machine.)

Workout A: 5 minutes
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute

Workout B: 7 minutes
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute

Workout C: 10 minutes
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute

Workout D: 10 minutes
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
StraightRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute

Workout E: 10 minutes
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute
Cornering to the right 1 minute
Cornering to the left 1 minute
Cornering to the right 1 minute
Cornering to the left 1 minute

Workout F: 10 minutes
ShredLift 1 minute
LowRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute
RoundRow 1 minute
Cornering to the right 1 minute
Cornering to the left 1 minute
Cornering to the right 1 minute
Cornering to the left 1 minute
Slalom 1 minute
Slalom 1 minute

When you add cornering and slalom (workouts E and F), you’re getting a very complete workout, especially for your core.

Here are the moves

How’s it going? Ask questions and give me feedback in the comments form below.

I still RipRow on a regular basis. There’s no more efficient way to train off the bike for shred.

Have fun out there,

Lee

Dial in your bike with Dialed v2 and the DiRT tool

The ebook, print book and Kindle of Dialed v2 include access to the DiRT MTB modeling tool and Dialed v2 online. Run the numbers before you run your credit card.

It’s easy to watch great riders like him do big stuff, say “wow cool,” maybe hit a Like and keep scrolling. But let me tell you: Top racers like Bubba do many small things very well. That’s what makes them so good. Keep reading for some moves you can use.

Read more

As I recall, the big time “road bike handlers” were pissed that some mountain bikers came out and beat them on their own surface. World DH champ Myles Rockwell won it on a stock Giant road bike. World DS/4X/DH champ Brian Lopes took 3rd on a mountain bike with slicks.

The Red Bull Road Rage, held in Malibu, CA on Nov. 5, 2005 showed us all how road bikes are meant to be ridden. Featuring Myles Rockwell, David McCook, Brian Lopes and Mark Weir.

The Nov. 5 2005 Red Bull Road Rage ran racers down Malibu’s Tuna Canyon Road: a 2.5-mile, 2,000 foot paved plummet featuring 50 turns and top speeds in the high fifties. The course had its share of sprinting, tucking and white-knuckling, but the deciding factor was neither brute force nor low fear IQ. It was the ability to carry speed through the steep, tight corners.

Full-time carpenter and 2000 downhill world champion Myles Rockwell won the time trial in 4:24.7, with pro criterium racer David McCook finishing one second back. World four-cross champ Brian Lopes overcame a near death experience to finish third, four seconds behind Rockwell.

Here’s what some of the fast guys had to say about going fast down a road like this.

Know the course
Lopes said the course started and ended pretty flat (a relative term, considering the overall grade is 15 percent). “You were basically sprinting as hard as you could for 30-40 seconds. There were turns, but you didn’t have to brake for them. There was no skill — just power. The end of the course was the same way. But in the middle it got steeper, and the turns got tighter.

“You had to link from turn to turn to turn. You had to know the turns, know when to brake, how much to brake. A lot of the turns are blind, and they all look the same. If you go too hot into the first corner you drift out and you’re late for the next corner, then you’re even later for the next one.”

“Sometimes you have to look through the mountain,” said McCook, who says he has won many races because of his cornering skill. “Know there the road goes and where you want to be, and look there — even if there’s a mountain in your way and a cliff on the other side.”

Speaking of cliffs, said Lopes, “I was going into this turn really fast, and the back wheel locked up and I started fishtailing. I threw some weight over the back to make it hook up, but before I knew it I was on the pavement sliding. I hit the curb and caught on my stomach. I looked around and I was hanging from a 100-foot cliff. Oh my God, I could have just died.” This realization didn’t scare Lopes, but it did convince him to run full suspension for extra traction in the corners.

While you’re memorizing the curves, says McCook, pay attention to the surface. “The traction is different on new or old asphalt, or new or old cement. You can’t make every turn the same — one’s gonna be slipperier than the other. Pay attention, and don’t take anything for granted.”

Choose smart lines
Make every turn as wide as possible. That means entering on the far outside of the road, crossing to the inside then sweeping all the way outside. White to yellow to white. “In a criterium where I’ll be riding 50 or 60 laps I’m learning the turns more each time,” says McCook. “As I go faster and faster, I use more of the road. I’ve even bumped off the curb.”

Many riders make the mistake of diving directly into the inside of the corner. This “early apex” line forces you to do most of your turning late in the corner, which slows you down and leaves you little room to correct mistakes. Remember those cliffs?

You’ll exit faster and more likely stay on the road by carving a “late apex” line. Come in very wide, brake hard, get most of the turn done, then sweep inside to finish the turn. This gives you much greater exit speed, and it lets you do your hardest turning on ground you’ve seen — important on an unfamiliar road. It also gives you leeway; if you lose traction or the turn keeps turning you have room to deal with it.

Says McCook, “It’s like they do in GP motorcycles — go in hard, hit the brakes and halfway through hit the gas. Only halfway through I pedal.”

Control your bike

Here are the basics of cornering form:

– Look where you want to go.
– Outside pedal down and weighted.
– Get as low as you can.
– Lean your bike.

Bike lean is the key to cornering. The tighter the turn and the higher your speed, the farther you must lean.

Many riders lean their bodies into the turn but try to keep their bikes upright. Major magazines have claimed this is the key to safe cornering, but it’s actually the key to awkward cornering. Instead, lean your body into the turn — and lean your bike even more. This sets a harder edge and increases your bike control.

“If you try to keep your bike up, when your bike slips there’s no way to catch the bike, no way to lift it up,” said McCook. “When you have the bike under you or to the inside, if it starts sliding you can lift it and catch the slide.”

When you lay your bike into a left turn, tilt your hips to the right and weight the right pedal with a bent knee. Think about resting your left butt cheek or thigh on the saddle. This will create perfect body/bike angulation.

Pro cross country and Super D racer Mark Weir took fifth in the Road Rage time trial and was duly impressed. “Lopes is the gnarliest dude ever,” he said. “Seeing him hit the corners opened my eyes. He was so leaned over, it was like, ‘Is that possible?’ This was the best education on how to ride. Now that I’m home and riding on dirt, I just keep leaning, and my bike sticks.”

Go for it
When you’ve learned the road, chosen good lines and mastered your bike control, you’ll be much more comfortable as well as faster on your next descent. But to go really fast requires something special.

“I did a run with Myles, and he is not normal,” said Weir. “He’s so gifted, so natural. He just tucked and pedaled. Most people would falter then take time to get back, but he linked every corner. The way he followed lines, the way he used every inch of the road, was amazing. He was at home.”

Said McCook, “I try to pedal through everything, and I only use the brakes when I have to. I like the movie “Million Dollar Baby” — sometimes the winner does what the loser is afraid to do.”

Most of that still holds true. It blows my mind that all pro road cyclists aren’t great at cornering, but I suppose only 1% of people are in the top 1%. Right?

Lee

You can learn the skills the pros use

Everything they do comes down to fundamental positions and movement patterns that I can teach you. Whether you race or not, these skills make you a safer, better and more stoked rider.

Book a Zoom with me and let’s talk about your riding needs. Or DM me or email me at leelikesbikes@gmail.com.

Check out my skills library at www.llbmtb.com and my college textbook ridelogic.teachable.com.

Can you put a post or two out on how to shred without a dropper? Would be good for those of us with vintage bikes, gravel bikes or flat batteries. I grew up riding without dropper posts and the general advice at the time was 'get out of the way of the saddle', which lead to us all hanging off the back of the bike and did very weird things to the weight distribution. Is there a better way?

What a great question. Yes, a bike with a fixed high seatpost can be shredded, and there is a better way than hanging off the back of the bike. Here’s how to shred with a high seat.

Read more

I heard a whole lot of complaining from racers, but the track made for great racing — and it really showed who can corner.

As we learned in Pumping corners Ep1, loading a corner creates traction. Pumping a corner creates traction and propulsion. At this level, every turn gets pumped. Watch and learn:

Read more

As the pros burned in the raw, old school Sea Otter dual slalom track, I leaned on my walking sticks and about had a spiritual experience. Here are the skills I practice and teach — executed by some of the world’s best riders. It was awesome!!

The most successful racers tend to be the deepest hingers.

Read more

Today starts our series on the science and art of pumping corners. Every great rider is great at pumping corners. You can learn this skill.

We start with

1. What is pumping a corner?

2. Why should we pump corners?

Read more

In Vision on jumps, our friend Chris asked

Lee, can you elaborate on what we need to focus on when jumping?

Yes sir!

While jumping is technically one of the simplest MTB skills, much of the common jumping advice is overcomplicated, unhelpful or dangerous. This makes riders struggle. See Do not extend your arm and legs when you jump.

I’ve taught thousands of people to jump either in 6- hour group class, a 2-hour private session, or on Zoom (yeah you can learn to jump on Zoom). Not one person has ever gotten hurt following my instructions. Here’s some proven advice.

Read more

Along with his question about riding steep downhills with some weight on his hands, Scott asked:

What about cornering? Do you agree with Ben Cathro that we should have a small amount of pressure on the bars when cornering?

Scott

Hey Scott!

Thanks for another great question. When you say “we” I assume you mean we the passionate but sub-elite bedrock of the mountain biking world.

Ben Cathro is an elite level rider and a popular figure on Pinkbike. Ben is fun to watch ride, and he’s great on camera. I agree we should load the front tire, but that’s easy to do wrong. Here’s how to do it right.

Read more

In Don’t load the trebuchet with your body Scott commented:

Thanks as always for your insights Lee. You are the guy that originally taught me, so many years ago, to push my bars when dropping. Before that I would literally SEND everything, but I had problems when I couldn't carry much speed into the drop. That one lesson unlocked a new level for me.

My problem these days is when it's REALLY steep, I have a hard hinging back far enough on the bike for all of my weight to be on the pedals. Some percentage is on the bars. Maybe 10%? I'm not sure.

Is this acceptable in near vertical descents?

Scott

Scott!

Thanks for the kind words and great question. You touch on some common issues with today’s longer bikes, steeper trails and tighter riders. Keep reading to ride safe even though you’re breaking the cardinal rule of heavy feet, light hands.

Read more

Brage Vestavik the Shred Viking has a powerful, aggressive and very simple riding style. If you watch closely he’s pretty much all row/anti-row — executed with very quick movements and the strength to manage huge forces.

Follow bragevestavik on Instagram.

Listen to his bike. It’s all big waves — braaap … braaap — then those landings — CRACK! His riding style is so violent that it’s circled all the way around to smooth.

His suspension tech is a genius. Video from Red Bull.

What’s your favorite part? I love the landing-turn at 0:23.

I truly believe I ride just like Brage, but with the volume turned from 11 to about 3. I am … the Shredded Tendon Viking!!!

Lee

• Get low

• Balance on your feet

• Rotate the bars forward in in the air to match the landing angle

• Land on your feet

Simple.

What blows my mind is how puny my shoulders and arms had become due to the destroyed shoulder joints. And the fact I didn’t realize it. I believe I had to delude myself in order to get by.

What do y’all notice?

Lee

Unless you’ve trained BMX starts, you’re likely doing the same.

Good news: You can increase your sprint power for racing and technical climbing with a simple shift in balance.

Read more

Our friend Tom writes:

Lee!

NICE JOB WITH DIALED v2! Just got it in the mail.

I’ve ALWAYS had ONE question about measuring body RAD that isn’t addressed in videos, on Substack, or in my cool new copy of Dialed V2. It’s about grip.

1. Holding a broom handle, barbell, pen-to-wall, or RipRow, my grip is (or can be) closed. The bar is in the crease in the center of my palms.

2. Making a power move with a barbell or RipRow, my grip is slightly open with my fingers shaped like a big hook. The bar is on the finger-side of the fat pads that separate the palm from the fingers, so it isn’t in the crease in the center of my palms.

The difference in body RAD measurements is 10–20mm!

Question: Is the open grip a dysfunction in your opinion? Do you make power moves on your bikes with the bars in the creases of your palms or with your fingers slightly open?

I’ll happily change my grip mechanics and use the palm crease grip if it’s better. It might well be, and it will lengthen my RAD. I think I’m riding RAD-minus right now because when I stand and sprint I can easily yank the front wheel off the ground with every pedal stroke. It’s kinda fun, but I sense that I might be overdoing it.

Whatdayathink?

Tom

Hi Tom!

Thanks for the great question and for making me think about grip more specifically. Here’s some actionable info to help you “get a grip” and sprint like a BMX pro.

Read more

That’s a juicy one. Let’s dig in.

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Wheelie drops are very dangerous in the wrong hands, but they are the hot tip for slow, un-rollable ledges. Here’s my piece for Joy of Bike.

“If you’re saying rad things, you can’t be thinking bad things.” That’s as true as true gets.

Wheelie drops are useful in certain styles of riding (trials) and certain regions (old school North Shore, very slow rock tech). I’ll go years without using one. There’s a spot on Kokopelli as is parallels the Colorado River in Fruita where you’re flowing along, doodle-ee-do, then there’s a sudden 3-foot walking speed ledge.

Game on!

How are your wheelie drops?

Lee

Dial in your bike with Dialed v2 and the DiRT tool

The ebook, print book and Kindle of Dialed v2 include access to the DiRT MTB modeling tool.

Run the numbers before you run your credit card.

Hi all,

In A very simple program to increase fitness, I introduced the 4x10 protocol I and my athletes have been using. We’re all enjoying significant increases in speed, comfort and endurance both uphill and downhill — and we have the energy to lift hard, ride fast, and live well.

In the comments Michael asked:

That’s a juicy question. An equally juicy answer:

Read more

It’s fair to say most of us:

1. Would love to ride our bikes faster, easier or longer.

2. Don’t have much time to train.

3. Don’t want to mess with phones and computers.

4. Want a simple way to gain fitness.

There are so many cycling platforms and tools I won’t try to list them. Three approaches I’ve used successfully are:

My Pump Up the Base book/program. A 12-week build you can do on your bike or on a trainer, with or without power meter and heart rate monitor. The primary focus is endurance capacity, but it also includes pedaling technique and sprint work. In the past I used PUTB to get my FTP from 180 to 305 watts and my sprint from 1,200 to almost 1,800 watts. Get Pump Up the Base for $15.

TrainerRoad. TrainerRoad is a high-tech smart-trainer-and-app option, offering various training plans for different goals. I know and trust the team at TrainerRoad. If you use TR to get in shape I receive nothing but satisfaction. Check out TrainerRoad for $22 per month.

My current simple approach. I and my athletes are doing these two bike workouts per week and seeing big gains in climbing and descending ease, speed and endurance. Keep reading to see what we’re doing.

Read more

Never push your bars forward away from you while the front wheel is on the ground. That pushes your body back on your bike, and you’ve loaded a trebuchet with your body. Danger danger danger. Stay on your feet no matter what.

Our friend Charlie asked what I mean by “loading a trebuchet with your body.”

Keep reading to learn what I mean and how not to make yourself into a medieval projectile.

Read more

When you say she’s pushing the bars away (Watch this pro DHer’s arms to watch Valentina Roa Sánchez rip a steep rock section), I’m assuming you mean when the front tire hits the ground, she’s pushing the bars away to keep the front tire on the ground as she goes down little steps? For speed traction and momentum?

Scott

Scott!

That great question cuts to the heart of great riding technique. This simple advice will make you way more confident, safe and shreddy on single and successive ledges like these:

Read more