How To Use An Electric Mountain Bike For Fitness
Electric mountain bikes are becoming more popular. You can’t go to a trail center without hearing the hum of an electric motor accelerating someone up every hill. You may think that EMTBers are cheating, but you could be wrong. In this blog, I’ll tell you how to use an electric mountain bike for fitness.
A study by the National Library Of Medicine in the USA discovered that ebike riders reached 94% of their average heart rate during conventional mountain bike use. Participants overwhelmingly perceived the potential impact of riding an eMTB to be positive. So, here is how you can improve fitness by riding an electric mountain bike.
Use Assistance Levels
You can adjust how much effort you put in by using the assistance levels. For example, keeping your effort low, say 50 to 70% of your max heart rate, you can work on your base fitness with an aerobic training session. When you have a broad base fitness, you have a solid platform to build from, allowing you to become fitter and healthier.
Assistance levels are excellent for burning fat, too. You can torch your lard by exercising in heart rate zones 3 and 4. You can do this by starting your EMTB ride with zero assistance until you reach about 70% (about 140 bpm) of your maximum heart rate (you’ll need a heart rate monitor for this). Then, once your heart rate rises above 140 bpm, select eco mode to bring you back into the fat-burning zone. Repeat the process throughout all of your assistance levels until you’re skinny.
An electric mountain bike gives you total control over how hard you work. The assistance levels allow you to fine-tune your interval training and include valuable low-intensity workouts.
Downhill Blasts
Riding a regular mountain bike down a steep and technical trail can raise your heart rate close to its max. So when you add the extra weight of a motor and battery, you must work harder to hold a strong body position.
Doing so works your upper body and core while your lower body feels the burn in the semi-squat position.
Some trail centers have vehicles to drive you and your bike to the top of the trails. But your electric bike means you don’t have to wait for the uplift; instead, you can ride up. This means you benefit from moving more, even with electrical assistance. On top of this, you can squeeze in more runs in a short space of time.
Longer Rides
If you’re anything like me, if you’ve got the time, going for longer rides is an excellent way to spend your day. However, for some, taking on a massive loop can be intimidating on a regular mountain bike. But, big rides are another story on an electric mountain bike.
Electric mountain bike motor and battery technology is improving every season. They are becoming more efficient, allowing you to ride further on a single charge, opening up the prospect of all-day rides.
The range of an electric bike battery depends on several factors. Your weight, the weather, the profile of your route, and your riding style can increase and decrease your range. However, depending on your battery’s capacity, it could take you anywhere from 20 to 100 miles.
Challenge Your Climbing Ability
In the early days of electric bike ownership, you can pick a hill and see how far you can climb in a low assistance level. Take note of how far you get before calling for more assistance from the motor, and challenge yourself to beat it.
You’ll gradually see measurable improvements and still have enough battery power to get home if you burn yourself out.
Taking The Long Way Home
You may be lucky enough to include electric mountain bike-worthy terrain in your daily commute. Arriving at work covered in mud may be frowned upon, but taking the longer, more exciting way home will mean you can have a fun way to unwind while becoming more active and improving your bike skills.
More Frequent Rides
One of the most significant ways you can use an electric mountain bike for fitness is by riding more regularly. They inspire you to head out for an ‘easy’ ride, even if the weather is miserable. Once you’re out and about, you’re more likely to realize the conditions aren’t as bad as you thought and continue riding because you’re having fun.
Tips On How To Use An Electric Mountain Bike For Fitness
1. Don't Rush It
Your electric mountain bike will make your rides more manageable and allow you to ride further. But, if you’re new to fitness or have taken an extended break, start slowly by going on shorter rides. Doing so will give you a feeling of what you can and can’t do without going too hard too soon.
At this early stage, you’ll benefit more from short, frequent rides than one long one per week. These short rides will also help you to understand how much range your battery can give you.
2. Plan A Good Route
If you’re new to riding bikes, choose a less demanding route. Even though you have an electric motor to help, you can still work incredibly hard during climbs.
In the early days, you should stick to mellow terrain until your mountain bike skills and fitness are up to scratch.
3. Select A Lower Assistance Level
After a few rides, your fitness will have improved along with your confidence. This is when you should start to ride in lower assistance levels to increase the intensity of your workout. In fact, some sections of your route may not need any assistance until you get to a steep climb.
4. Make Time For Recovery
As with any exercise, recovery is essential. You may have just been on a challenging ride, and your electric mountain bike has enabled you to ride further.
Schedule recovery rides into your week. A recovery ride is less intense than the rest of your rides, which is easy to do with an electric bike. Riding more regularly will help to build long-term fitness.
5. Have Fun
Pretty much all cycling is fun, but riding an electric bike becomes addictive. The wave of torque and acceleration makes even the dullest rides more entertaining.
Final Thoughts On How To Use An Electric Mountain Bike For Fitness
I’ve been in a quandary about owning an electric mountain bike for a while. There are many obvious benefits, but I wondered how to use an electric bike for fitness and if it was possible. I have bitten the bullet and joined the electric dark side.
This doesn’t mean I’ve retired my Nukeproof Mega. I have plans to enjoy both electric and acoustic mountain bikes.
