Hi friends,
One of my favorite narrative mechanisms as a writer is to conclude a piece with a reference to the beginning—to end where I started, so to speak. I love this narrative mechanism because I feel like life does the same thing, bringing me back to lessons I thought I had mastered and offering me a little more clarity or depth of understanding with each pass.
And, positioning has been on my mind a lot lately. Not just in how I ride, but also in how I navigate the world and my life within it. I’ve been figuring out what to focus on, how things should feel, and how to make the adjustments necessary to open me up to fluidity and flow.
And just like on the bike, when I’m out of alignment, everything feels harder, more tense. But when I adjust—shift my weight, engage my core—I rediscover my flow…hopefully, sometimes.
Thus, in this first post in a series of new experimental posts converting1 our conversations to usable written content, I’m starting with the concept of positioning. Positioning is a foundational concept in mountain biking, and understanding how your body moves through space is essential to improving your performance. Mastering your body’s alignment can help you ride with more flow, reduce fatigue, and stay in control on technical terrain. This is why we’ve tackled this concept twice on the podcast, in episodes 2 and 45.
"Imagine your body like a gyroscope, constantly adjusting to stay balanced no matter what the trail throws at you."
Here’s what we’ve talked about so far:
Episode Summaries:
Center of mass: We’ve talked at length about the importance of keeping your center of mass balanced between your two wheels. Center of mass focuses on balance—moving forward, backward, or side-to-side, to maintain control. This is a dynamic concept that changes based on the terrain, the angle of the trail, and also your activity (like when cornering). This differs from the concept of center of gravity, which refers to the vertical pull of weight downward. Adjusting forward or back as you climb or descend helps maintain control and stability.
Body stacking: Proper body alignment is key for avoiding strain and fatigue. Jamie often emphasizes stacking your hips over knees and knees over ankles to ensure your skeletal structure supports you efficiently. She explains that riders often fall into a "crouched" position, where the knees are pushed forward and the tailbone is tucked, creating a rounded spine and putting too much weight on the handlebars. Instead, the goal is to maintain alignment by hinging at the hips—much like in a Romanian deadlift—keeping the knees, hips, and ankles in a straight line. This alignment allows for greater stability and balance, and while it may look slightly different for everyone based on factors like hamstring flexibility or femur length, the principle remains the same.
Light hands, heavy feet: We also often emphasize the importance of distributing weight into your feet while keeping your hands light on the handlebars. When weight is placed on the handlebars, it can lead to fatigue and a loss of control, particularly on technical terrain or during fast descents. By grounding weight through the feet, riders can achieve better traction and stability, allowing the bike to flow naturally beneath them. This approach also helps prevent arm pump and makes it easier to maneuver through rough sections or navigate tight corners with greater precision.
Engaging your core: Core engagement is crucial for smooth transitions and overall stability, especially on technical terrain. We often talk about how a strong core takes the strain off your arms and helps you maintain balance, allowing you to ride with more control and less fatigue. When your core is properly engaged, it supports your entire body, making it easier to move fluidly through climbs, descents, and tricky sections of trail. This engagement also improves your ability to stay centered on the bike, keeping you grounded and able to handle sudden changes in terrain without losing momentum. It's not just about strength—it's about connection and being able to flow with your bike rather than fighting against it.
Range of motion: Jamie highlights the importance of staying loose and flexible, with elbows out and shoulders engaged, which allows for more fluid movement on the bike. This flexibility is key for navigating technical terrain, as it opens up your range of motion and gives you the ability to adapt quickly to changes in the trail. Keeping your elbows slightly bent and your shoulders engaged helps absorb shocks from bumps or obstacles, making the ride smoother. When you allow your upper body to move with the bike, rather than remaining rigid, it enhances your control and flow, especially during cornering or when reacting to unpredictable terrain. Staying loose helps maintain momentum and prevents unnecessary tension, allowing for a more dynamic and responsive ride.
"Speed doesn’t come from going all out—it comes from being in control and connected with your bike."
Cue it!
Use these quick cues while riding to fine-tune your positioning:
“Body stacked.” Keep your body aligned—hips over knees, knees over ankles, feet grounded, heels down. Notice if your tailbone is tucked or you feel crouched. Chest proud, hinge at your hips!
“Light hands.” Make sure your hands are light and your feet are heavy. Overloading the handlebars increases your chances of losing control, especially on rocky or steep sections.
“Between the wheels.” Your center of mass should always stay between the two wheels. Think of it as a dynamic point that shifts with the terrain—moving forward when you’re climbing and backward when descending. Rather than picturing a static triangle, imagine how your body adjusts with the angle of the trail to keep you centered over your bike. By shifting your weight in this way, you avoid tipping too far forward or backward, which helps you stay in control, especially on steep sections or technical terrain.
“Squeeze your abs.” A strong core helps with stability and smoother transitions from sitting to standing, and engaging your core reduces reliance on your arms, preventing unnecessary fatigue. I find this one particularly helpful when the path gets narrow or steep (and Aaron thinks this is basically my advice for every situation on the trail).
“Elbows out, knees out.” Keep your elbows out and widen your knees to allow for more freedom of movement. This gives you fluidity on technical terrain, enhancing your ability to handle twists and turns and increasing the coveted bike/body separation. Exaggerate these for a while! The knees bit might feel so weird at first—like you’re turning bowlegged—but it helps.
“Angles.” Think in angles. Create strong, angular shapes with your body—particularly with your back and hips—to distribute weight evenly and dynamically. This also applies to braking, when you create strong angular shapes against your bike to create leverage and traction.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Practice Drills for Better Positioning
Flat ground drill: Practice shifting your center of mass on flat terrain. Feel the difference between leaning too far forward or backward and aim for a centered position between the wheels.
Core engagement drill: On a ride, consciously engage your core and notice how it affects your ride. Focus on maintaining a strong core through different sections of the trail.
Slow-speed drill: Practice riding at slower speeds in a controlled environment. Focus on maintaining a balanced, stacked position without putting weight on the handlebars.
Track stand drill: Work on standing evenly on your pedals while distributing weight properly. Avoid leaning on the handlebars, and focus on using your feet to absorb shocks and stay balanced.
This YouTube video has some nice options for workshopping balance on flat ground. We’re not affiliated—it’s just a good video.
I hope this brings positioning into focus, in new ways, as you head out on the trails this weekend! And keep an eye out for a follow-up post where I’ll dive into how these lessons translate to life off the bike. Many, but not all, of our topics will include both a "bike version" and a "life version"—with the bike post coming out on Fridays to give you something to focus on during your weekend rides, and the life post following on Sundays as a time for reflection. While I’m not religious, I love the idea of using Sundays as a day to pause and reflect on what’s important.
Since this new written format is experimental, I’d love to hear from you! Does this approach feel useful?
Comment below with any suggestions or thoughts on what you’d like to see in future posts. Your feedback will help shape how we move forward!
See you on the trails—and in the comments!
- Danielle
This post has been created with the help of AI and drew only on the original content from episodes 2 and 45. Mostly, AI helped synthesize the content into the main takeaways and provide some general structure. I tend to hate the copy that AI writes, so don’t worry, that’s actually me writing about each of the things. Jamie also reviewed this as well. :)