[Closed] Tips for hand exercise - Long descents/arm pump

When I first got into mountain biking I used to suffer from arm pump, but these days its very rare that I feel anything in my arms even after a steep, long and techy section. Not sure what I do that's that different to my mates, who all seem to suffer a bit when we meet at the bottom but I do have a very loose grip on the bars, and also try and stay light on the bars rather than transferring my weight to the bars

One finger braking and move your levers in towards your bars.

Two options:

1. Take up climbing. Indoor climbing/bouldering helps a lot.
2. Become a full-time bike guide. Cured my arm-pump!

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I've had a similar problem at Bike Park Wales, although I was riding there three days in a row. The problem I have feels specific to my hands / grip though rather than arm pump, although I don't know if that's the same thing? I have strong forearms and felt physically fit while riding but being able to grip onto the bars / brakes was bottle necking me.

I didn't experience it at all while riding in Morzine last year and I'm only 30 so I hope it's not arthritis!

I'm now using Specialized Body Geometry Gel Mit gloves which seem to be an improvement over my Fox Bomber gloves for hand fatigue.

I'm also now using ODI Rogue grips which also seem to be an improvement over my Superstar Grinder Grips.

Apart from that I'm using a cheap 'adjustable hand power grip strengthener' off ebay. I have another BPW trip booked and I don't want the same hand/grip problem to be holding me back when I'm fit enough to ride!

I hope that helps

BPW made my arms and legs pump quite badly (I was on a hardtail!). Felt like someone had slit my forearm and really given me a bad dead leg.
Put it down to being unused to descending for so long. Regular repitition should sort it.
A case of MTFU I fear.

I tried a couple of the exercises in this article: http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/MTB-Strength-Training-The-Cure-for-Arm-Pump,70 helped a bit. Mostly the kettlebell ones where you hold them up and use the grip to hold them steady.

Wanted to try the Spank vibrocore bars which are supposed to reduce buzz on long descents slightly, but they're always out of stock everywhere.

Also fond now that weather is getting better, riding heaps more descents has upped it a lot, but some really long descents can still give me a bit of arm pump and shaky leg syndrome! I was wondering if getting out on the bmx a bit would help with both.

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but use both arms

raise your brake levers - just below horizontal.

(not in-line with your forearm)

with your brake levers raised, you can hold on with relaxed hands/wrists.

with your brake levers in-line, you've got to use muscle-tension to hold that form.

In the run up to the EWS I was doing a lot of kettlebell stuff and I found that helped tremendously with arm pump reduction.

Taking up dead-lifting totally cured my arm pump. Never get it at all now. I imagine doing regular pull-ups (or even just dead hanging from a bar) would similarly increase grip strength over time. Or (as above) climbing or kettle bells - anything that will improve your grip really.

raise your brake levers - just below horizontal.

tried this after Jedi mentioning it. Helped me massively in the alps

What acid said, ebay adjustable grip strengthener. Used to suffer really badly, went to BPW yesterday, rode blacks all day, everyone else was suffering but I was fine (at least my hands were!). Best 4 quid I've spent in a while

Slow wide undershoulder pressups is what's usually recommended with motorbikes- just replicating the stress. I think years on motorbikes is why I don't really get arm pump, I've only got little puny arms but the muscles are like steel wires 😆 Lucky, that. You don't have to be strong, though, is the other point, you just need accustomisation/fitness for that particular stress.

But yeah, as well as setup on brakes and bars, there's technique, having less pressure on your hands will definitely help- body position can reduce that, and riding smoothly instead of smashing over things. Braking less seems trite but even little breaks from braking will help, doing a bit less comfort braking or doing shorter strong brakes instead of long continuous brakes.

plenty of exercise tips above, but also worth looking at your grips. i used to get a lot of hand wrist pain on long descents, but then moved to ESI chunky grips and made the world of difference, seems to reduce arm pump too.

also i find running your levers closer to the bar helps

Arm pump on a MTB, behave. Go and ride motocross for a 30 minute moto

You owe it to your forearms to buy some nicer forks.

I found that arm pump went away after a years or so of riding regularly. I actually suspect it has a lot to do with a confident relaxed grip rather than white-knuckling down everything because you're terrified.

Is your weighting on the bike right?

Ie even on descents arms should be light on the bars. I always used to be heavy on the arms, after a recent bike course, hands are now much much lighter and legs actually feel it at the bottom.

All to do with now being correctly weighted / centre of gravity on the bike

relax your grip more. 1 finger brake. move brake levers as suggested.

almightydutch - Member

Arm pump on a MTB, behave. Go and ride motocross for a 30 minute moto

.

Ditto ,although having a slacker grips and a few asprin to thin the blood allways helped while racing mx .

 

I'd second the advice of FunkyDunc.
My arm pump went away (after 20 years of it) when I realised I was too far back on steep terrain (pulling back on the bars), and moved to a more neutral forward position. Strengthening your forearms may be treating the symptoms but ignoring the cause. As a boulderer, earning a living as a climbing and mtb guide, strong arms did nothing to help alleviate it for me. Now I only get them during 10 min+ descents with major braking bumps/stairs on a hardtail.