Strength Training is Essential for Mountain Bikers!

Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner, MSc Exercise Physiology

Strength Training is key to successful and enjoyable mountain biking in all disciplines, XC, Trail, Enduro, and DH. Here in the lower mainland we are fortunate to live in some of the world’s top mountain biking zones. We even have a new local bike park opening this Summer, and the talk in the industry is that there will be another one in 2026! There is no time like now to prepare for the best riding season ever.

When you are strong, riding is safer and much more fun. A strong balanced body makes those bumps and technical challenges much easier. Proper strength work will let you say goodbye to arm pump and hand fatigue from long descents. Need a few extra watts for that technical climb section? Lift weights! Absorbing hits from bike park features is a piece of cake when you are strong. Weight training builds a resilient body, one that is ready for the rigors of riding and sometimes crashing (as we all know can happen).

There has been ample research done on the benefits of strength training for endurance athletes and cyclists specifically. Here are a few examples:

Improved leg strength and power. In this study a group of cyclists training for 12 weeks and then participating in a racing season for 13 weeks were divided into two groups based on training. One group only did endurance training, while the other included strength training as well. During the competition phase, those who did strength training had significantly greater improvements in leg strength power as compared to the other group.
Faster, more powerful race finishes. In a similar study, cyclists were again separated by endurance training only and endurance along with strength training. The test at the end of the training period was an endurance ride ending in a sprint. Those who strength trained had lower heart rates and rates of oxygen consumption during the sprint. They also had more power (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19903319/).
Increased force, efficiency, and endurance. Another project measured several other factors in two groups that used either endurance or endurance and strength training for race preparation. The strength training group saw big improvements in cycling economy, work efficiency, time to exhaustion, and development of force. All of these were significant compared to the control group and helped improve cycling performance

As we age, strength training becomes increasingly important. We know that muscle force production decreases with age and lifting weights is key to minimizing this decline. Stronger muscles create more force which equals more watts!

Strength training for mountain biking doesn’t need to be complicated, in fact I would encourage you to keep things relatively simple. Focus on free weights and fundamental movement patterns. Squat, lunge, step up, hip hinge, push up, pull up, planks and side planks are great examples of foundational type exercises.

For mountain bikers due to the physical demands of technical trails, I would recommend that you consider strength training year round. Many riders feel that during the riding season they don’t need to lift weights, but I can assure you that you do. If you are strong all season you will be able to ride even more.

Exercise technique is paramount when lifting weights, and the heavier you are lifting the more critical it becomes. I highly recommend getting some professional help from a qualified trainer to dial in your lifting techniques. High load strength work has a really positive effect on strength gains as well as improved levels of key hormones involved in recovery and muscle building.

The tendency for most riders is to ride more in order to improve their fitness and speed, but if you add some proper strength training you will be in a much better position to actually make these improvements happen. If you find yourself stuck and unable to improve your mountain bike fitness/endurance, add in some more weight training and I guarantee you will push past some of those current upper limits.

If you are looking for expert training advice, or to work with trainers experienced in helping endurance athletes, book a free consultation below. Time to get strong!

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Move your body and your health will follow

Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner, MSc Exercise Physiology

Inactivity, lack of exercise, is a habit that once formed can seem insurmountable. Many of us have been there. Life gets in the way of our exercise plans and before you know it a year has passed and we are completely out of shape. Perhaps things have progressed to the point where we have been predominantly inactive for the better part of a decade. Maybe the beginnings of some serious health issues are starting to come to the surface. 

For many the barrier to start exercising seems to be growing as we progress in our careers and lives, both in terms of how little time we have and the perceived difficulty of the actual exercise.  Even when you only take a week off your exercise routine, that next workout back is always just so hard. Imagine if it’s been years?

Many of us have the wrong idea of what it means to exercise for health. At one point in our lives maybe we were decent athletes and our sports provided all the exercise we needed. Our structured training sessions were intense and physically demanding. We can’t imagine being able to do that now.  I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to.

Training for health is a different thing entirely than training for performance. In order to be healthy and greatly (I’m talking orders of magnitude) decrease our likelihood of many terrible degenerative diseases we simply need to exercise consistently. We actually don’t need to ‘train’, we just need to ‘move’. Movement is health! There is no longevity hack or drug that can out perform regular exercise. 

When training for health a lot of times simply walking will suffice. The human body responds very positively to low intensity aerobic exercise. A significant portion of the  health benefits of exercise can be achieved by simply walking enough during the week. 

There are many forms of exercise that we can employ to improve our health even more, but in the hustle and bustle of life sometimes we just can’t devote time to structured exercise. I firmly believe, however, that there are almost no good excuses for not being able to walk for at least 7 hours per week. You could simply choose a parkage garage that’s a 20 minutes walk from the office and walk to lunch somewhere that’s 10 minutes away. This would give you a total of 60 minutes of exercise. 

Something I’m a big fan of is the walking meeting. I believe office workers should consider taking one meeting per day on the move. This could be in-person or on the phone, but I’m sure there is no need to sit at your desk for every meeting you might have on a given day. Also, aerobic exercise has been shown to improve brain function and creativity. Your walking meeting might surprise you with the results.

Consistent exercise is about creating the habit. If you are starting from scratch, developing a routine where you walk everyday is the gateway to adding other forms of exercise. Once you have carved out the time for your walk, it becomes easier to shift some of that time to weight training, or some other form of exercise. 

If you are worried about going to the gym again, don’t be. You can take your time and start slow and light. Don’t worry about lifting heavy weights to begin with, it’s not like you are training for an Olympic event. Some weight training is always better than no weight training. 

In the ideal scenario we are getting aerobic exercise amounting to at least 7 hours per week, we are doing 20-40 minutes of more intense cardiovascular exercise, and we are lifting heavy things 2 times per week for 20-40 minutes.  It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. From a health perspective, walking for 20 minutes 2 x per day or for 60 minutes 1 x day amounts to the same thing.

To be healthy we have to throw away the excuses we carry around having a lack of time for exercise. Improved health doesn’t require training our faces off at intensities that leave us sore and demoralized. When training for health consistency is key, and moderate to light intensities are just fine. Move your body and you will come out on top.

If you’re looking for help getting started, book a consultation today to learn how Groundwork Athletics can help you develop a consistent exercise plan.

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Creatine Supplementation: A No-Brainer

Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner, MSc Exercise Physiology

For the record, I’ve been a fan of supplementing with creatine for some time now. I can feel the difference in training with it vs without, both in the gym and on the bike.  Creatine has many great benefits and little if any downside. It is great for anyone who is doing more intense workouts, and might have health benefits beyond exercise and performance as well. 

Creatine monohydrate occurs naturally (but in small amounts) within meat and fish. It is a crucial amino acid for the production of ATP which is the main energy source for muscular contractions. Supplementing with creatine monohydrate has been shown to saturate your stores inside the muscle beyond what is possible with diet alone. This saturation has been demonstrated to have many exercise and even health benefits. I’m going to list the benefits that are supported by the research and how that might impact cycling performance. 

• Increase muscle power and strength
  • Increase power output for cyclists
  • improved cycling efficiency
• Enhance high-intensity exercise capacity
  • All those attacks and your finishing sprints
  • May delay fatigue from these efforts
  • Allows for higher intensity efforts during training
• Accelerated recovery
  • Reduced muscle damage from intense training
  • Would help a cyclist recover better from hard training sessions
• Positive effects on brain function
  • Possibly delays mental fatigue
  • Road racing is a game of chess at 175 bpm heart rate so anything that keeps the brain sharp could be good!
• Improved hydration and thermoregulation
  • There is some evidence suggesting it lowers the likelihood of cramping and provides improved body temperature control

Possible downside

• Weight gain***
• GI distress (usually only with high doses)

The most current advice on how to supplement with creatine doesn’t involve the ‘loading’ phase that used to be recommended. Research has shown that the ‘loading’ has little to no effect beyond what just taking the recommended dose of 5g/day does. 

• 5 g/day for 28 consecutive days it what it takes to get the full benefits
• These benefits last 2-6 weeks after you stop supplementing
• Can get some weight gain in the form of water retentions
  • This has been greatly mitigated by eliminating the ‘loading’ phase
  • Doesn’t happen to everyone

***If you are an endurance athlete (cyclist in particular) you may be concerned about potential weight gain. The performance benefits far outweigh the downside of 1-2 lbs. If you happen to be a person who gains weight when supplementing with creatine, simply cease taking it 1-2 weeks prior to your major event(s). The weight should reduce, but the benefits remain for 2-6 weeks after stopping supplementation. 

Creatine supplementation is proving to be one of those things that most people who are exercising with any intensity should just include as part of their regular routine. 

Why we could all use a health advisor 

Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner and Cofounder

Clang! Thud! Slap! 5 more! The unmistakable sounds of the gym penetrate the thin walls separating my office from the training floor. A barbell being racked, a dumbbell hitting the floor, boxing gloves hitting the focus mitts, and the vocal encouragement from a trainer,  these are comforting to someone who has owned a gym for more than 20 years.  As I sit here in my fitness studio office I can hear various conversations between different personal trainers and their clients. Varied. Happy. Serious. Empathetic. Encouraging. The conversations between a trainer and client can cover any topic. 

A client of mine, let’s call him Jay, is a very successful financial advisor. Jay has been my financial advisor for years. We have insurance policies, education funds for the kids, investments, and more. If I need advice on a mortgage renewal or a way to fund a home renovation, I have someone to help me navigate the complexities. During our training sessions we talk about all sorts of things.

On this particular day the topic was heart attacks. This was near and dear to Jay as his family has a rough history with this. Between his sets of deadlifts I asked him, “I wonder why we don’t have health advisors?” I mentioned that what I do is really very similar to what he does. He advises people on their finances, while I’m advising them on their health. The key part missing from my practice, however, is that the role of health advisor doesn’t really exist. As much as I benefit from a financial advisor, Jay would benefit from a health advisor. It’s one thing having saved money, but it’s another thing entirely being healthy enough to enjoy it. Jay loved it!

We went on to discuss how a good personal trainer is an invaluable resource for health and wellness advice. They are experts at exercise and motivating people to move. When you have an injury, your trainer probably knows a good physio, chiropractor, or massage therapist. They will undoubtedly know a good nutritionist, and possibly naturopath, acupuncturist, or even specialty medical doctors. 

Coming off that conversation I can’t stop thinking about the effort we put into planning our finances for retirement. Freedom 55. RRSP. CPP. Pensions. Save. Plan. We all hear these and most of us have a financial plan in place. Nobody is really talking about their health in the same manner. Exercise daily, supplements, mindfulness, mobility, strength, VO2 max, nutrition. We know these words, but we don’t have a plan in place for them. What a fantastic opportunity for personal trainers!

Those looking to make a career out of personal training need something to separate themselves from the noise. I feel that experienced personal trainers are already operating in the role of health advisor in varying capacities. Health advisors being a licensed practice would be a dream outcome. We should all view our health as a finite resource, and something that needs to be worked on to maintain. The benefits of this are both personal and to society in general. A health advisor could help someone in so many ways: 

• Exercise planning that fits your personal needs
• Nutrition advice/planning
• Interpretation and recommendations based on on all the personal health data modern fitness and sleep trackers can provide
• A resource to find the right practitioner when we do needs help with an injury or ailment
• Someone to help hold you accountable to maintaining a healthy lifestyle
• An expert on lifestyle factors that impact your health and a resource to lean on when questions arise
• Someone that can provide reporting/feedback to a healthcare practitioner
• The list goes on and on

Like any multifaceted and complex situation, a well thought out plan is essential to success. Understanding the factors that promote health and how simple habits can have significant impacts will be key teachings of your health advisor. Removing barriers and shifting through the noise will set you up for future success. We all want a well financed and comfortable retirement. We should all want to be healthy enough to enjoy it too! Work on your health as diligently as you would your investment portfolio. The investment will pay off!

Looking to hire your own ‘Health Advisor’? Book your free consultation with one our GWA Personal Trainers today!

GWA: A History – Part 2

Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner and Cofounder

Once our downtown facility opened, we embarked on a steady growth trajectory. Troy began to take on more of a business administration role, while I was tasked with the growth and development of our expanding personal training staff. With Troy’s background as a hockey player and my experience as a strength coach, we quickly expanded our personal training business to include off-season training for hockey players. This became a significant portion of our business, and we eventually spun it out under its own brand, Factory Hockey Training.

Things progressed smoothly until 2016, when both Troy and I began exploring other business ventures. I was getting into cycling at the time and ended up owning a 50% stake in a local bike shop. The demands of the growing retail business, combined with helping to raise two young children, began to strain my working relationship with Troy at GWA. Eventually, we decided to part ways in business, leading to Troy becoming the sole owner of Groundwork Athletics in 2017.

In 2013, I hired a young, energetic personal trainer named Donny MacQuarrie. He developed into our manager and began running the business in 2019, as Troy transitioned to life in Langley and started his own growing family. The period from 2020 to 2022 was particularly challenging for the fitness industry due to COVID-19, which brought shutdowns and uncertainty. Donny was instrumental in helping GWA navigate these tough times.

In late 2023, I was on a guys’ trip with friends (Troy couldn’t make it that year; three kids can do that) when I found out through the grapevine that Troy was considering leaving the fitness industry. Having recently been forced to sell my retail business (another COVID victim/story), I was looking for something new. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. With the help of a longtime friend, I managed to put a deal together, and we bought GWA back from Troy. As of 2023, I’m a 50% owner of the business I founded in 2004. During this process, I was extremely happy to be reunited with the “young” trainer I hired back in 2013. The Donny of 2023 isn’t quite as young, and he has a family of his own now. He has been expertly managing operations and will hopefully continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Speaking of the future and what it holds for GWA, you can expect to see more of what got us here. Our expertise in human movement, coupled with best-in-class personal trainers, will continue. This past year, we’ve focused on incorporating a more holistic approach to health and fitness. We plan to push into the healthy aging arena with science-backed approaches to exercise and nutrition. We believe that exercise is key to a long and healthy life and are more eager than ever to share that with our community.

GWA: A History Part 1

Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner and Cofounder

Where it all began… in the Olympic lifting area of the Kits Community Center. At that time, I was a first-year graduate student at UBC, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology, while also working part-time as a gym attendant at the center. I was training my good friend Troy Dalton for his upcoming hockey season. He was off to play professionally in Germany, and we were both committed to training hard six days a week. Those were the days—early twenties, brimming with energy, incredible recovery abilities from intense workouts, and little else on our plates besides training, partying, and playing slow pitch during the summer.

Troy and I had been friends since high school and were both student-athletes at UBC—Troy studying business while I focused on Kinesiology. That summer, Troy was impressed with his progress; we managed to pack nearly 15 pounds of muscle onto his lean frame, making us both stronger and more powerful than ever before. I vividly remember when he said, “I can sell this stuff you do! We should go into business together.” That moment in the Kits gym marked the birth of GWA. It was pivotal for me because, at the time, I thought my future lay in becoming a strength and conditioning coach for a pro sports team, having never considered starting my own business. Little did we know, those workouts together would serve as the foundation for what we were about to create. Our teamwork, work ethic, determination, and resilience were the cornerstones of our training—qualities that would seamlessly translate to our business ambitions.

When Troy returned that spring after his final season of professional hockey, we jumped straight into our plans. This was where Troy truly thrived. While I often dive headfirst into ideas, trusting my intuition to guide me, Troy was all about planning. He insisted we sit down to outline a business plan—an entirely foreign concept to me at the time. One of the parts I really cherished was naming our business. While Troy excelled at organizing and planning, I thrived on ideas and abstract thinking. Some of our early attempts at names didn’t quite hit the mark. For a month, we settled on the acronym B.A.D. Training (Bula and Dalton Training), thinking it sounded edgy and cool. However, several close friends had the courage to tell us the truth: the name sucked! It wasn’t something that our business could grow or evolve with. While Troy found inspiration in reading the thesaurus, I preferred to ‘sleep’ on ideas and let my subconscious do the work. To this day, we still argue about who came up with the name Groundwork Athletics. What we both agreed on, however, was that laying the foundation—or “groundwork”—is essential for future success. We also believed (and still do) that athleticism is important for everyone, regardless of who they are or what stage of life they’re in. These beliefs have always been guiding principles for Groundwork Athletics.

Our Business Plan (as I remember it):

2002: 

• Troy to obtain personal training certification
• Jon to continue working at Kits while starting independent personal training
• Jon to get a summer job with leading hockey strength and conditioning business, Twist Conditioning
• Troy to secure his first industry personal training job

2003: 

• Jon and Troy become independent trainers

2004: 

• Open the first facility

This outlined our first business plan, and wouldn’t you know it, we achieved it almost exactly as intended. Our first facility was located in a neighborhood of Vancouver called Railtown. We were incredibly fortunate to have a client who was the CEO of Westbeach at the time. His company needed to expand to a new office/warehouse space, so he graciously took on extra square footage for Troy and me to sublease and open Groundwork Athletics. I adored that little 1,200 square foot studio with its cedar beams and red brick. We were young, working 6 AM to 7 PM most days. There was plenty of time for fun and our fitness, but we also spent countless hours training clients in that space. We began offering athlete training programs, including summer off-season hockey strength and conditioning, and hired our first two employees there. By late 2005, we quickly found ourselves needing to expand.

In 2006, we opened Groundwork Athletics downtown on Granville Street, which is still our location today.

Stay tuned for next week’s instalment: GWA: A History Part 2.

The Business Case for Exercise

Written by Jon Bula: Masters Athlete, Cat 2 Cyclist, MSc in Exercise Physiology

I’ve been touting the benefits of exercise in relation to health and longevity a lot lately. What if I told you that regular exercise can be more powerful than all the apps and work-flow improvements when it comes to improving your productivity. There is a strong case for exercise to be part of everyone’s work day and that it pays huge dividends.

There is an abundance of compelling evidence showing the link between increased fitness and productivity. Regular exercise elevates our mood, makes us healthier, and this makes us more motivated. Increased motivation is hugely important for improved performance and productivity. People who exercise regularly are less likely to be absent from work and are more productive day to day. 

Exercise has big impacts on, but not limited the following:

• Stress Relief
• Heart Health
• Improved Concentration
• Reduced Fatigue
• Increased Energy Levels
• Improved Creativity
• Sharper Memory

Exercise not only fuels your muscles with oxygen, but your brain as well. It has been shown to stimulate connections between brain cells. Exercise teaches the body how to handle and work through the effects of stress. The endorphins boost from exercising decreases fatigue and improves mood.

What is really interesting is that performing 20-30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise greatly improves next-day work related resources. Exercise improves sleep, which then increases next-day vigor and ability to focus. 

If a company was looking for a way to increase productivity, the first thing it should look for is the opportunity to add regular exercise.  This can be as simple as a walking meeting or more structured like a group personal training session. Many forms of exercise have been shown to benefit productivity. The take home message is that daily exercise is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t matter how much a company spends on an elaborate CRM to boost productivity if employees are tired, and unmotivated.  Build the foundation with exercise and the rest will follow. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how Groundwork Athletics can help you and your employees be more productive, book a consultation today!

Strength Training for Cyclists

Written by Jon Bula: Masters Athlete, Cat 2 Cyclist, MSc in Exercise Physiology

With the Fondo and bike park seasons coming to a close it’s time to start thinking about getting back into the gym and lifting some weights! Yes, cyclists absolutely need to strength train. 

The reasons behind why cyclists should lift weights are well established. If your goal is to ride more, ride faster, remain injury free, improve your performance, shift your body composition, combat the effects of aging, have more endurance, be stronger at the end of a ride/race then strength training is for you. 

There has been ample research done on the benefits of strength training for endurance athletes and cyclists specifically. Here are a few examples:

• Improved leg strength and power. In this study a group of cyclists training for 12 weeks and then participating in a racing season for 13 weeks were divided into two groups based on training. One group only did endurance training, while the other included strength training as well. During the competition phase, those who did strength training had significantly greater improvements in leg strength power as compared to the other group.
• Faster, more powerful race finishes. In a similar study, cyclists were again separated by endurance training only and endurance along with strength training. The test at the end of the training period was an endurance ride ending in a sprint. Those who strength trained had lower heart rates and rates of oxygen consumption during the sprint. They also had more power (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19903319/).
• Increased force, efficiency, and endurance. Another project measured several other factors in two groups that used either endurance or endurance and strength training for race preparation. The strength training group saw big improvements in cycling economy, work efficiency, time to exhaustion, and development of force. All of these were significant compared to the control group and helped improve cycling performance 

As we age, strength training becomes increasingly important. We know that muscle force production decreases with age and lifting weights is key to minimizing this decline. Stronger muscles create more force which equals more watts!

Strength training for cyclists doesn’t need to be complicated, in fact I would encourage you to keep things relatively simple. Focus on free weights and fundamental movement patterns. Squat, lunge, step up, hip hinge, push up, pull up, planks and side planks are great examples of foundational type exercises. 

It makes sense to focus a little more on strength training in the colder months when you are riding less. Some road cyclists may find that during the heavy volume summer months they quit strength training entirely. This is fine for the most part. I would still recommend maintaining flexibility and core strength work.  For mountain bikers due to the physical demands of technical trails, I would recommend that you continue strength training year round. More volume of lifting in the off season with maintenance work during the riding season. 

Exercise technique is paramount when lifting weights, and the heavier you are lifting the more critical it becomes. I highly recommend getting some professional help from a qualified trainer to dial in your lifting techniques. High load strength work has a really positive effect on strength gains as well as improved levels of key hormones involved in recovery and muscle building. 

It is extremely difficult to get ‘bulky’ from lifting weights a few times per week while maintaining endurance training. Typically the opposite is true; weight training promotes fat loss along with some lean muscle gain. This has shown to both increase power and endurance for cyclists. 

The tendency for most cyclists is to ride more in order to improve their fitness and speed, but if you add some proper strength training you will be in a much better position to actually make these improvements happen. If you find yourself stuck and unable to improve your cycling fitness/endurance, add in some more weight training and I guarantee you will push past some of those current upper limits.

If you are looking for expert training advice, or to work with trainers experienced in helping endurance athletes book a free consultation.

Time to get strong!

VO2 Max: The Longevity Unicorn

Written by Jon Bula: Masters Athlete, Cat 2 Cyclist, MSc in Exercise Physiology

A high VO2max has an almost unbelievable positive impact on improving longevity. Increasing VO2max not only decreases cardiovascular mortality but it is associated with risk reduction of all-cause mortality at any age!  Pretty amazing. With aerobic fitness (VO2max) the higher the better.

What is VO2max? Simply put, it is the maximal amount of oxygen that a person can use during intense exercise. It is directly related to the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscle and the muscle’s ability to use it. It is one of the best indicators of aerobic performance and cardiorespiratory fitness. You will see VO2max values expressed in L/min or when comparing between individuals (adjusted for body mass) it’s shown as ml/kg/min. 

VO2max has been shown to decline with age, but this decline can be mitigated by regular exercise, Zone 2 and Zone 5 (see previous blog posts). There are many field tests that can indirectly measure VO2max, but the gold standard happens in the lab using a metabolic cart.  Finding out your VO2max can be helpful, but it doesn’t change the fact that in order to be healthy and keep disease at bay, cardiovascular exercise is key.

Don’t neglect your cardiovascular exercise because nothing keeps you as healthy as being aerobically fit. 

https://peterattiamd.com/breaking-down-vo2-max/

https://peterattiamd.com/all-things-vo2-max/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29293447/