The MTI Podcast #43: Coaching Elite Mountain Bike & Rugby Athletes with Alex Ackerley
Feb 19, 2025
01:47:04
In this episode of the podcast, we welcome Alex Ackerley, an accomplished strength and conditioning coach based in Squamish, BC, Canada. Alex shares his journey from high-performance rugby to coaching elite mountain athletes, including World-Cup level mountain bikers, Tour Divide gravel riders, and ultra-marathon runners. With 15 years of experience in the Vancouver fitness industry, Alex offers deep insights into training, programming, and the unique demands of mountain sports.
Topics Covered:
- Rugby Background & Athletic Foundations: Alex’s experience playing high-level rugby and how it shaped his approach to strength and conditioning.
- Training Mountain Bikers: Insights into the unique physical demands of downhill, enduro, and cross-country mountain biking.
- Strength Programming: Alex’s go-to lifts for building power and resilience, including front squats, deadlifts, and power cleans.
- Metabolic Conditioning: How Alex designs high-intensity circuits to build capacity for 3–5 minute downhill efforts.
- Upper Body Training & Injury Prevention: The importance of upper body strength for downhill riders and strategies for building grip strength.
- Plyometric Progressions: Building impact resilience through progressive plyometric training.
- Screening and Assessments: Alex’s approach to movement screening and individualized programming.
- Off-Season Training: The role of hypertrophy blocks and aerobic conditioning during the off-season.
- Training Philosophy: Balancing strength and endurance while maintaining athlete engagement.
- Lessons Learned: Alex shares personal and professional lessons from his experience training athletes and competing himself.
Lightning Round Questions:
- Best Total Body Lift? Landmine Clean and Press (one-handed)
- Best Lower Body Press? Front Squat
- Best Lower Body Pull? Deadlift
- Best Upper Body Press? Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
- Best Upper Body Pull? Pronated Pull-Up (strict)
- Favorite Grip Training? Carries and Hanging
- Most Overrated Exercise? Box Jump
- Most Underrated Exercise? Bench Press
- Overrated Equipment? Kettlebells
Check out Alex's Gym: nxft.ca
Alex's Instagram: @coachackerley