Fast Hands, Fast Feet, Now Let's Build the Base Under Them
My client Kellen's reactions are quick, his coordination is sharp, and he picks up new terrain faster than most riders his level. Where things get harder for him isn't decision-making. It's what happens physically once he's committed to a fast, hard carve or hits a bump at speed. His body just doesn't yet have the raw strength to absorb and hold up under that load the way his reflexes are ready for it to.
This is actually a great problem to have, because it means the hardest part, reading terrain and reacting fast, is already working in his favor. What we're building now is the physical capacity to match it, so his legs can hold a hard-carved edge or absorb an unexpected bump without folding or getting bucked off his line.
Steamboat Springs is the right place for this. The mountain's glades are known for their widely spaced aspens, which means Kellen and his brother Alex get to build speed through the trees rather than picking through tight, technical gaps, but that speed is exactly what exposes the strength gap we're working on. Every high-speed carve through those trees is a rep for the exact capacity he needs to build.
High-speed carving and rough terrain put enormous eccentric load on the legs, meaning the muscles have to resist and control force while lengthening, not just generate force. That's a different kind of strength than most riding builds on its own, and it's exactly what's missing when a hard carve or a bump overwhelms a rider's legs faster than a heavier or more muscled rider would experience.
We're building this with a combination of mountain work and off-mountain strength training, and we're being patient with it. This is the kind of strength that builds over a season, not a couple weeks. On the mountain, we deliberately practice carving with progressively more edge angle and pressure on terrain that's still within Kellen's comfort zone, training his legs to hold load without immediately going to his absolute limit.
Off the mountain, the priority is building single-leg and eccentric strength in the quads, glutes, and hips: Bulgarian split squats, tempo squats with a slow lowering phase, and lateral strength work that mimics edge pressure. We also work on landing and absorption mechanics specifically, since bumps and rough terrain demand quick, strong shock absorption more than steady strength.
Given his reaction speed and coordination are already ahead of the curve, this strength work is really the last piece for Kellen. Once his legs can match what his reflexes are already doing, he'll be able to hang with his brother Alex in the terrain they both want to ride, at the speed they both want to ride it, and Steamboat's glades will be exactly the terrain to test it on.
Kellen is training alongside his brother Alex, which means the four in-person sessions on the mountain double as terrain progression for both of them. But real strength gains take longer than a 5-day trip to build, so on the strength side, this trip is about starting the right movements and handing Kellen a plan to keep building on his own once we're no longer riding together.
I've paired Kellen's program with 4 in-person sessions (90 minutes each) on Days 1, 2, 4, and 5 of the trip, run jointly with Alex on shared terrain, plus a short daily strength circuit I've given him to keep up on his own, both during the trip and, more importantly, after it.
Day 1: In-Person (90 min): Vision and Anticipation Fundamentals
•On groomed terrain, I'll run short-radius turn drills alongside Alex
•The "eyes up" drill and a baseline run through moderately spaced trees at controlled speed come next
•I'll note where his legs start to fold under pressure, to target in the strength circuit
•From there, I'll introduce the daily strength circuit below and confirm his form on each movement
On His Own: Daily Strength Circuit (Days 1-4 evenings)
Five days won't build meaningful strength on their own. This circuit is about starting the right movement patterns so the take-home plan on Day 5 isn't starting from zero.
•Bulgarian split squats: 3 sets x 8 per leg (bodyweight or light load)
•Tempo squats follow: 3 sets x 8, 4-second slow lowering phase to build eccentric strength
•I've added lateral lunges with a pause at the bottom (mimics holding edge pressure): 3 sets x 8 per side
•Single-leg calf raises round it out: 3 sets x 12 per leg
•The whole circuit stays to 15-20 minutes total, short enough for him to actually fit around riding days
Day 2: In-Person (90 min): Tightening the Terrain
•I'll take him to moderately tight tree spacing with Alex, controlled speed
•How the strength circuit is already translating to holding pressure through carves gets checked
•Small natural terrain features (rollers, small drops) get introduced
•The strength circuit for Day 3's solo practice day gets confirmed before we finish
Day 3: Solo Practice Day (On Their Own)
•Moderately tight tree runs continue together, focused on holding pressure and speed together
•Single-leg Romanian deadlifts (3 sets x 8 per leg) get added to his strength circuit for hip and glute stability
•Scouting and discussing lines with Alex for the more technical terrain I'm planning for Day 4 rounds out the day
Day 4: In-Person (90 min): Technical Terrain Application
•Speed increases in moderately tight trees with Alex
•A light cliff and drop assessment comes next, on terrain suited to his ability, focusing on absorption on landing
•I'll combine tree runs with terrain features in sequence
•Depth-drop-to-stick landings (low height, 3 sets x 5) get added to his strength circuit for absorption mechanics
Day 5: In-Person (90 min): Full Integration + Hand-Off
•We'll take him to tighter tree spacing and higher speed with Alex, building on the timing and strength work from the trip
•He'll link tree runs with cliffs and drops in a full sequence
•How his legs hold up under pressure compared to Day 1 gets reassessed
•I'll hand Kellen a full multi-week strength progression to run on his own after the trip. This is where the actual strength gains happen
