Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
According to research, our reaction time peaks in our mid 20’s and then begins to decline with age. Through the summer and fall I like to hike, road bike and sea kayak but none of these activities does much to improve my ability to adapt to quick changes in terrain or slope. So at least once a week I like to go mountain biking which I find is great way to stay in shape and also for honing my reaction time. When we cross country ski we need to look ahead and we often have to move our feet quickly to get around a corner. We also may need to react quickly if we suddenly see sticks or rocks sticking through the snow or if someone falls directly ahead of us on the ski trail.
If you are just getting into mountain biking you might want to first try green trails which are fairly smooth without too many roots and rocks that you might want to avoid. Then once you have developed some skills you can try blue runs which will provide more challenge and will test your reaction time in terms of controlling your speed and your ability to make quick turns. Remember to wear appropriate safely equipment and cycle on trails suited to your ability. And go slow at first. You certainly don’t want a fall while mountain biking that will interfere with your cross country ski season. And another bonus of mountain biking is that it is a great interval training activity….you need to pedal hard to cycle uphill and then you can ease off and focus on improving your reflexes and reaction time on way downhill. If viewers have other suggestions that are good for challenging your reaction time send them along- k2nicol@gmail.com
According to research, our reaction time peaks in our mid 20’s and then begins to decline with age. Through the summer and fall I like to hike, road bike and sea kayak but none of these activities does much to improve my ability to adapt to quick changes in terrain or slope. So at least once a week I like to go mountain biking which I find is great way to stay in shape and also for honing my reaction time. When we cross country ski we need to look ahead and we often have to move our feet quickly to get around a corner. We also may need to react quickly if we suddenly see sticks or rocks sticking through the snow or if someone falls directly ahead of us on the ski trail.
If you are just getting into mountain biking you might want to first try green trails which are fairly smooth without too many roots and rocks that you might want to avoid. Then once you have developed some skills you can try blue runs which will provide more challenge and will test your reaction time in terms of controlling your speed and your ability to make quick turns. Remember to wear appropriate safely equipment and cycle on trails suited to your ability. And go slow at first. You certainly don’t want a fall while mountain biking that will interfere with your cross country ski season. And another bonus of mountain biking is that it is a great interval training activity….you need to pedal hard to cycle uphill and then you can ease off and focus on improving your reflexes and reaction time on way downhill. If viewers have other suggestions that are good for challenging your reaction time send them along- k2nicol@gmail.com
