The best way to increase your strength is with functional strength training or "weight training".
Mountain biking and cyclocross racing are unique in the fact that they demand a lot more from your upper body and core compared to Road Cycling. Every time you go through a technical, rocky up hill section or whenever you dismount or remount on the CX bike you use core and upper body muscles.
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If you are a cyclist or runner then strength training is more than just gaining power; which can actually help you with your speed or power at race pace.
As cyclists and runners we tend to move our legs in one plane of motion and therefore use only certain hip muscles while others get a little neglected. Those neglected muscles are necessary for stabilization as well as helping us avoid injury when we fall or move in other directions than forward.
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