Here are 6 top reasons why you should get involved with mountain biking, from fitness to making friends, check out the best benefits from off-road biking.

Mountain biking is a great for fitness having humerous benefits, including improving your cardiovascular system. It is also perfect for those returning from injury being a non-load-bearing sport. 

1. It’s fun and good for relationships

Mountain biking makes for an ideal family activity, with child seats and trailers enabling you to bring your family with you at virtually any age. It's great for couples too, and is something you can do together.

2. Mountain biking builds leg strength

Using a bike can help tone your quad, calf and glut (buttock) muscles as well as strengthen your tendons, without any load bearing. Far better fun than working out on a stationary bike in the gym.

3. Optimizes fat burning

Fat burning takes place when your heart rate is at around 65 to 75 per cent of your maximum (your maximum is 220 less your age for men and 225 less your age for women). You can measure your heart rate using a heart rate monitor (HRM) in order to train at the optimum level for fat burning.

4. Works the cardiovascular system

Your heart and lungs make up the cardiovascular system and the fitter you become, the more efficiently they work. This means better flow of blood through your body and an increase in oxygenation. Your fitness level depends on how well this process is done. By increasing your training on your bike over time, there is an associated improvement in the performance of your cardiovascular system and therefore fitness level.

5. Non-load-bearing so reduces risk of injury

Another advantage of mountain biking is that it is a non-load bearing form of exercise. By that we mean that your whole body is not being supported during your training as it is when you run for example. The very action of sitting means that a degree of pressure is being taken off your joints, meaning there is a reduced chance of injury.Many people who are returning to training after an injury use the bike as a way of regaining fitness as they can gradually increase fitness levels without putting pressure on a potentially suspect joint or tendon.

6. An ideal holiday activity

Take your bikes with you on holiday or hire one and you will cover far more ground than you would on foot! Many families now choose mountain biking as a great way to get to know an area and have fun together