Yes, a pumptrack is an excellent workout. It works your entire body: from legs and glutes to core, arms, and shoulders. At the same time, you improve your balance, coordination, and reaction time. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced athlete, a pumptrack offers an effective and fun way for everyone to be active. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about pumptrack training.
Which muscles do you train on a pump track?
On a pump track, you train virtually your entire body at the same time. Your legs and glutes provide most of the power when “pumping” through the hills and turns. Simultaneously, your core works continuously to keep you balanced, and your arms and shoulders steer and absorb the shocks.
Specifically, these are the main muscle groups you target:
- Quadriceps and hamstrings — for pushing up and braking on the rollers
- glutes — for power and stability through the corners
- Abdominal and back muscles (core) — for balance and control of the steering wheel
- Shoulders and arms — for steering, pulling, and pushing the steering wheel
- Calves — for fine-tuning the pedals and shifting your weight
What makes a pumptrack so interesting as a training location is that you determine the intensity yourself. If you ride calmly and in a controlled manner, it serves as a good recovery session or warm-up. If you go all out, it becomes a serious strength workout where your heart rate rises significantly. The alternation of short, explosive bursts makes it comparable to interval training.
How many calories do you burn on a pump track?
The exact number of calories depends on your weight, intensity, and how long you ride, but an active session on a pumptrack is comparable to vigorous cycling or skateboarding. Those who really go for it can easily burn 200 to 400 kilocalories in half an hour.
What sets it apart from regular cycling is that you are constantly active on a pumptrack. There is no moment to passively roll along: you are pumping, steering, and balancing the entire time. This continuous activity results in a higher average heart rate and, consequently, a higher calorie expenditure per minute. Children and young people playing on a pumptrack do not even perceive it as “exercising,” yet they are definitely getting a good workout.
Is a pumptrack suitable for all ages and skill levels?
Yes, a pumptrack is suitable for everyone, from a toddler on a balance bike to an adult on a BMX or road bike. The low thresholds and flowing shapes make it accessible to beginners, while advanced riders can use the track for serious technical training.
Create a asphalt pumptrack Moreover, it is not just for cyclists. You can also use it with a skateboard, scooter, or inline skates. That wide range is precisely what distinguishes a pumptrack from a traditional playground or skatepark. While a skatepark typically attracts mainly advanced skaters and BMX riders, a pumptrack invites everyone to join in, regardless of age or experience.
People with disabilities can also use it: the smooth asphalt track is wheelchair-friendly and offers an active experience for them as well. This makes it one of the most inclusive sports facilities you can place in a public space.
What is the difference between a pumptrack and a skatepark as training locations?
The biggest difference is the target audience and accessibility. A skatepark is primarily designed for skaters and advanced riders, with elements such as rails, ledges, and halfpipes that require technical skills. A pumptrack is fluid and continuous, without obstacles, and is therefore immediately usable by everyone.
As a training location, a pumptrack offers a few advantages over a skatepark:
- Lower entry threshold — you don't need to know any tricks to benefit fully from it
- Cardio and strength in one — the pump movement is more functional and trains more muscle groups simultaneously
- More disciplines — usable for bicycles, skateboards, scooters and inline skates
- Wider audience — from preschoolers to seniors, everyone can participate
A skatepark has its own value for specific disciplines, but if you are looking for a facility that gets the most people moving, a pumptrack wins in terms of target audience reach. View our completed projects for an idea of what that looks like in practice.
How often do you need to visit a pump track for a noticeable training effect?
Two to three sessions per week are enough to see noticeable improvement in fitness, balance, and technique. As with other sports, regularity is more important than duration. Shorter sessions of 20 to 30 minutes that you consistently stick with yield better results than one long session once every two weeks.
For beginners, it is wise to build up gradually during the first few sessions. Your body gets used to the pump movement and the coordination required for it. After a week or two, you will notice that you go through turns more smoothly and expend less energy balancing. That is the moment to increase the intensity.
Advanced athletes, such as mountain bikers or BMX riders, can also use a pumptrack as a targeted training tool. Two sessions per week in addition to their regular training improve explosiveness, technique, and body control in a way that is not as easily trained on a regular road or trail.
Which sports and disciplines benefit from pumptrack training?
Many more sports than you might expect benefit from regular pumptrack training. The combination of balance, explosive power, coordination, and rhythmic movement is transferable to virtually any sport involving wheels or where body control is important.
These are the disciplines that benefit most from it:
- Mountain biking — better cornering technique, more feel for speed and terrain
- BMX — explosiveness and flow through the track immediately improve your driving style
- Skateboarding — balance and body control that you see in every area
- Inline skating and roller skating — core strength and coordination that increase your speed and stability
- Road bike and gravel — technical driving skills and reaction time in corners
- General fitness — for everyone who wants to exercise in a fun way without needing a gym
What all these disciplines have in common is that they benefit from a better sense of weight placement and timing. That is exactly what you train on a pump track, every single round.
How Velosolutions helps with pumptrack training in your municipality or park
Do you want to create a pumptrack that truly functions as a training location for a wide audience? We would be happy to brainstorm with you. Velosolutions has been building asphalt pumptracks in the Netherlands for over 12 years and has realized more than 100 of them. We are part of a worldwide network of 35 partners and are the only one in the world to be UCI-certified.
- Custom designed — every job is tailored to the available space and target group
- Suitable for all ages and disciplines — from balance bike to skateboard, from child to adult
- Fully certified — in accordance with Dutch WAS legislation and NEN-EN14974
- 5-year warranty and annual maintenance — so that the course remains in top condition for 8 to 12 years
- Complete peace of mind — from initial consultation and design to delivery and inspection
Read more about us and discover how we help municipalities and recreation parks realize sports facilities that are actually used. Or request a no-obligation consultation and discuss what is possible for your location.
