Momentum vs Intensity

For as long as I can remember, every session ended the same way. Me cooked. Completely done. I thought that was the only way to progress. If I didn’t leave the park with bruises, a few close calls, and the kind of exhaustion where I couldn’t even be bothered pulling my pads off, then did I even try?

That mindset carried me for years. Push until there’s nothing left. If I couldn’t walk properly the next day, even better. It felt like proof I was serious about riding. But looking back, it also meant I was starting from zero every single time. One huge day, then one day recovering, then clawing my way back to where I was. Progression happened, but it was patchy.

The last few weeks in Sweden have felt different. I’ve been riding a lot, and for the first time I noticed what happens when I don’t empty the tank. If I leave something in the tank, the next day feels easier. I’m already halfway up the climb instead of stuck at the bottom again. It’s not as exciting in the moment, but stacked together, those good days start to feel powerful.

One session in particular stands out. My first ride back after breaking my cranks and cooking my back. I wasn’t 100 percent. My back was sore, I had a head cold messing with my balance, and I hadn’t touched my bike in over a week. On top of that, I was behind on Plan 8 and desperate to stomp trick 1 straight away.

But I had to hold back. I did a flip, a 360 and a truck driver on the airbag, then moved to the tiny resi jump out the back to run through basics. Honestly, it felt like my riding had gone back two years. Boring. Frustrating. Slow. I knew I could send bigger tricks, but the risk of injuring myself again was high. So I settled. Called it. The next day I rested. Same frustration. And the day after that, when my body and head finally clicked back in, I landed trick one.

That’s the part that shook me. Not going all in on day one, not forcing progression when I was undercooked, actually set me up to progress faster.

The hard part is holding back. It feels wrong. If I don’t walk away with a new trick, it feels like I wasted the day. It’s almost like my brain needs something obvious to tick off or it doesn’t count. That’s the battle. Intensity gives me the short-term hit. Momentum builds the long-term payoff.

And maybe that’s the shift I need to make. From chasing proof today, to building momentum tomorrow. From today has to be the day, to let’s stack another solid one. I don’t have it figured out yet. I still fight the voice in my head that says I’m soft if I don’t push until I’m wrecked. But I can’t ignore how much better it feels when I leave a run or two in the tank.

So here’s the question I’m sitting with. Is it better to chase intensity, or protect momentum? And how do you actually know in the moment which one you’re doing?

See ya next week…