I just got a client who is a motocross racer who wants to increase his performance. I am very limited in my current knowledge of the sport.
My guess is it is very demanding on the core, legs and grip strength so I will assess those areas as well as working on flexibility and adding some muscle mass for injury protection
(he is 5’8" 145 with 8% body fat). Anyone got any specific training tips?
It also involves a lot of back and rear delts. I would think about a circut with very little rest periods. Just an idea.
Being a Devote Motocross Racer, I would say the most important part of Motocross racing is Cardio. If you look at the AMA Pro curcuit you don’t see a lot of Muscle it’s all conditioning. Lots of Road Bikes and running because your body has to usually last 30 mins + 2laps. You don’t really want to improve grip muscles because that will cause him to grip the throttle harder which in turn will cause him to get “arm pump” which is dreaded in Motocross racing.
I would say work on Core and lower body because he has to be able to grip the seat with his knees which will allow his upper body to stay relaxed. Work on getting his heart rate down. Lots of Chest and Lower back for the upper body, since in the attack postion he will always be bent over,
Hitting a set up “whoops” while in the position can do a number on the lower back. and since all bumps he hits will cause his upper body to be in a rowing position work on rows and bench press (or chest). I would say this is only a basic look on what your client would want.
Remember you want him to stay loose, not rigid, you don’t want him to muscle the bike, you want him to ride it, because let’s face it there is no way he is going to “throw” around a motocross bike when grabbing a fist of throttle.
[quote]Thad wrote:
It also involves a lot of back and rear delts. I would think about a circut with very little rest periods. Just an idea.[/quote]
This is pretty good advice, it is pretty much what I did when I was racing, the most important thing when racing is stamina, your arms are ussaly the first to go
I raced quads so it is a little bit diffrent, but you need good core, back (mainly uper back and traps), grip, forearm, and leg strength. with dirtbikes you need to be able to grip with your legs which I’m sure would be improved just better overall strength.
With quads I think a little more strength is needed as it weighs twice as much and you need to use your body to throw it around alot more
I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 5 years old. Back and forearm pump. Bentover fly for the back and rear delt area. Static gripping such as bar hangs for the forearms.
I remember hearintg the MotorX is the #1 most demanding cardio sport.
shrugs
[quote]4est wrote:
I remember hearintg the MotorX is the #1 most demanding cardio sport.
shrugs[/quote]
I’ve read this and I think it is true, I mean its 30 minutes of as hard as you can go,
now most of my amature races where 5 laps and they still killed me…
I also heard that it burns more calories per hour than any other sport…
not to sure about that but wouldn’t doubt it
[quote]pushharder wrote:
I have also learned that toasting your nervous system with highly intensive weight training sessions and a lack of a corresponding R & R period prior to race day is devastating. The sport will make you pay the price if you are already tight and sore at the beginning of the event.[/quote]
I have also learned this, that is why I had to pretty much stop weightlifting all together last year when I was racing just about every weekend.
I plan to start racing again in the next couple months and have been thinking on how to find a good medium between the two of gaining mass and strength and not being to stiff and burnt out to race on sunday.
Any ideas?
You certainly want to increase his relative strength. As always, a strong midsection is required. Posterior Chain strength should also be a focus.
I recommend using a high percentage of 1RM on the basics like full squats, straigh-leg deadlifts, dips, cleans and presses.
Do NOT neglect (and maybe give MORE attention to) conditioning work.
Jumping rope is great as is heavy bag work. I like to implement sandbag carries one each shoulder and bearhug for looooong distances. These long carries help out your midsections’ endurance if you take long enough walks.
With all this in mind, never forget he must practice his sport to get good at his sport. If you really sucked at motocross, getting stronger 'aint gonna help much.
(KTM Rules! Best paintjobs EVER)
Anyone know Keith Johnson (from MA.)
Yup like others said upper back, hip strength and mobility. Legs in all fashions including hip adduction and abduction.
Oh and yes hell of a cardio w/o and tons of fun.
Addition; the guys I train or am otherwise associated with do a lot of trail-type mountain biking. FWIW
[quote]derek wrote:
Addition; the guys I train or am otherwise associated with do a lot of trail-type mountain biking. FWIW[/quote]
[quote]brawny7878 wrote:
I just got a client who is a motocross racer who wants to increase his performance. I am very limited in my current knowledge of the sport.
My guess is it is very demanding on the core, legs and grip strength so I will assess those areas as well as working on flexibility and adding some muscle mass for injury protection
(he is 5’8" 145 with 8% body fat). Anyone got any specific training tips? [/quote]
What evarybody says is great advice,if you want to read more about it ,sometimes on the web you can find training manuals from the old husqvarna training center that trained alot of world champs,also articles by rolf tibblin that ran their training center in this country.the czechs and russians used to practice by riding without their seats so they would have to stand and build their leg and back endurance.Good Luck!
Lotsa good info on here.
I’ve been training a provincially ranked motocross racer for well over a year. The things I have found to work is to increase max strength in the compound lifts: deadlifts, rows, bench. train the abs with a variety of rotational movements and things like the turkish get up with additional weight, holding sandbags, etc.
strength endurance/capacity is extremely important. someone mentioned circuits on here. great idea. when i introduced complexes into the program their conditioning got much better.
and of course i can’t stress flexibility and the ability to relax enough.
oh, the dreaded arm pump. i use to hear about it all the time after their races.
good luck. ride hard.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
4est wrote:
I remember hearintg the MotorX is the #1 most demanding cardio sport.
shrugs
I don’t motocross anymore but still ride and race other somewhat similar events, i.e., hare scrambles, hare and hounds, cross country, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that my lungs have NEVER searched for oxygen molecules as hard as they have while I’m on my dirt bike. NEVER. It can be and has been the most excruciatingly demanding cardiovascular exercise I’ve ever experienced.[/quote]
Even though I race motocross and would agree with a lot of people who say it’s the one of the hardest sports in the world, I think in terms of fitness levels it’s ranked #2. The only one coming in 1st would be world cup soccer. I mean running for 90 mins is quite a feat.
P.S.- Push, I’ve read many of your posts and respect you greatly, now that I know you race and ride, I think you may be my hero.
Thanks for all the advice. We get started tomorrow and I feel confident in workouts I’ve got written for him. I’ll let you know what works and what doesn’t at a later date.