Motocross Training Blog

Interval Training Basics

There are many different ways to improve your cardio for racing.  You could run on a treadmill or spin on a stationary bike for an hour.  But after a while, your body adepts to the workouts you put it though.  Therefore, for any program to be efficient, you must confuse the body and shock it into new training methods.  This is where interval training comes into picture.

So what is interval training?  It is basically a system of elevated heart rate “sprints” mixed with lower heart rate “recovery” sets.  The recovery time is where you continue to keep your heart rate going, just not as high as the sprinting.  This results in more efficient way to improve not only the aerobic, but also the anaerobic conditioning.  The difference between aerobic and anaerobic is that aerobic uses oxygen and anaerobic doesn’t.  That is why you get a burning sensation in your muscles when you have a period of high intensity; you reached your anaerobic zone, which produces lactic acid.

There are a couple of different zones to train in and each one produces different results.  However, to get an accurate range of each zone, you must first find your heart rate intervals.  To do this, use the Heart Rate Karvonen Formula:

Target Heart Rate = ((max HR − resting HR) × %Intensity) + resting HR

For example, my resting heart rate is 56 and I am 19 years old.

So I take my maximum heart rate: 220 – 19(age) = 201

201 – 56 = 145

Then plug the numbers into the equation:  (145 x 60%) + 56 = 143

So, at 60% of my maximum heart rate, I should be around 143 beats per minute (bpm).  Now that we know how to get our target heart zones, you should know what zone does:

Zone 1 is mostly recovery and uses fat as fuel.  The heart percentage is around 60%-70%.

Zone 2 is the Aerobic zone and burns mostly fat and some carbs and has a range of 70%-80%.

Zone 3 is the Anaerobic which uses half fat and half carbs.  Your bpm should be 80%-90%.

Zone 4 is your Threshold and burns carbs.  Your bpm should be 90%-100%.

This system allows you to get your body trained in less time and you still work both aerobic and anaerobic systems.  It is a very ingenious training program.  I’ll be posting some ways to use this in a few days so keep checking.

Railing Through Sandy Corners

Here in Florida, sand is everywhere.  Even if the track doesn’t have sand in the morning, there will be some in the corners and certain lines on the track when the sun dries the dirt out.  It is a tricky thing to get used to if you haven’t ridden on it much.  Once you master sandy corners, you can ride anything.

The entrance is probably one of the most important parts of the turn.  If you angle yourself so you have to square it up, you aren’t going have the necessary momentum needed to get through the thick sand.  Instead, take a wide line that will allow you have a smoother, arc shaped line.  This will set you up so you can get on the gas in a smoother fashion, unlike the squared up line which robs momentum.  Aim for the bottom of the berm because the sand on top is what kills your momentum and speed. 

Once you have your line down, you want to approach this with more speed than normal because the sand will act like brakes once you let off the gas.  Again, smooth is the main idea here.  You want to get off the gas, sit in a neutral position on your seat and get on the gas.  You don’t want to be too far forward because the front end will sink and you don’t want to be on the fender either, which will not allow you to steer as well.  Finding that sweet spot will take some time, but after a while, it will feel natural to just sit in the same spot. 

Now that you found your line and the neutral position on the seat, apply the gas easily.  Don’t chop it or stab the clutch; these only result in useless wheel spin and a waste of time.  Get on the gas and try not to fight the flow of the turn.  If you do everything in one motion, it will make the entrance and exit effortless.  Just like every other turn, don’t drag your foot unless you need the balance and believe me, you will probably dab your foot in sandy corners.  Just keep hitting them hard and remember the basics: elbows up, weight on the outside foot peg and head up.  After a while, you’ll be draggin your bars like Bubba!

Post Workout Nutrition

Anyone who trains knows the importance of post workout nutrition.  This is when the body is broken down and what you put in it after a workout can have a big affect on your training.  Putting the right nutrients in your body like protein and carbs can add some pretty noticeable gains.  And yes, carbs are a good thing and should not be cut out of your diet.  Too much of anything is bad, including carbs, so moderate the intake. 

Protein is an obvious choice for a post workout nutrient.  It provides the muscles to rebuild after you break it down.  Your cells are slightly damaged and are hungry.  However, the cells cannot produce the necessary nutrients from nothing, it needs some outside help.  Whey protein is the best help for the cells and it is digested quickly.  Therefore, your cells and muscles recover quicker and take advantage of the available protein.  Eating a protein rich food won’t be as effective as whey protein because the food takes too long to digest.  By the time your body gets the protein from, let’s say tuna, the muscle has already recovered and missed out on the valuable nutrients.   

There are a lot of different brands of whey protein that have a “new flavor” or have added “nutrients” in them.  I suggest going with something simple that has about 20g of protein per scoop.  If you have better luck with just 20g, then stick with that, but if you feel like you are not improving in your training, up the amount.  Make sure you stick with tuna, egg whites and chicken to get additional protein throughout the day. 

Carbohydrates have been looked down upon since the Atkins’s Diet.  This is a load of crap.  Your body needs this just as much as you need oxygen.  After a workout, a simple carb like a baked potato is essential.  When you are working out, you’re breaking down the muscles, as mentioned before.  The body is using the muscle for glycogen, which provides the body with energy.  The simple carbs provide quick glycogen to the body so your muscles don’t shrink and you regain your energy quickly.

Another important, and often overlooked, nutrient is L-Glutamine.  This is an amino acid that is especially important when doing cardio for around 30 minutes or more.  It’s almost like saran wrap for your muscles; it prevents the muscle you do have from being broken down too much for the glycogen.

So, what does this mean?  Protein builds more muscle, carbs replenish the glycogen from the broken down muscle and L-Glutamine prevents muscle loss.  All of these should be taken within an hour.  The sooner you get the nutrients, the better.

I just want to say….

…thanks for taking a look at my blog.  Read the About page to get to know me a little better.  I cant wait to get some more articles on here and I would love some feed back!

Starting Slow with Strength Training

A lot of guys who ride think that weight training results in arm pump and looking like Arnold.  However, if you hit the weights right, you can get cardio and strength training in one session.  It may seem pretty obvious how to do this, but there are a lot of ways to lift.  The best way to train for motocross is utilize multiple muscle group exercises like dead lifts, chin ups, and power cleans.  However, I am a strong believer in taking it slow.  For instance, if you don’t lift weights that often or you are just starting, I would start light to allow your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to get used to the stress of lifting.  

The workout below is just to get you started.  When you get used to this, you can move onto the multi-muscle exercises.  Most of the time it is a good idea to chest and back one day, biceps and triceps another, then legs.  For chest and back, your workout could look like this:

Chest

Bench Press: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps

Incline Bench Press: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps

Dumbbell Flys: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps

Back

Wide Grip Chin ups: rep out

Lat Pulldowns: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps

Bent over Dumbbell rows: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps

Notice how there are 15 reps to get the muscular endurance going, 12 reps combining the strength and endurance, and finally 8 reps to get more strength without going for bulk.  This keeps it balanced.  After doing a set of bench press and chin ups, take a 60 second rest, then do the second set.  If it gets easy, cut the break to 45 or 30 seconds and/or up the weight if you need to.  Cutting the rest down keeps the heart rate up, but does not allow the muscle to recover as fast, resulting in more fatigue.  After a little bit, you’ll find a good rhythm.    

Don’t forget to stretch and warm up before this.  This is crucial to prevent injury and get your body ready for the workout.  And don’t be afraid to mix things up; get used to the weight and have fun with it.