Archive for August, 2009:
Potassium: A Racer’s Best Friend
If you have been around the motocross long enough, you have probably heard of some crazy miracle cures for arm pump and cramping. I had a friend actually shave his forearms the night before a race to help rid cramping, but he still lost! Cramping can be avoided by stretching, staying hydrated, and more importantly, getting enough potassium. Bananas are your best source for potassium and it is a great, light snack between motos.
Potassium is a miracle worker. It is actually an electrolyte that helps metabolize sugar to glycogen. As you may have read in my earlier articles, glycogen is used to give your muscles energy. Plus, potassium helps keep the glycogen stored without it being converted to fat. It helps keep your muscles working in top shape, including your heart, controls blood pressure, and helps keep the water balance in your cells at the right levels. This alone should make you go to the store and get bananas for your next trip to the track.
Because it is an electrolyte, potassium can leave the body fairly quick when you sweat, urinate or from excessive bowel movements (diarrhea). This leads to dehydration and this means no electrolytes. If there are no electrolytes, you have a higher chance of cramping. When I was younger, after I would get off the bike, my hands would hurt so bad. They were stuck onto the handle bars and I had to slide them off. The cramping was from a lack of water and potassium. Proper stretching techniques can be used to help prevent cramps, but potassium will work better. Eating potassium rich foods throughout the day at the track will prevent any cramping from creeping up on you.
Having bananas, oranges, or peaches handy at the track will make muscle cramps a thing of the past. Not only do they help with cramping, but if you feel sick, weak or tired, grab a banana and you will feel like a new person. Potassium is a really important nutrient to have in you at all times. Having a few potassium rich foods around the house will make life and riding a lot more enjoyable.
Time Management
If you read my previous post, then you know that school is starting back up. Classes, homework and papers dominate our lives in college and high school. However, there is some down time. This is the time to catch up on sleep or just relax. For me, down time is either napping or going to the gym to do something. I don’t really know how things are going to be once school gets going, but time management is very important for training.
They say time is money. And in this day and age, it is important to keep track of both. If you work full time, you already have a routine and have things down to an exact time. However, in my case, college is crazy. Stuff comes up all the time, but it is important to remember your priorities. If you go to high school, come home get your school stuff done and then train. I don’t mean to preach, but today has made rethink how this semester is going to be. I really need to get my school work done and when that is done, start to train.
The whole idea I am trying to get at, is to be efficient with your time. If you can’t spend 2 hours in the gym, hit the weights hard and fast. But, if you have all day to do nothing, do some cardio or do some laps in the pool. During the summer, I had a lot of down time, so I could be in the gym and not have to worry about anything. Now, I have to space out my time so I can get everything done and have it done to the best of my ability.
If you want to get everything done, you need a routine. This goes for everyday life and in the gym. For instance, after this week, I will know what I can do and when. Once I get my routine down, I can take some time out of the day and train. Again, don’t go to the gym and say, “okay, I am going to do cardio, but I don’t know what to do.” You should go in, focused on what you are there to do, whether it is a leg work out or a session on a stationary bike and throw do a hard work out.
This is kind of a random spiel, but it has a purpose! Find a routine and make time to train after your school, work or whatever is done. That way, you have time to forget everything else and focus on your work out. You have to work hard to play hard.
New School year
Hey guys,
School is starting back up for me, so my posts may be a little late or a little early. It just depends on classes and work. Im going to try my hardest to get a post out everyday, as this is the closest thing to riding for me right now…and riding is the only thing that keeps me sane!
- Sean #34
Inside Corners with ruts
If you have ever listened to Ricky Carmichael talk about his training, he always says to practice corners. This makes perfect sense. If everyone in your class is jumping the same stuff, where do you make up time on them? Corners. Throw some ruts in the corner and you have a pretty tricky situation, especially on the inside. Insides are usually deeper and tougher to get through, but they can save you time from going all the way on the outside, if done correctly.
To be honest, I look forward to a chewed up, rut filled corner. It just makes things easier for me. Maybe, I am used to the soft soil getting trenched out, but it is something that makes corners that much better. Anyway, the first thing you have to do is pick your rut. In this case, our rut will be on the inside. If there are multiple lines to choose on the inside, pick one that has a smooth arc, so you can carry your momentum. Once I have the rut I like, I usually go out little wide. When I say go wide, I’m not talking about take the outside, then sweep in. You just don’t want to be going straight at it.
When I am coming up to the rut, I DO NOT look at my front fender. I stand up until I am almost in the rut and then I sit up close the gas tank and throw my leg up. I look at the apex (the middle of the corner). I used more of my front brake than my rear. This is so my front end will force the tire down, into the rut and make sure I am secured in. As far as what gear to be in, I like the motor to be in the low to mid range. This is so you get a good amount of traction and you stay smooth. If you crack the throttle in a lower gear, you’re going throw yourself out of the rut from the surge of power and lose time.
When you get to the start of the rut, lean in and look ahead. If its deep, you want to make sure your leg is up and not dragging. Only dab your foot for balance, that’s it. Once you feel that you are secured in, apply the gas and keep weighting the outside foot peg. Another trick that works well is to drag your front bake if you feel the front wheel coming out. When you drag the brake, it weights the front and keeps you going with the rut.
Once you get the motion and flow of the ruts, you will eventually look forward to it. They can make your life so much easier in corners. However, later in the day, you have to be careful and switch your line selection up, as the main ruts will get trenched out and DEEP. Keep your speed up and don’t fight through the corner and you’ll be good to go.
Abs: Not just for looks
Everyone wants a 6 pack. No, I’m not taking about beer; I’m talking about abdominal muscles. If you have defined abs, this is a sign of a high fitness level. They attract the ladies and make you feel like a million bucks. But, your pack also serves a greater purpose than pullin’ chicks. Having a strong core is essential for maintaining correct body position in all aspects of riding. You might not notice it while riding, but your core can make you or break you.
The core consists of your abdominal muscles, mid to lower back and little bit of your chest and upper thighs. It is what connects your lower and upper body. This connection must be strong in order for your body to have a good balance between upper body strength and lower body strength. It helps with movement that would be much harder to do without abs. For instance, if you are standing up through a rough, whooped out sweeper, your arms are taking a heavy beating. Your legs can take a lot of the force because they are larger muscles, but your arms, chest and back need some help to maintain your form. This is where your core comes into play. A strong core can help soak up some of the force from the arms, allowing the stress to be applied to more muscles, not just a select group. This means more muscular endurance throughout the moto.
When working on your abs, you have to remember, they aren’t quite like your other muscle groups. You can hit them about 4 days a week. Here are a few exercises you can do:
Sit ups – A lot of commercials say these are not effective, but this isn’t true. They are still a good workout. For a variation, you can bring your knees up.
Incline Sit ups – Lie down so that your feet are high than your head. Then proceed to do your sit ups. If you have been doing ab workouts for a while, I would recommend grabbing a weight for some extra resistance.
Leg Raises – Lie down and with your legs straight, raise your legs up. If you are feeling squirrelly, when your legs are completely vertical, raise your hips up to push your feet higher.
Bicycles – Sit down and lean back a little. Rotate your feet like you on a bicycle. When you can’t do anymore, go the opposite way.
Side Leg Raises – Lie down your side. With your legs straight, raise your legs up. Lean on your lower arm and put your upper hand behind your head.
Reverse Leg Raises – Lie on your stomach and lift your legs up. You will feel your lower back tighten up. Hold it there for as long as you can.
These are just a few exercises you can do. There is a ton of ways to hit your abs to make them stronger, but these will help you get some good foundations. Remember, your core does more than just look good, it helps take some of the stress of your other muscle groups. So hit them hard and it will pay off.
Super Foods
When I am hungry, I don’t care what I eat, I just don’t want to be hungry anymore. This really isn’t a good way to eat, but in college, this is the way it is. However, there are a few foods that would make a big difference in not only the way you feel, but also in the way you train. Food is the fuel for your body, why not eat super foods? It sounds kind of weird, but super foods are really just a food that has a lot of nutritional benefits packed into it. Most of the time, they contain high amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, and omega 3 fatty acids. They help fight against heart disease, cancer and they seem to put you in a better mood. Best of all, you can find them at the grocery store.
Walnuts
Walnuts are very good for you. Not only do they provide you with protein, they are loaded with fiber, magnesium, B vitamins and antioxidants. Walnuts also have Omega 3 fatty acids that have been found to help your joints and fight heart disease.
Pomegranate
This fruit used to be almost unheard of. Now, it is a part of most professional athletes’ diets. This fruit is packed with antioxidants like polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins. It also has high levels of potassium, which helps with muscle cramps, and the seeds have been shown to help boost your immunity.
Blueberries
This may be easier to find at the store than pomegranate. They have a lot of antioxidants, as well as potassium and vitamin C. The darker the berry, the better and frozen is just as good as fresh…so stock up on them. They are often associated with anti-inflammatory benefits.
Salmon
If you like to stay away from red meats before race day, salmon is a great substitute. Great for protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, salmon has been known to fight heart disease. Try to get wild salmon if you can, as farmed salmon just isn’t the same.
Dark Chocolate
Yes, chocolate. But is has to be dark and just like the blueberries, the darker the better. The darker chocolate has less sugar and fat. And like the other super foods above, it has antioxidants and has been known to lower blood pressure. If the chocolate has more than 60% cocoa content, chow down.
These are just some of the super foods. You can’t forget your green tea (not Arizona…way too much artificial sugar), dark greens, yogurt and whole grains. You don’t have to eat tons of these foods every day. You just have to incorporate them into a healthy, diverse diet. These all have been found to make you feel better and that can always be good for training. If you’re in a good mood for training, your workout will be a good one.
