Archive for October, 2009:
Walking the Track
If you have ever been to a supercross race, you have no doubt seen the riders walking the track. They are looking for lines, possible passing spots and just getting to know the track. This simple step can be a big help come race time, especially if you are unfamiliar with the track. Even if you know the track, it is a good idea to walk it with a friend. All of these things could add up and be the difference between a mid pack finish or podium.
Usually, the pros are walking the track because they haven’t really gotten to know the track. In supercross, the tracks are different each week. So, when walking the rhythm sections/whoops, the riders get to examine everything in a slow, controlled pace. As mentioned before, it is always helpful to get another person’s view. Whenever I would walk a track, I would have my friend and our dads walk the track. That way, we had 4 opinions and could figure out the best line for a section. This helps when things get rough, as well. Maybe you and your friend chose the main line when it was smooth, but you also found another, smoother line when things get rough when walking the track.
This is a good time to think about possible passing options, too. At local races, there is one line in most sections that gets used and used until it is almost impossible to ride through. If you know a lot of people in your class use this line, take advantage of it. If everyone is squaring the inside up, shoot around the outside. Use your imagination and get creative. Come race time, you have to make decisions very quickly. So, having an alternate line for passing people is something you need to have. When everyone is bunched together at the beginning of the race, you might even want to try that passing line. You could get lucky and make a bunch of passes at once.
If you don’t have the opportunity to walk the track, watch the practices before and after you. Watching from the stands, it gives you an opportunity to see what the fast guys are doing, how to jump something or maybe it’s just to avoid an over watered part of the track. Unless you are a sandbagger, most people cannot show up to an unfamiliar track and win. Sure, people do it at nationals, but they have the time to walk the track, ride a practice session and observe. That’s the key. Observe and learn from the mistakes of others. You will save yourself some trouble.
Yoga: Motocross Style
Yoga is something that has been around for a long time; longer than you think. And there’s a reason why it has stuck around. No, it is not just for women. Yoga obviously increases your flexibility, but it also helps your strength, coordination, balance and cleanses the mind. There are a few types of yoga and each type is geared towards a certain benefit. But, in general, every racer at any age can benefit from this, not only to improve your riding, but to be healthy. This is different from stretching. Stretching is something you do to warm up and get your muscles ready for activity; yoga is an exercise that requires more from the muscles than stretching does.
Let’s get right into it. Here are a few poses to get you stretched out.
Wide Legged Forward bend
Begin with your feet shoulder width apart and move them out. You want your feet about 4 feet apart (depending how tall you are). Then slowly bend down and try to touch the floor. If you can’t touch the floor, fold your arms over your head and let them dangle.
Intense Side Stretch
This is just like the previous pose. Just pivot your heels to point to your side. Point both feet in front of you and bend forward. If you can, touch the ground; if not, stretch as far as you can towards your shin.
Extended Triangle
You can move from the side stretch to this. You want to turn your back foot 900’s (let’s say that is your left foot). You want to take your right hand and put it on your ankle. Then take your other hand and raise it up above you, so it is aligned, straight with your lower arm.
Dolphin Plank
This one sounds stupid, but it is a great core exercise. Lay on your stomach. Then get into pushup position, but instead of yours hands supporting the weight, your elbows will be. You want to press your elbows and forearms into the ground. Your feet should be supported by your toes like in the pushup position.
Full Boat
This one may appear easy, but just wait it out and your abs will be on fire. Begin by laying on your back. Bring your legs up (like you are doing leg raises) and at the same time, get your lower back off the ground. Use your arms for balance.
Of course, these are only a few poses that can help. For these, a good place to start is to hold these poses for at least 30 seconds. Then move up to a minute and try to go farther each time. You want to take deep breathes from your diaphragm, not your stomach and be in a calm environment. You will begin to see a difference in your focus and flexibility after a couple of weeks (if you stay consistent). Take a few classes and you will be hooked.
Off Cambers
Having a berm to rail is a luxury. Yes, I said it. Sometimes, track designers can be cruel and invert the incline and you get off camber turns. They might seem tough at first, but you just need to remember the basics and take it slow. Remember the old saying, “go slow to go fast.” This is the perfect situation for that saying.
If you think about, almost every off camber turn you encounter is going to be downhill. This presents a little bit of a problem. If you approach it like a normal corner on flat ground, you are going to overshoot the turn/rut. So, you want to set up earlier than normal because you give yourself time to settle into the corner nicely.
This is where the basics come in, yet again. When you choose your line and sit down, you really need to put a lot of pressure on the outside foot peg. This puts more traction on the front wheel. Any traction you can get, you should take. You also want to keep your foot up, as the ground is much closer to you and dragging your boot can throw you off pretty easily in this type of corner. Don’t be afraid to lean into it and dab your foot if necessary; just don’t drag it.
As you are exiting the corner, smooth throttle application is big. If you gun it, your rear wheel has a greater chance of breaking loose. So, be easy with it and try to drag the rear brake a little bit if you have any problems. Doing this adds extra load to the rear end, giving you more traction. And like every corner, you want to look ahead and lead with your eyes. Take is slow and build your confidence. Don’t expect to drag your bars through off cambers when you are just starting out. These are tricky and require your best form.
Boxing for Motocross
Quick hands and hand eye coordination can help you in any sport and motocross is no exception. One way to work on your quickness is to box. Boxers are always in great shape and have excellent hand speed. So, why box? Well, for starters, the constant movement of the upper body helps promote both aerobic and anaerobic levels; as well as muscular endurance. The speed work with your hands also helps you with reaction time (starts!)
As with any workout, warming up is critical. So some jumping jacks or jump rope should get the heart rate up and your tendons/ muscles loosened. Then you can begin your normal stretching. Make sure you get a good stretch because this is a more explosive workout. Follow this up with some pushups to get that upper body pumped. Then stretch one more time for good measure; better safe than sorry.
The proper form also helps a lot. I am neither a boxer nor a boxing trainer. However, from what I have read and researched, the basic form and punches are not hard to understand. First, you have to get your stance down. It is the normal stance you would see in Rocky or any other movie. Your feet are shoulder width apart, elbows tucked in with your forearms up straight. I am right handed, so I would present my left shoulder first and vise versa for lefties. Jabs are pretty much a quick punch with your lead hand with your palm down and fist relaxed. Your straight right hand is a harder punch to get down. You want to twist your core and pivot your back foot. Do not dip your shoulder; it’s like a jab from your back hand.
Two more punches you need to know about before hitting the bags. The next punch is the hook. This gets a little complicated. You begin by shifting your weight to your left side. Bring up the left elbow and bring it around with your fist rotating and palm down. The last one is your uppercut. This uses a lot more lower body than you might think. You want to dip the left elbow down, close to the hip. Using your legs and core, explode up with the left side of your body.
Can you remember all of that? It’s a lot to remember, but practice them a few times and it’ll come easier. Once you get them down, start out with a 3 minute round of jabs and then take a 1 minute rest before your next 3 minute round. Switch it up with the combinations. Try 2 jabs followed by a straight right or a straight right, jab to uppercut. Don’t forget to switch hands with your uppercuts and hooks. That way, you get both sides worked evenly.
If you aren’t used to this, start out with about 4 or 5, 2 minute rounds. Then work your way to maybe 5 or 6, 3 minute rounds. This is a great way to hit your cardio and it is more fun than the stationary bike. If you have gloves and a friend, take turns holding up your gloves and hitting the gloves. Getting faster helps the intensity of the workout and your reaction time. Be creative with this and you will look forward to going to the gym on those overcast, winter days.
Bananas: the oldest race fuel
The banana was left out on my super foods list. This actually should have been at the top of the list for racers, but I wanted to see what the real deal was for these were. Everyone knows they have potassium and provide energy for a boost for snack. But, there are more to this fruit and it should be at the top of your grocery list.
Let’s get right to the good stuff. Bananas contain a great amount of Vitamin B6. Okay, so there’s like a hundred different vitamins…why is this so special? Well, B6 prevents weakness, irritability, and insomnia. With a lack of B6, most people feel weak and when you are riding your hardest, you don’t want to feel weak. Research has shown that two bananas will provide enough energy for a hard, 90 minute workout.
Remember that potassium article? Well, read it again because bananas are packed with this and potassium is critical in training. Potassium helps muscles contract properly when you exercise prevents cramping. It also promotes brain power. It keeps you awake and alert, which makes it great for a mid day snack before your second moto. They also help regulate blood pressure and help reduced the chance of stroke.
The conveniences of these are perfect for busy people. As they ripen, you can throw them in your cereal, yogurt, and smoothie. They are easily digested, so they won’t bog you down at the track. There are literally no reasons not to have a few bananas handy. Eating one before you are too hungry will help keep you going and thinking clearly. However, you have to remember moderation; one or two per day will do just fine.
Warming Up for this Cold weather
Since it has finally gotten to a reasonable temperature here in Florida, I have started to feel the effects of this chilly weather. I’m wearing a hoodie and I’m still shivering! This shivering had me thinking about how my training is going to go tomorrow. I haven’t had to worry about the cold since last winter. Since the temperature is dropping, your body needs to take a longer time to warm up. This is crucial before your first moto at the track and even when hitting the gym.
Trying to stretch cold muscles is not as effect as when they are warm. So, your best bet is to do some full body movements like jumping jacks. This allows the blood to flow to the muscles and get them ready for work. This gets your joints loosened up and your muscles get a little stimulation/stretch in the movements. You don’t have to kill yourself with these, just maybe 30 seconds.
Now, you can start your stretching. All of the basic toe touches, lunges, arm behind the head and across the chest are good. Make sure that all of the major muscle groups are stretched. This is especially important before riding (even more so in the cold). When you warm the muscles up, they stretch easier and you can increase your flexibility. For more on stretching, take a look at the previous article I did.
After that is completed, it is a good idea to do some pushups and squats (using body weight). Maybe 20 – 30 pushups total, same for squats. This eases the muscles even more into harder, more strenuous work. Football players will do this when they have initially stretched and follow that with some catching passes or throwing. This is the sport specific stage, so for MX, you should just try to hit your lower and upper body as best you can.
Finally, you can do one more round of stretching. However, this time, you can bounce slightly. This is because your muscles are warmed up really well and they are pretty much ready for action. All of this may seem trivial, but this results in huge benefits on the track and in the gym. At the track, I would recommend getting your jersey and pants on, then wait to put your boots until you’re done with the exercises. And don’t forget to take a parade lap in your first moto. You warmed up your body, now you need to warm up to the track.
