Archive for October, 2009:
Cold Weather Prep
It’s going to get cold, sooner or later. It may be in the 90os here in Florida, but it is going to get colder. Knowing how to ride and exercise safely can make a big difference come race time. When you can go into a cold race and have the confidence of knowing you can win that will give you a step up on the competition. So how do you ride and train in the lower temperatures?
First of all, when you are riding and training, you need to dress in layers. Especially thin layers. Although I like to wear short sleeves in cold weather while exercising, it is better to have the layers and then take them off as you get warmer. This will help you avoid shivering, sweating and regulate a steady core temperature. When your body temperature changes too frequently by too much, you are more likely to get a cold and now is not a good time to get a cold (Swine Flu). Sweating is a big thing to keep in mind as well. When your skin lets out sweat, the droplets evaporate and this cools the body. The same idea applies to wet clothes. If you are sweating, you need to take a layer or two off to avoid moisture. When you are wet or even damp, your body temperature is lowered. So wrap up!
Some other things to remember are to keep your feet dry as well. Riding in the cold can suck, but add wet feet and it DOES suck. Most of your heat is lost through your head, so keep a beanie on. If you have ever watched the Miami Dolphins play in cold weather, you might have seen Ricky Williams wear a mask ever his mouth. This has small copper wires that heat up from your breath. The air coming in is warmed up and makes it easier on your throat. It might be something to look into if you are riding a lot of motos on race day.
Obviously wearing a hoodie helps, but UnderArmor makes cold weather under jerseys. These can be worn under your riding jersey. This helps a lot and cuts down on the wind, which can be a major chill factor as well. Handshields can cut down the wind and drastically help keep your hands warmer. And when your hands are warm, it is easier to feel sensation in your throttle hand and clutch fingers.
Dressing for the weather requires you to use your head. If you don’t have the brand name riding socks or under wear, go with the warmer, cheap stuff. It might not be “as cool”, but you will be thankful when you are in the middle of your moto, freezing your nuts off. Handshields cut the wind down for your hands as well. So, when you think about it, it is all about prep. Just be prepared for the worse and bring extra layers just in case.
Approaching Corners Efficiently
Proper braking is a must. There’s no way to get around it. If you watch the pros, they don’t brake much, but when and where they do, it counts. I did an article on braking already, so have a look at that to get an idea of a solid foundation for this. Now, it’s time to take things a little bit further. You have the basics down, now you just need to apply it and add a little bit more.
As I said before, a balanced braking technique is a guideline. This can be used when you are approaching a corner that you can keep your momentum, but slow down and shift down a gear at the most. However, when you start getting into situations where you might have to shift down twice or even three times, things start to get a little tricky.
One thing that helps me a lot is to find a marker; it can be anything from a rock, the first braking bump or flagger. This gives me something to see and judge when I need to start braking. Again, you want to have enough speed and momentum, but not stop completely. If you feel that this marker is too far away, then try to hold the throttle on a little longer. If it is too close to the corner, tell yourself to let off when you see the marker.
Another thing that helps is to wait until you are past the braking bumps and then shift down, if needed. This keeps the suspension from binding up and rebounding too much when you are in the higher RPMs. Plus, you keep your momentum a lot more and you carry the speed throughout the corner. If things get a little messy and you start to swap, remember to grip with your knees, but drag your rear brake as well. This loads the rear shock and keeps it down on the ground, providing you with a smoother ride and more traction for your rear tire to grab.
You have the fundamentals, now you just need to find a marker and go from there. Finding a good balance between your front and rear brake is good because you don’t want to rely on just one. You need to be able to use both, but still know how to use each one efficiently. Waiting to shift takes a little getting used to but when you do, it makes a big difference in the approach of the upcoming corner.
Training Log with FitDay
A while back, I had an article on keeping a log of all of your workouts and the food you ate. This helps you keep track of how long you spent running or how many reps you did, so that next time, you can push yourself past that point to make gains. Nutrition-wise, this helps a ton! You can see an accurate log of how much and what you are eating. Knowing all of these things can help you become a stronger and overall, a healthier rider/ racer.
This is where FitDay comes in. FitDay is a software that records everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. It shows you the macro nutrients such as your carbs, proteins, and fats. These are essential for moto nutrition. When you click on the Nutrition tab, you can see how many of what vitamins you are consuming, as well as calcium, cholesterol, iron, sodium, potassium, zinc and even water. It then graphs the amount of each nutrient for you for an easier way to read.
For your activities, get this…you can add motocross. You can add the amount of time you have ridden and you can see how many calories you have burned. Not only this, but when you select conditioning, a whole listing of cycling, circuit training, weight training, swimming shows up. There are probably 50 or more types of exercises/training techniques to choose from. You can customize these as well. You can customize how many calories you burn throughout the day from just your normal activity. Of course, this is based off of you height, age, weight and activity level.
After you input and record these, you can access a journal of how your progress is going. You can write down your moods, goals and record your body’s dimensions over time. It is really important to keep a log of how you are feeling at the end of the day. If you are feeling like crap, try to change your diet up (after all that is the fuel for your body). Record it and see how you feel in a few days. Certain foods may give you different responses and knowing which foods help you before a workout can jumpstart your training.
I just scratched the surface of this software. I have been using it for about a month and a half it has definitely helped me tweak my training. For the FitDay software, it’s only $29.95. That’s a lot less than getting a nutritionist and trainer. It is worth its weight in gold. Try the free trial first, get a feel for it and you will see how great this software is.
Shoulders for moto
I believe it was last Supercross season when Chad Reed had a bunch of shoulder problems…come to think of it, it seems like he always has had them. Anyway, the shoulders are a very important muscle group that shouldn’t be neglected. The main muscle is the deltoid. This muscle holds the humorous and the scapula together, along with the bicep, triceps and numerous other muscles. A strong set of shoulders can go a long way in moto.
The deltoid is a smaller muscle and cannot lift as much weight as most muscles can. So, it is important to keep things light; light as in 10 lbs to start with. Here are a few deltoid exercises to get you started:
Clean and Press
Now this is something that not only works the shoulders, but it incorporates your legs, core and back. With this exercise, you want to squat down, lean slightly forward and grip the bar about shoulder width. Now, lift with your legs and lift the bar to shoulder height, tucking the elbows in to support the weight. Finally, press the weight over your head and bring it back down your shoulders, then finally back to the floor. Remember to keep your back straight and lift with your legs!
Standing Lateral Raises
Standing up, back straight and legs slightly bent, you want to raise you arms out to the sides. When your arms come up to your shoulders, stop. When you come to the stopping point, you palms should be pointing down, almost like you are pouring out glass of water. Arms should be slightly bent as well.
Front Dumbbell Raises
Same form as standing Lateral Raises except you raise your arms in front of you with palms facing down. An alternative to this is to have your palms facing each other.
Bent over Dumbbell Laterals
Same as standing lateral raises except you are bent over. This is harder than you think because in order to get the proper form, you must keep your chest down as much as possible. Remember to think about pouring the water out of the glass.
Upright Rows
Start with the dumbbells in front of your, palms facing towards you. Then simply raise them up to your chin. Make sure you keep them close to your stomach and chest. Don’t throw them up, control the weight.
This should definitely hit the shoulders well. You can use the clean and press on more days because it is such a great exercise for moto. Like I said before, strong shoulders can prevent upper body injury and it can help your arms and chest. This will help you keep your form longer in the moto, resulting in faster lap times and better speed. I like to throw shoulders in with legs, just to do something while I am resting my legs. You will definitely feel these in the morning.
Consistency pays off
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that United States (who supposedly sent the “B Team”) won the Motocross Des Nations. Although the Des Nations is scored much differently than regular races, there’s one thing that you can take away from this victory: consistency. When Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart went 24 – 0 in the outdoors, people started to get the notion that in order to win motocross, you have to “pin it to win it!”
However, this is not the case. Like I said earlier, the Des Nations is a perfect example of consistency. Although USA didn’t send the fastest man on a motorcycle over there, USA was a regular in the upper standings. They remained steady and pulled out a victory, even when people said they couldn’t do it. This goes for any motocross race, pro or amateur. A 2-2 beats a 1-4. Even if you don’t win a moto, you still have a chance to get a good place. Although James Stewart didn’t win every 2009 Supercross main, he was consistently near the front and it paid off in the long run.
This also applies to training. If you train hard for a week and the following week you are lazy and train maybe 2 days, you will lose all of your gains. Stick to a schedule and get it done. You throw yourself out of rhythm and you will have a much harder time maintaining and building upon your speed, cardio and strength. It is just like the children’s story, the tortoise and the hare. The slower tortoise beat the faster hare because he was steady and consistent.
Congrats to Team USA on the well deserved victory!
Muscle Milk Experiment Week 3
One more week left...
As week 3 of our little experiment comes to end, I have come to appreciate what this product offers. As I said before in previous posts, the correct carbohydrates are critical after a workout. They replace the used glycogen for muscular energy. Here’s the full article on post workout nutrition if you forgot it. Muscle Milk understands this and it is clear when you drink it. You almost feel replenished and not as exhausted.
However, after following the directions for the first 2 weeks, I have decided to tweak it a little bit. When you take a scoop an hour before your session, you can still feel that chocolate heaviness in your stomach. So, I tried to take both scoops after. This makes the workout worth the reward, a better tasting milkshake. When you put 2 scoops together, it actually resembles a milkshake; rather than the one scoop tasting like coco water.
Next week is the last week. I have been thinking about the grade for this stuff and it looks pretty good so far. With all of the hype from fitness and motocross world, this product still has a week to awe me. I hope it does.
