Archive for December, 2009:
Standing Through Rough Corners
The GPs in Europe are different. Plain and simple. Everything from the tracks to the way the races are set up is unique to Americans. This difference has also changed the riding style of many Euros. The hard charging and flashy style, like Justin Barcia, is quite the opposite of the smooth, calculated style of the GP racers. Now I am not saying the tracks don’t get rough here in the States, but the tracks across the pond can get notoriously brutal.
To ride in these conditions, riders have styles that make it easier to conserve energy and speed. When the braking bumps get big, you know the turn is going to be chopped up. So, instead of sitting down and having your spine take all of the force, why not stand up and let your legs do the work? While I was in between classes today, I was just browsing YouTube and came across this little video of Stefan Everts training back when he was on Yamaha.
Most of the corners are pretty chewed up and if you listen to the bike, he is always carrying his momentum into the corners and chugging through the turn. He never really dumps the clutch and cracks the throttle. If you watch his helmet, he is looking well ahead of his fender and concentrating on the exit of the corner. He is gripping with his knees so the bike is controlled under him and he stays loose on the bike.
He is never really stiff in the upper body and adjusts his body weight the bike accordingly. He is neutral on the entrance of the corner with his head even with the bars, in attack position. The key things to remember when standing through corners is that you to keep the elbows squared up, come in with momentum and chug. If are in too low of a gear, your bike is going to bounce around and your rear wheel won’t be on the ground driving you forward. Squeeze with the knees and weight the outside foot peg and you will be railing turns standing up like Everts in no time.
Some corners to watch are at 56 seconds and 1:35. Watch closely.
Muscle Confusion
If you have been following most of the articles, then you know I have given you ideas for workouts and methods to improve your moto fitness. Even if you haven’t tried my suggestions and you are taking on your own training, there is one key ingredient that should be thrown into the mix. Confusion. You might have heard this on the P90X infomercials, as this not only applies to muscles, but your whole body in general.
If you have been doing the same program for months on end, odds are you are not getting any further in your training. The body is incredibly adaptive and will figure out your training regiment quicker than you think. Some have said you need to switch things up every 2 weeks and others say 6 to 8 weeks. I recently have been switching up my routine every 4 weeks. I incorporate different body parts on different days and switch up my cardio as well. Listening to your body will help you determine when you need to change your routine; not everyone is the same.
For example, if you have been doing heavy cardio on a stationary bike (doing intervals of 1 minute high, 1 minute low intensity) on Mondays and shoulders and back on Tuesdays every week for a couple of months, your body will get used to this. When you get bored and your body figures out what you are doing, you plateau. Simple changes are sometime the easiest way to get away from the mundane and avoiding a plateau. If you are strength training, you can switch up the number of exercises, the number of reps, and your time between sets. For cardio, try maybe a different set of intervals, go for an even pace, or try jogging if you have been on a stationary bike.
Bigger changes may be needed if these don’t work; such as switching days of riding, cardio/ strength days, and even intensity. Making sure your body never gets stagnant is something that can not only help you try more efficiently, but you can also become a more rounded athlete. Motocross is not something you can train for with a handful of exercises. You need to use every available resource possible, so you can be prepared for anything on the track. When you switch things up in your training, you can react quicker to changes on the track.
