Motocross Training Blog

Lactate Threshold Testing

Moto is quite the dynamic sport.  When training we have to worry about strength, balance, technique and countless other variables.  However, without a solid base of cardiovascular endurance, you won’t have enough steam to push through the whole race.  In my previous article a little bit ago, I wrote about aerobic progression and how to change you training during the year.  In order to find the correct heart rate (HR) zone to train in, you really need to perform a lactate threshold test.

Lactate threshold is simply the point at which your body switches from fat to carbohydrate for fuel.  In the lower HR ranges, the body uses fat because of the easy breakdown for energy.  This is also the point where things switch from aerobic to anaerobic.  The aerobic zones can supply enough oxygen to the skeletal muscles, while anaerobic zones require more oxygen than the body can provide.  This results in a lactate acid build up.

To begin, you must be warmed up properly as this test requires everything you have.  The lactic acid build up will give you that deep burn and it will not be an easy test.  Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes then do some dynamic stretching.  For modes of testing, the best three choices are spin bikes, running, and rowing.  Here are the procedures for all three:

Spin Bike:

Duration: 45 minutes

Start light with some sprints to get the HR up for 15 minutes.  At the end of the 15 minutes, start an all out race effort.  Then 10 minutes in, hit your heart rate monitor to begin recording your HR for the next 20 minutes.  When the test is over, record the average heart rate for the last 20 minutes.

Running:

Duration: 45 minutes

Same as spin bike.

Rowing:

Duration: 60 minutes

Because rowing uses more muscle mass than spinning and running, the procedure will be a little different.  You want to do 3 sets of 8 minutes as hard as you can with 10 minutes between sets.  Average all the HR’s and you have your lactate threshold hold.

Once you have the HR, you can now determine your zones for training.  This is extremely useful when doing recovery rides and intervals.  Tomorrow I will list the zones and HR’s for each zone.

Dynamic Stretching

One thing that frustrates me at the gym is when people do not take the time to properly stretch.  They do one warm up set then jump into the routine.  Proper stretching before strenuous activity can improve strength, power and most importantly, flexibility.  By prepping the body for this movement, you can also avoid a wide array of injuries.

The best type of stretching before workouts and riding is called dynamic stretching.  This is basically a rapid, exaggerated movement.  For example, doing arm circles and arm swings loosen up the glenohumeral joint (shoulder) and pectorals.  Walking lunges stretch out quads, hamstrings, and the hips.  Studies have shown that static stretching (holding a stretch for 20 – 30 seconds) can actually reduce your strength by 15%.  When the track gets rough, you want all the strength you can muster.

The best thing about this type of stretching is that it is more sport specific.  You are using more muscle groups in a movement similar to the activity ahead and in everyday life.  This is all functional based and should progress with your training as you become more flexible.  Do not always stretch to the same point; try to go a little bit further each workout.

Try this when you warm up for your next workout:

• Sideways Leg Swing
• Forward Leg Swing
• Bent Over Torso Twist
• Forward Lunge with Torso Twist
• Arm Swing

Championship Mentality

I get a lot of inspiration from the races each weekend. I really believe that watching the best racers is one of the most effective ways to get faster. However, not only can you observe techniques and line choices, but you can also see exactly what it takes to win a championship. At the end of the Supercross season, I had a new respect for Chad Reed and after this weekend I have converted into a Reed fan.

A few years ago, it seemed as though Chad would complain about everything. In my personal opinion, he was pissed because he was getting beat straight up by Carmichael then Stewart. When he created his own team, I had my doubts. Yet, he seemed to change completely. You could see it in his interviews and demeanor on the podium. He seemed to enjoy what he was doing again.

The ridiculous crash at Millville was one that no one will forget. What Reed did after falling from the stratosphere amazed me: he got up, brushed himself off and limped to his bike. The Aussie then went back out and made his way to 14th. Are you kidding me? I am pretty sure I have never seen more heart in my entire life.

He just epitomized what motocross is in about 30 seconds. He has proved to everyone that is ready to fight to the end for this championship and I think any racer that is serious about moto should look at this scenario. I am not saying you are not serious unless you pull something off like Reed’s skydiving attempt, but committing to something takes more than saying you want it. Whether it is the atmosphere of his team, equipment or his son Tate, Chad has found a combination that he needed.

Any racer can look at where Reed was a few years ago and see how well he is doing now. He seemed like he was frustrated with his program and just couldn’t find that extra bit of speed. Now he is fighting to stay in the points lead after the biggest crash since Doug Henry’s. If you are feeling burnt out or you are not motivated to ride, step back and look at your situation. Are you putting too much pressure on yourself? Is someone else putting too much pressure on you? When you find what the problem is, you can eliminate it and start moving forward again.

Remember why you ride and that is to have a good time. Reed is riding like it is the last time he will ever throw a leg over a bike. Don’t take this for granted. When you start having fun again, that intrinsic motivation comes out and drives you to become the best. That is where the heart comes in. You get back on your bike after a wreck because you want to finish and do your best, not idle back to the truck. And with Loretta’s coming in a few weeks, this is not the time to slack off. Hard work and dedication pay off and Chad Reed just demonstrated that.

Aerobic Progression

The goal of any sport and training regiment is to improve each year or season.  To help with a steady improvement, athletes often train with different modes of exercise at various times of the year.  This is called periodization.  With this periodization, there are 2 main goals: maintenance and improvement.  Each goal requires a certain amount of frequency, duration and intensity.  Knowing when and how to train can be the difference between top 5 and 1^st.

Let’s begin with the improvement.  If you are just starting out, this is the way you want to train.  If you don’t any endurance, how would you maintain what you don’t have?  As mentioned before, the 3 elements (frequency, duration and intensity) of training can all be altered.  As a general rule, you never want to exceed a 10% increase per week.  For example, if you ran for 30 minutes your 1^st week of training, you should not go over 35 minutes the 2^nd week.  Instead, you can raise your heart rate for a greater intensity.  Duration and intensity for improvement is minimum of 3 days per week at 50% – 85%  Max HR.

For maintaining your aerobic training, the general rule is to keep a minimum of 2 days per week at the same intensity.  It is much easier to maintain your cardiorespitory fitness than improve it.  Your maintenance time of the year is usually during the season when you have multiple races scheduled.  You can have higher intensity workouts, but the duration will not be as long.  This gives you a chance to have more days for recovery and other time to work on riding or strength training.

Like I said above, this all ties in with periodization.  Improvement is off season and into pre season.  Once you start having more and more races, you want to maintain what you have so you can be rested for the weekend.  This same concept applies to strength training and both should be coordinated together.

Josh Lichtle and Summer Heat

This summer has been a scorcher.  With temperatures in the 90s and the heat index in the triple digits, riders are pushing their bodies to the absolute limit to win and entertain you.  While most of them are prepared, some riders could not handle the intense heat.  One of these riders was Josh Lichtle.  Sadly, he passed this weekend at Red Bud.  Reports say that suffered from heat stroke.

This is terrible news no matter how you look at it, yet he was doing what he loved.  I don’t know Josh or his family at all, but I am truly sorry for what they are going through.  As riders and racers, we all have to look at this and remember that this summer heat is not to be taken lightly.  Precautions must be made because it can happen to anyone as we have just witnessed.

Loretta Lynn’s is just around the corner and this week long tradition brings some of the most grueling conditions amateurs will face.  Living in South and Central Florida my whole life, I am pretty familiar with heat and humidity, but even being acclimated to this is not enough.  Physically, you are putting your body through an enormous amount of stress riding in the summer time.

The amount of energy exerted and being wrapped in riding gear adds up to potentially dangerous scenarios.  If you ride, you don’t need to be told how tough it is.  This is simply a reminder that we all need to stay extremely hydrated and relax after each moto.  Eat some cold fruit and have a few wet clothes to drape over your neck to cool you down.  For more info on heat acclimation, check out my other post.

RIP Josh Lichtle

Sickness and Training

This week so far has been a little crazy with my summer class coming to an end.  Finals and projects due in the same day (throw in a little bit of procrastination) make for a hectic morning.  The past few days I have been feeling run down and generally not feeling good.  Add to the fact that Barcia was racing with mono, I thought it would be good to go over training/riding while sick.

There are a few guidelines that should be taken into consideration before training while sick.  The best way to gauge if you are ready is if you feel anything below the neck, do not train.  Simply rest and hydrate.  Anything like the flu that can cause a fever is another signal to rest.  The body is already at an elevated temperature and compounding that with even moderate exercise could lead to more serious injuries.

Although flu’s and colds are not common in the summer, they can still happen.  Extreme stress on the body such as heat exhaustion can cause the body to catch a fever.  When joints start to become achy and you get the chills during an afternoon in the summer, you need to relax and take a few days off.  Children often have this problem during flu season; they are just starting to feel better then they exert too much energy to get hit by the cold twice as hard.  This happened to me a few years ago at a race.  I was starting to feel better the day before and decided to go for it.  I still had a runny nose and felt a little run down, but I raced regardless.  The next day was hell and I felt like I had been hit by a bus.

The best way to avoid this whole situation is to get lots of rest, drink plenty of water and get acclimated to the heat.  You have start listening to your body and you will know when you can and can’t train/ride.  Light cardio is probably the best idea because you are not exerting a lot of force on the body.  Just remember to have plenty of water with you before, during and after your workout.  It is even more crucial when you are sick.  If you are good from the neck up, you should be okay.  Just be smart about it!