Starting Slow with Strength Training
A lot of guys who ride think that weight training results in arm pump and looking like Arnold. However, if you hit the weights right, you can get cardio and strength training in one session. It may seem pretty obvious how to do this, but there are a lot of ways to lift. The best way to train for motocross is utilize multiple muscle group exercises like dead lifts, chin ups, and power cleans. However, I am a strong believer in taking it slow. For instance, if you don’t lift weights that often or you are just starting, I would start light to allow your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to get used to the stress of lifting.
The workout below is just to get you started. When you get used to this, you can move onto the multi-muscle exercises. Most of the time it is a good idea to chest and back one day, biceps and triceps another, then legs. For chest and back, your workout could look like this:
Chest
Bench Press: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps
Incline Bench Press: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps
Dumbbell Flys: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps
Back
Wide Grip Chin ups: rep out
Lat Pulldowns: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps
Bent over Dumbbell rows: 15 reps, 12 reps, 8 reps
Notice how there are 15 reps to get the muscular endurance going, 12 reps combining the strength and endurance, and finally 8 reps to get more strength without going for bulk. This keeps it balanced. After doing a set of bench press and chin ups, take a 60 second rest, then do the second set. If it gets easy, cut the break to 45 or 30 seconds and/or up the weight if you need to. Cutting the rest down keeps the heart rate up, but does not allow the muscle to recover as fast, resulting in more fatigue. After a little bit, you’ll find a good rhythm.
Don’t forget to stretch and warm up before this. This is crucial to prevent injury and get your body ready for the workout. And don’t be afraid to mix things up; get used to the weight and have fun with it.
