| Strength Training for Motorcycle and ATV Racers | | | | believe this obviously have not worked out intensely |
| | | | enough or have never worn a heart rate monitor |
| What do you think it takes to ride a motorcycle or | | | | during resistance training. Strength training requires a |
| ATV at a competitive level for an extended period | | | | lot of cardiovascular as well as respiratory |
| of time out on the track? Riding experience, skills, | | | | assistance. Have you ever done a set of squats or |
| guts, a bit of insanity? Yes all of those are needed, | | | | dead lifts and not felt your heart pounding through |
| but more importantly STRENGTH! The laws of | | | | your chest while gasping for air? If not up your |
| physics are against us here. Our machines can | | | | weight and reps you pansy. Do you think you are in |
| weigh from 250 to 400 pounds and our protective | | | | good shape? If so try doing power cleans at 80% |
| equipment approximately another 30, now throw in | | | | of your max weight to failure (this is when you start |
| gravity and inertia and we have created a force on | | | | to lose good form) immediately drop down and do |
| the body that absolutely requires strength. Every | | | | push ups to failure, then jump back up and do pull |
| competitive athlete in the world strength trains | | | | ups to failure. Are you breathing hard? Do feel like |
| including golfers……GOLFERS!. Yet so many | | | | falling down and crying like a pleeb? Welcome to |
| racers believe that strength training is going to have | | | | real world strength training and conditioning, now do 5 |
| a negative impact on their riding and racing abilities. | | | | sets of that and finish with some wind sprints, stair |
| Nothing could be further from the truth and I am | | | | climbs, and crab crawls and you will know how and |
| going to explain why and be the STRENGTH | | | | why MPT racers are some of the best conditioned |
| TRAINING MYTHBUSTER! | | | | racers around. |
| First myth about strength training is that racers | | | | Myth number three, strength training causes arm |
| believe they are going to get to big or to muscular. | | | | pump! No it does not, in fact it will make your hands |
| Everyone equates strength or weight training to | | | | and forearms stronger, which as expressed in my |
| looking like a body builder. Coming from a body | | | | arm pump article will improve riding ability. Get a grip |
| building background let me ensure to you that it | | | | on some weights and you will get a grip strong |
| takes a lot of food, supplements, a body building | | | | enough to hold on to some Baldwin motor power! |
| style-training program, and drugs to get a physique | | | | So the long and the short of it is strength equals |
| like that. If your program design is to make you | | | | speed and power, who doesn’t want more of |
| stronger and more functional out on the track you | | | | that? The quicker and stronger your muscles |
| do not have to worry about becoming too big or too | | | | respond to a reaction the better the chances are |
| muscular, just stronger. Being stronger allows you | | | | that you are going to go faster while controlling your |
| to maneuver the quad better, push harder under | | | | machine! So now strength equals faster lap times, |
| times of pressure, and if you crash or get stuck it | | | | which equates to better placed finishes, isn’t |
| can help you get your ATV back in motion. | | | | that the over all goal of racing? Still want to walk |
| Second myth, strength training will not develop or | | | | by those weights in the gym? |
| improve cardiovascular endurance. Racers who | | | | |