Strength Training continued from page1

Motocross Racing

Motocross is a very high power, fast paced and short duration type of racing. This style of racing mirrors the type of strength training that must be performed to improve your race speed.  Motocross is very high speed and incorporates large jumps, therefore the body part that takes the greatest impact and needs the most strength is the leg muscles. Exercises should be performed at similar angles and speeds to which are experienced in a race. For example there is no point in performing slow deep squats if rarely on your bike your knees ever bend to that angle. This is an excellent example of race specific training.  A few examples of exercises for the legs and upper body that I would recommend for a motocross rider would be:

Jump Squats:


Jump squats are a great exercise for strengthening your legs for heavy landings, takeoffs and whoop sections.
  1. Position a bench between your legs that when sat on will create a similar angle in the knee joint to that experienced while sat on your ATV.
  2. Position your hands on your shoulders or behind your head (always perfect the technique before using any weight)
  3. Have your feet set out about the same width as when seated on your ATV.
  4. Now squat down so that your butt touches the bench and then explode as high as you can in the air using your legs.
  5. Upon landing on the floor, bend immediately at the knee and perform over again.
  6. The downward and upward phase should take no more than 1 second in total.
  7. I would recommend doing this for 30 seconds and try and get as many jumps in as possible. Perform this for 4-6 sets.
  8. As you become more accustomed to this exercise you can then use a barbell across your shoulders or use a weighted vest to create an overload on your body. Remember to start off light and gradually build up the weight to match your strength.

Push-ups:
Are easy to perform, require minimal equipment and yet can be made challenging with simple modifications. In a motocross race you are constantly moving from one side of the bike to another. The muscles of the chest and shoulders do all of the pulling and pushing as you lean into corners trying to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. Push-ups also create large amount of lactic acid in your upper body muscles similar to those created during racing. Recreating these levels during training allows your body to become more tolerant and efficient metabolizing lactic acid.
 
  1. Position your hands slightly wider than shoulder width on the floor, elbows should be locked out and feet together on the floor.
  2. Lower yourself down to the floor by bending your elbows, so that your chest comes within 1-2inches of the floor.
  3. Push against the floor with your hands; straighten out your arms back to the start position.
  4. Try and do as many as you can in 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds before performing another set (do 4-6 sets).
  5. More advanced people could do Jump Push-ups where you will push extra hard against the floor so your hands come off the floor into the air. You would then catch yourself by bending your arms again and lowering yourself down straight into the next repetition.
  6. A further modification would be to wear a weighted vest while performing push-ups to create an extra overload on the muscles or to use a Swiss Ball or Bosu Trainer.

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Residing in New Jersey, Phil Cole is a GNCC racer that works full time for a large corporate fitness company. He holds his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology. Phil is a certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is also certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health Fitness Instructor. Phil has worked with numerous top athletes and racers over the years, and is available for consultation to both individuals and Race Teams. He can be contacted via email at ATVFitness@hotmail.com.  Look out for future articles by Phil exclusively here on AEM.


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