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Edited Date/Time
4/16/2021 11:49am
I'm not saying the racers of today aren't fit because they are absolute beasts.
Here is my hypothesis: I watched AC's video announcing that he was out for the rest of SX and a thought started gnawing at me. The fact is the dude looks frail. I know he's in better shape than I have ever been in and I'm not dogging him because I like him and want him to win a ton and become the face of the sport. I think the era of building pure cardio beasts has possibly gone past its prime and is now harming these guys.
The undeniable fact is modern 450's are going faster than dirt bikes have ever gone causing exceedingly violent crashes. I don't believe one single guy on a SX line would lose any measurable performance of their 450 by putting on 15 pounds or so.
It is possible to still retain flexibility and cardio but add a substantial amount of muscle. If some of these guys had more musculature they would be far less susceptible to injuries. I'm well aware that you don't need ultimate strength to race a dirt bike but muscles aren't just about strength, they do protect your vital organs and bones. MMA fighters take a beating and yet are still very flexible and have great cardio.
What I'm suggesting goes against just about everything the establishment trainers preach and I'm sure some will call me an idiot (especially with my bait headline haha) but I think it's a worthy discussion.
Here is my hypothesis: I watched AC's video announcing that he was out for the rest of SX and a thought started gnawing at me. The fact is the dude looks frail. I know he's in better shape than I have ever been in and I'm not dogging him because I like him and want him to win a ton and become the face of the sport. I think the era of building pure cardio beasts has possibly gone past its prime and is now harming these guys.
The undeniable fact is modern 450's are going faster than dirt bikes have ever gone causing exceedingly violent crashes. I don't believe one single guy on a SX line would lose any measurable performance of their 450 by putting on 15 pounds or so.
It is possible to still retain flexibility and cardio but add a substantial amount of muscle. If some of these guys had more musculature they would be far less susceptible to injuries. I'm well aware that you don't need ultimate strength to race a dirt bike but muscles aren't just about strength, they do protect your vital organs and bones. MMA fighters take a beating and yet are still very flexible and have great cardio.
What I'm suggesting goes against just about everything the establishment trainers preach and I'm sure some will call me an idiot (especially with my bait headline haha) but I think it's a worthy discussion.
Rick Johnson told me he has "String bean arms".
none of the worlds fastest motocross riders have upper body bulk it is not needed when you ride a bike with your legs.
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No question that additional muscle would also help with injury prevention.
For example: If Cam McAdoo had 20 more Lbs of upper body muscle, his upper body would be more weighted, and that extra weight would act like a pendulum and could have thrown him over the bars in his crazy crash last night. But if he had extra upper body strength would he been able to avoid the crash in the first place? who knows.
I made the mistake of hitting the weights hard and bulking up in my upper body and neglecting my legs years ago, and now it is a hindrance for motos with a lot of jumps and rapid acceleration out of the corners. To have to throw extra muscles around during jumping and acceleration isn't easy for me over a long moto as it is some skinny kid with strong legs.
So would the extra muscles help control an out of control dirt bike? maybe. but I see a lot of national pros at least once a week at the track, and they have the body of a surfer or road cyclist, so it is working for them.
Less pounds = Better start.
Having muscle has been scientifically proven in numerous studies to aid in the prevention of injuries (yes we know guys, it won’t prevent every injury).
Studies show increasing muscle mass also increases bone density and tendon strength.
I wonder how the increased muscle mass may affect balance though.
After changing his diet and putting on muscle (his words) he doesn't look like the crystal doll he was the last two seasons.
Now I certainly think that modern riders could use a few extra kg, I'm not a fan of how many are now vegetarian and looking very lean. A Webb type build seems pretty ideal from a strength/conditioning view, and his bulldog performances seem to back that up. But I understand that there is a limit to how much bulk they could add before negatively impacting cardio fitness which is crucial in the last 5-10 minutes of a race.
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What muscle group would prevent that?
look at Ricky's build when he was in his prime, same with McGrath. And Reed. They all where thicker built and could take a hit when they crashed.
Riders who battle the most injuries seem to always be the more lean built type.
Not that i know anything. just outside looking in haha
The only suggestion that I'm making in this thread is that we have possibly taken the leanness too far and that a racer with more muscle may get injured less. I'm in no way suggesting that having beach muscles will help cut lap times. Quite the contrary, I think bikes today are fast enough that they can compensate for hauling a few extra pounds around.
Good example is track running - 100m and 200m runners are with big muscles but 400m and onwards they are getting skinnier and skinnier.
Bodies are not created equal; there’s genetics which dictate our builds, and if you look at history, success and injury susceptibility are not even close to being linked to body type, despite RC’s “long legs” comments.
In fact i think muscle mass would have a threshold where it would become a liability.
Pro athletes are the anthitesis of healthy. They are constantly testing the limit between maximising training without breaking down. And well, ocasionally they do break down, its a narrow line!
Add to that that they have to perform every week almost year round and you have a recipe for disaster. Thats why AC an Zach will kill it in the nationals.
It seems the same people who preach wearing every piece of protective equipment made refuse to believe that their own body can help prevent injuries.
If speed is the same in any two crashes, the rider that weighs more will hit the ground with more momentum and force.
Linear momentum p is defined to be p = mv, where m is the mass of the system and v is its velocity. Newton's second law of motion in terms of momentum states that the net external force equals the change in momentum of a system divided by the time over which it changes.
Also,
Remember that acceleration can be in a positive or negative vector, meaning accelerating down a straightaway or slamming to a sudden stop.
Newton's second law of motion describes the relationship between an object's mass and the amount of force needed to accelerate it. Newton's second law is often stated as F=ma, which means the force (F) acting on an object is equal to the mass (m) of an object times its acceleration (a).
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