Gym Training for Moto

P90x

Row machine

moto551 wrote:

P90x

I'm currently using p90x3 to train for the 2019 Enduro mtb season and I love how it's more than just strength training. The incorporation of balance, flexibility, and range of motion is what made me choose this program while i'm in school

I feel your pain OP! A 6yo daughter and almost 3yo son. I rode 3 times last year. Rode on New Years and probably won't ride again for 4-6 months. I know the struggle all too well. Row machine is next on my list of things to get.

Weight training for basically every single muscle........But cardio , cardio , cardio! When your cardio is in check , everything seems to fall into place. Gives you a good head start before getting back on the bike.

I've bounced around from various types of training with varying degrees of success. I have been doing crossfit for the past year. It may not be the ideal moto program, but it's fun and kicks my ass.

TRX training transfers very well to the bike. Obviously lots of cardio and leg muscle endurance are the two biggest tickets. Like previously mentioned, don't forget to incorporate things to improve/maintain flexibility and rang of motion.

A good place to start is rynopowergym.com. Lots of unorthodox, balance-intensive workouts there that you can use to develop your own program.

Crossfit. Many will knock it. And I was anti crossfit til I started it. Done in under 40 minutes most days and results are undeniable.

My personal experiences as a 30+ B rider with a M-F 8-4 office job...

Full body cardio exercise is key. Heavy weight training just makes you pump up faster on a dirtbike. If you're going to do weight training, focus on high rep, lower weight exercises. Heavier weight with lower reps just trains your body to tense/tighten up faster/grip harder. You don't want that for motocross. Also, avoid pre-workout supplements at all costs.

Cardio Options:

1. Rowing machine - This is the best form of cardio for motocross (outside of actually riding motocross). Contrary to popular opinion, an expensive concept2 rower is not necessary. By all means, if you can afford it, go for itm its a fantastic unit. I have a smaller, cheaper, fold up magnetic rower from Amazon that is pretty much silent when using it that has suited my needs very well. Every morning i hop on the rower for 20-30 minutes. I usually set it up infront of my TV and turn on GoPro videos of full pro motos and just row while watching. Its a full body workout with kinetic movements that are very similar to what you would experience on a dirtbike (pulling with arms, pushing with legs, strong back and core).

2. Swimming - A great workout for your arms and legs but not so much for your core. Great for increasing endurance.

3. Cycling (Road or MT - great cardio but you'll need to do long distance rides for it to be worth it. I was training for a century ride (100miles) that i completed last November and i was doing 30 mile rides 3 days a week and then 50+ mile rides on the weekends. My endurance on the motocross bike improved, but my upper body endurance was still lacking.

theycallmeebryan wrote:

My personal experiences as a 30+ B rider with a M-F 8-4 office job...

Full body cardio exercise is key. Heavy weight training just makes you pump up faster on a dirtbike. If you're going to do weight training, focus on high rep, lower weight exercises. Heavier weight with lower reps just trains your body to tense/tighten up faster/grip harder. You don't want that for motocross. Also, avoid pre-workout supplements at all costs.

Cardio Options:

1. Rowing machine - This is the best form of cardio for motocross (outside of actually riding motocross). Contrary to popular opinion, an expensive concept2 rower is not necessary. By all means, if you can afford it, go for itm its a fantastic unit. I have a smaller, cheaper, fold up magnetic rower from Amazon that is pretty much silent when using it that has suited my needs very well. Every morning i hop on the rower for 20-30 minutes. I usually set it up infront of my TV and turn on GoPro videos of full pro motos and just row while watching. Its a full body workout with kinetic movements that are very similar to what you would experience on a dirtbike (pulling with arms, pushing with legs, strong back and core).

2. Swimming - A great workout for your arms and legs but not so much for your core. Great for increasing endurance.

3. Cycling (Road or MT - great cardio but you'll need to do long distance rides for it to be worth it. I was training for a century ride (100miles) that i completed last November and i was doing 30 mile rides 3 days a week and then 50+ mile rides on the weekends. My endurance on the motocross bike improved, but my upper body endurance was still lacking.

I would argue against the high weight/low rep point though you're not off based. I enjoy strength training so I probably lift heavier than I need for moto. That being said, I don't have an issue with tensing or pumping up like most people say.

For a mid-pack B rider like myself, I think having a little more muscle is just extra insurance in the event of a crash lol.

1- spin classes
2- lats, where you pull a wofe bar down to your chin, keep your back level, don’t arch back in an effort to pull more weight
3- spin classes
4- bicep bar, but do several reps on one foot, then switch feet, this is an amazing balance workout
4- chest, use a balance ball to support your back, use dumbbells, this is greatly increase your upper stability and balance on a bike
5- spin classes, and do it right, unhinge your hips, get your weight off the bars
6- do absolutely no forearm exercises, ever, that shit only creates arm pump, more so if it’s done 1-3 days before a race/ hard ride

I decided at 25 to race 450 class really seriously for A and 25+ at lorettas

So starting around September the year before I hit the gym and wanted to bulk up to ride the larger bike.
I was around 148 when I began - excellent riding shape could do 30 min motos in texas summer at pace

hit the weights hard - generally pyramids of highest rep at 12 and some heavy days at low reps of 4-5 total failure

I did around 1 hour of "tempo" a day and 2 days of intervals a week the last month before I was ready to ride

Come feb I was 165 and strongest I'd ever been - figured out a diet that put on weight for me (always struggled to gain prior)


First motos back I never experienced worse arm pump in my life. Couldnt' shake it for 1 month of 3 days a week riding

So I revamped and started high rep supersets - 30 + rep type stuff till failure 3-4 sets

And within a month arm pump was gone and overall strength on the bike was my best ever for the length of a moto.

So I stuck with that - but learned to add in 1 or 2 really heavy maximal effort type things a month on a various muscle group

I think ideally - if you have an "offseason" and you want more strength - do it then - but come ride time - the higher rep stuff that includes cardio is helpful

Off research I've done since - and could be wrong - doing maximal output/effort 1-2 rep type stuff is best at building strength - not 4-6 rep heavy lifting which is good for strength but also adds size

Ultimately moto requires a little of it all - but strength to weight is more important than strength.

And it's a muscular endurance sport for sure - thousands of reps a moto

The truth is, any program works if you are consistent. Diet is 90% of formula. You can be ripped with a perfect diet and 30 minutes of cardio/light weights a day, but it's very difficult and expensive to eat healthy.

My weekly routine for the past year while I dropped 50lbs was rowing 5-6 days a week and riding once every 1-2 weeks (as much as I could). I went on 4+ mile hikes on the weekends I didn't ride/race.

Now that I'm down to a nearly ideal weight, I'm starting to incorporate more weight exercises to build a bit of muscle back that I've lost while shedding pounds. Mostly work with dumbbells, push ups, and squats.

As for arm pump, I feel that everyone is different with that. For me, it's like 90% just having to be comfortable on the bike and loosening my grip. The other 10% is making sure I stretch.

Edit: As mentioned above, diet is most of the equation!

I just got a new moto specific program today. Lots of medicine ball, ropes, row machine, stair climber, pull ups, spin bike, kettle bells, box jumps, bench, and dead lifts. It’s way different than my strength program was.

Find yourself a good trainer to write you a program and tell them what you’re doing so they can write it specific for moto. The guy that wrote mine researched moto workouts and actually had riding experience that helped a lot.

SoCalMX70 wrote:

My weekly routine for the past year while I dropped 50lbs was rowing 5-6 days a week and riding once every 1-2 weeks (as much as I could). I went on 4+ mile hikes on the weekends I didn't ride/race.

Now that I'm down to a nearly ideal weight, I'm starting to incorporate more weight exercises to build a bit of muscle back that I've lost while shedding pounds. Mostly work with dumbbells, push ups, and squats.

As for arm pump, I feel that everyone is different with that. For me, it's like 90% just having to be comfortable on the bike and loosening my grip. The other 10% is making sure I stretch.

Edit: As mentioned above, diet is most of the equation!

What would you row for example?

Are you always pulling for under a 2min/500m rate?

Derek Harris wrote:

I decided at 25 to race 450 class really seriously for A and 25+ at lorettas

So starting around September the year before I hit the gym and wanted to bulk up to ride the larger bike.
I was around 148 when I began - excellent riding shape could do 30 min motos in texas summer at pace

hit the weights hard - generally pyramids of highest rep at 12 and some heavy days at low reps of 4-5 total failure

I did around 1 hour of "tempo" a day and 2 days of intervals a week the last month before I was ready to ride

Come feb I was 165 and strongest I'd ever been - figured out a diet that put on weight for me (always struggled to gain prior)


First motos back I never experienced worse arm pump in my life. Couldnt' shake it for 1 month of 3 days a week riding

So I revamped and started high rep supersets - 30 + rep type stuff till failure 3-4 sets

And within a month arm pump was gone and overall strength on the bike was my best ever for the length of a moto.

So I stuck with that - but learned to add in 1 or 2 really heavy maximal effort type things a month on a various muscle group

I think ideally - if you have an "offseason" and you want more strength - do it then - but come ride time - the higher rep stuff that includes cardio is helpful

Off research I've done since - and could be wrong - doing maximal output/effort 1-2 rep type stuff is best at building strength - not 4-6 rep heavy lifting which is good for strength but also adds size

Ultimately moto requires a little of it all - but strength to weight is more important than strength.

And it's a muscular endurance sport for sure - thousands of reps a moto

Would you be kind of enough to share your diet that helped you put on some weight? I struggle with the same thing.

80-90 minutes of soccer twice a week at lunch. More during intramural season. (50 minutes if my boss is asking)

300 workout once a week
Spartacus workout once a week
Ride once a week
Skateboard occasionally
Mtb less than I should
Lift weights when I'm lazy or hungover. I do 4 sets of 12 typically

Cardio is boring as hell so make it fun. Play hockey, soccer, mtb, skate, whatever.

FREELETICS APP, Can be done at home and cheaper than the gym. They have a nutrition coach if you want to add that to your plan and it would still be cheaper than the gym....unless of course you go to planet fitness. Check it out!

I'm really not fit enough at the moment, life has been way to hectic these last few months for me to find the time to train properly.... But when I was properly fit, a few year ago the one thing that made the most difference to my riding was playing squash. It's super intense, requires short, explosive movements, strength and cardio all at the same time! It works everything, including reaction times, spacial awareness and for me controlled aggression/determination. Plus it's great fun!

Low pulse cycling-running-rowing.
65% of your max pulse (in my case 128) in longer durations.
A minimum time of 90 minutes, and as long as 4 hours, same pulse all the time, the swedish ski-team uses this method amongst others and has helped me ALOT with armpump.

Do some research and actually give it a try

Lastander wrote:

Low pulse cycling-running-rowing.
65% of your max pulse (in my case 128) in longer durations.
A minimum time of 90 minutes, and as long as 4 hours, same pulse all the time, the swedish ski-team uses this method amongst others and has helped me ALOT with armpump.

Do some research and actually give it a try

Interesting.

I'm going to try this with my SkiErg. Last winter i did something wrong when i did 4-5 times a week 2-5k long sets as hard as i could go. I got fitter on the SkiErg but i got absolutely horrible armpump on the bike. I was actually shocked the first few times i rode in the spring when i lost all my feeling in the arms within 2 laps. I stopped using the SkiErg and it went away.

moto551 wrote:

P90x

Lando wrote:

I'm currently using p90x3 to train for the 2019 Enduro mtb season and I love how it's more than just strength training. The incorporation of balance, flexibility, and range of motion is what made me choose this program while i'm in school

This, except do the original version. Extremely tough but you'll appreciate the results.

Motofinne wrote:

Interesting.

I'm going to try this with my SkiErg. Last winter i did something wrong when i did 4-5 times a week 2-5k long sets as hard as i could go. I got fitter on the SkiErg but i got absolutely horrible armpump on the bike. I was actually shocked the first few times i rode in the spring when i lost all my feeling in the arms within 2 laps. I stopped using the SkiErg and it went away.

I was sceptical as hell at first and thought that this was a complete waste of time, but a crash at the last swedish nationals round left my kneecaps in a bit of a sour state so i cant really push my knees that much when training.
You need to mix it up of course but thats what riding your bike does, training in a lower heartrate and then when your on the bike you give it your all, i ride with my heartrate monitor sometimes and im constantly at 90-95% of my max heartrate.

I have a MX specific trainer so I will give you all some workouts that I do. The below is a small sample of a 30 minute workout, try to maintain heart rate at 70-80% of max it will average out at about 60% with warm up included, my max is 181 bpm and recovery heart rate desired is 55 bpm but my average is 42 bpm.

Monday-Rest

Tuesday
Rowing...500M 2:15/500m is the stroke, then straight into 12 burpees, no rest in between, 4 times.
Single leg squats, using dumbbells, moderate weight 12 reps, then 10 walking lunges each leg for a total of 20, using the same weight, 10 alternating overhead press, use weight that you can keep proper form. 4 sets.

Wednesday
15 V ups, straight to 10 jumping pull ups with 4 second descent, straight to 20 no weight squats on a busa ball.
20 alternating rope swings, 10 second rest, 12 push ups, no rest to rope swing back to 10 second rest.
5 mins of 20 seconds of hell and 10 seconds of rest on the fan bike,

Thursday-ride, 4 sessions, 20 to 25 minute motos, 2 are race pace and 2 are practice sections of the track.

Friday Sprint sessions or rest day
Every minutes on the minute as many as you can in 5 sets
Jump rope, box jumps-18 to 20 in box or single leg set up, busa ball push ups or
row for 10 Calories as fast as you can, 20 V ups, rest 20 seconds, repeat for 10 minutes.

Saturday/Sunday is race or 4 sessions as above.

I never use heavy weight, the goal weight is weight that you can handle and maintain proper form for the number of desired sets, 10 to 15 reps depending on the exercise. Exception is squats, once a month, the weight is increased for 3 sets of 8 reps. There is one session a month used to increase weight in each muscle group and use 3 sets of 10 reps but on different days and combined with other muscle groups that will he be using for cardio endurance training.

Working father of 2

Stationary bike or row machine

No weights

I do kickboxing 4 days a week. Taking lessons and sparring for 1,5 hour per day.

It's really good for your strenght and conditioning. And also able to react much faster on situations.

And it's really fun to do.

I am so out of shape. My family was just mentioning what a maniac I was with training years ago. Gym every day, addicted to my stationary bike and running machine. I would rest/cool by doing pull ups with cheat shock. I need to get just a bit of that drive back.

Wish there was a way to save threads for future reference...