Training

[Chefjb748]

This is my second season with CCS FL, and while I'm not fast by any means, whenever I get off my bike, I feel like I'm completely spent and have had my ass kicked!  I've started running and cycling to try and build my endurance levels up, especially in this FL heat, but wanted to know what some other racers are doing to train for events.  Thank you all in advance for your help!!

[MELK-MAN]

your doing it..! running, cycling. repeat. Like you, years back i found i was pretty tired even after a 6 lap sprint race !  the key i think (and from most of what i read and have been told) is doing it for at least 20min (min) at 80% of your target heart rate. (t.h.r. goes down as you get older). 30 min + would be better, and at least a couple times a week.

Personally ? i hate running, jogging and cycling. i don't do it. It's simply not my cup o' tea. Some LOVE it. That said, I'm not gonna ever win a marathon, but i ride dirt bikes in the woods at least 2x a week for a couple hours.. Not 20 min, 2 hours. :) I love dirt bikes. Mx is dangerous, but so are weaving through trees.. but i find it "less dangerous" than mx tracks.
Riding dirt bikes for training is not cheap though. Need a bike, need a place to ride, and gotta maintain the bikes (as if maintaining a roadrace bike wasn't enough.. LOL!)
it has worked for me though. I got a great opportunity to ride for some endurance roadrace teams in the past. Were it not for riding in the woods as i do, i would have surely felt like total crap, and not been able to stay out there.
If you have a decent gym nearby, stairmasters or eliptical machines seem way less boring than running.

[tug296]

Leon Backus Memorial weekend 2004 at old Moroso, second hottest day roadracing for me, other than Gainseville 1981. I was toasted after waiting on the grid for a crash cleanup, then back to back F-40 and S.T.
When the races were finished I was halucinating, pale and totally spent, I'd been working out as much as possible for months and in good fair shape. mother nature in Florida is beastly, track temp was 134.
Gatorade!
Thanks Gerald!

[MELK-MAN]

yup. now that we are in the swing of summer, HYDRATION is more important than ever. Once your thirsty, it's too late. Pound water starting at minimum a day ahead. And drink a bottle of water an hour all day at the races if possible.

[Kadius]

I do Crossfit. I train for a better quality of life, not just for racing, but it has definitely helped with my endurance on the bike and my recovery afterwards. It's expensive and not for everyone, but it has worked for me.


I hear cycling is pretty close to the best training for racing though as it works a lot of the same muscles as well as builds your endurance. Perhaps if you find a group to cycle with, it won't be as boring.

[leeroy996]

This is my second season with CCS FL, and while I'm not fast by any means, whenever I get off my bike, I feel like I'm completely spent and have had my ass kicked!  I've started running and cycling to try and build my endurance levels up, especially in this FL heat, but wanted to know what some other racers are doing to train for events.  Thank you all in advance for your help!!

I cycle a lot.  The races have no impact on me physically, even 3 days worth.  I don't mind sitting on the in the heat either.  Get a bike, if you don't like the road try a mountain bike.  If you race in CCS you like competition; enter bike races to give structure and a goal for your workouts.

[Andrei]

cycling to build your legs and core strength ... a lot ... and then some more (wishful thinking here)

[MELK-MAN]

Lee, you are a machine. I don't know how you guys cycle for hours. unreal.

[roadracer162]

Lee, you are a machine. I don't know how you guys cycle for hours. unreal.

Greg, He coasts a lot...

[MELK-MAN]

Greg, He coasts a lot...

i would say "he rides downhill" but we don't have hills in FL .. :)

[roadracer162]

i would say "he rides downhill" but we don't have hills in FL .. :)

That's why he lives in Nassau.

[MELK-MAN]

I do Crossfit. I train for a better quality of life, not just for racing, but it has definitely helped with my endurance on the bike and my recovery afterwards. It's expensive and not for everyone, but it has worked for me.


I hear cycling is pretty close to the best training for racing though as it works a lot of the same muscles as well as builds your endurance. Perhaps if you find a group to cycle with, it won't be as boring.

i wish i had the will to do crossfit.. i get to the gym about 1 time a week now if lucky to do some strength stuff, just weight machines, no serious free weights.

[Jwhite316]

I've found cycling to be really helpful.  I try to put in 50-70 miles a week and also go to the gym 2-3 times a week.  I've never really felt tired after a race even a GT.  Personally I really enjoy cycling, its hard but also sort of relaxing in a weird way. But you definatley shouldn't be dead tired after getting off the bike, whatever excercising you find you enjoy I think you should try it.

[apriliaman]

Me I cut grass everyday 8-10 hrs,with a 22inch push it yourself mower.In my area I do with another person 25-32 yards a day.Overall I walk about 8-10 mi everyday for work.

[tug296]

8-10 hrs. a day with a push mower cannot be easily duplicated!

[banzai1]

Train like you are going to going to race bicycles, or run sprints. Basketball is a decent cardio workout and it helps with hand/eye co-ordination too.

[Kadius]

i wish i had the will to do crossfit.. i get to the gym about 1 time a week now if lucky to do some strength stuff, just weight machines, no serious free weights.

I only do crossfit twice a week and it's been enough so that I have the endurance to run a race weekend, and not be all sore and useless the following days. Most crossfit gyms are run in a class format and you have other people there to help motivate you. Not advertising crossfit here, but it has worked for me.

[MELK-MAN]

Me I cut grass everyday 8-10 hrs,with a 22inch push it yourself mower.In my area I do with another person 25-32 yards a day.Overall I walk about 8-10 mi everyday for work.

winnnah!   .. the bar has been set high. Dang Mark, lol.

[clarustnb]

I can vouch for Mark's training.  I watched him saunter around VIR in full leathers laughing and smiling, while most of us mere mortals were stripping down, pounding water and hiding in the shade.  I don't think I even saw a bead of sweat on his forehead after doing the Solo team challenge followed by the GTL...

Impressive!

[apriliaman]

The mowers I use and one house I cut the grass.

[Motostu]

I ride my unicycle at least 17-18 miles a day

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

Aggressively riding a stand-up style Jet-Ski is an immense workout that not only strength trains your entire body, but also works cardio pretty hard. I ride mine on a busy local river every weekend, I think many people truly underestimate just how much exercise you get on them, especially if your constantly riding and jumping surf, wakes, or waves.

[leeroy996]

If you don't like cycling, your not doing it right.

[tug296]

Wild ass fun right there!

[MELK-MAN]

If you don't like cycling, your not doing it right.

mad skillz ! ! !

[Gino230]

Bottom line, anything you can do will help. After college I became a total couch potato. When I started racing about 12 years ago, I was completely spent after 6 laps. So I got a stationary bike and started riding it 15 minutes a day while watching the video of my race (back then in low def on a real VCR). Somehow I have morphed into working out 5 days a week...but it's part of my life now and I don't even think twice about it.

The training really pays big rewards when you start riding 4-5 races per day. I run about 10-15 miles a week, strength train on average 2 days per week. Sometimes more. I have to get back into cycling, I used to ride alot more but my fiance got us into running obstacle races. It's a great goal for your training. Enter some kind of 5k, sprint, triathlon, etc, it keeps you focused. I sit on my behind ALL DAY at work, so I feel like if I don't train a little, I'll die!

Last weekend at Homestead, I rode 6 practice sessions on sat, 4 races on Sunday....two of them back to back. I never felt physically tired but mentally I struggled a bit with concentration in the last races. Maybe a little bit of fatigue. When you get tired you'll start making mistakes. It was pretty hot.

To combat that I have been doing my runs a little earlier, so I'm training in the heat that I'll be racing in in July. July at PBIR has got to be one of the most taxing weekends heat-wise. I know there's places where it's hotter, but the humidity is so high the sweat can't cool you down. If you're not acclimated you'll be toast! Of course it will probably rain :)

I wish I could ride dirt bikes like Greg, but it's tough where I live, closest track is 40 miles. Mark is being humble about his fitness, he did the Tough Mudder in Tampa which I hear is harder than the Super Spartan I did a few months back....and that was no picnic...even when I was running 20 miles per week.

I saw that Mladin is looking to make a comeback, he is over 200 lb now and when he quit racing he was 155. Those top pros are incredibly skinny, Ben Spies is 5'11 and 155. I'm 5'11 and 195 and I think I'm reasonably fit! They cycle their brains out. Not sure how many miles they do but when they talk about having a "Big week" I'm thinking it's like 500 miles.

[Gino230]

If you don't like cycling, your not doing it right.

Wow.

A. I want a mountain bike.

B. I will need someone to follow me in there with a stretcher.

[apriliaman]

The tough mudder in florida was an easy warmup compare to the one I did in WV-VA.Check out my video I made.I ran it on my own.

[supercarl]

That mountain bike vid was awesome! Wish there were trails like that near me lol.

[mattbnj]

Cardio training is ok, but you are most likely exhausted due to isometric muscle fatigue. Think about it. Are you getting off the bike after a race gasping for breath? Probably not. Sure you will have an elevated heart rate, but that's not what's kicking your ass. It's your muscles being in a constant tense state for 10~15 minutes straight. No amount of cardio will help you with that.  I would recommend isometric training to build your muscle endurance. Guarantee it will help.

[Jwhite316]

Cardio training is ok, but you are most likely exhausted due to isometric muscle fatigue. Think about it. Are you getting off the bike after a race gasping for breath? Probably not. Sure you will have an elevated heart rate, but that's not what's kicking your ass. It's your muscles being in a constant tense state for 10~15 minutes straight. No amount of cardio will help you with that.  I would recommend isometric training to build your muscle endurance. Guarantee it will help.

I don't think your muscles are in a constant tense state typically....for me anyways, I always have weight all in my legs and am constantly moving from side of the bike to the other. My aim is to use my arms for throttle, clutch and brake and steering input.  I think a blend of cardio and strength training is the best way to train.  For me, I look at the best in the world and try to emulate what they are doing.  Cycling, core exorcises and muscle toning exercises is what I mostly see.  I also think riding a dirt bike is good more for just being on a bike with a motor.  Concentration is a huge deal for me, and railing in a big yard on my XR100 has done a ton for me.

[mattbnj]

Certainly core training, dirt bike riding, and weights will help, but try incorporating some basic isometric exercises like wall squats, or isometric shoulder raises and isometric push-ups. This may help you more than you think. Good luck this year!

Matt