Best exercises for racing

Started working out with my buddies since Purdue forced me to pay for this gym membership. I've always had an insanely high metabolism 6'1" 135-140lbs so I never bothered to work out, just played sports in my free time. So just out of curiosity what workouts do you guys find most helpful on the track? My initial thoughts are core and legs since your arms shouldn't be doing much work anyways. We do core pretty much every week day and legs twice a week.

 

Best exercise I found was simply doing more cardio so that my endurance was up to par. But if I was 6'1 and a buck 140 I'd be terrified to burn any more calories than I already am.

 

head to harry's have a few cocktails and figure it out from there.

 

Fortunately, while I can't gain weight, I also haven't lost any. Maybe I'll try out one of those stationary bicycle things. My theory was always if you're going to ride a bicycle at least go on a scenic route rather than sitting in a room, but cycles don't like the winters here. I think Harry's cards everyone so lucked out on that option. Need to get some WERA buddies to hook me up with extra calories kidding of course

 

Elliptical has always been my cardio of choice if indoors.

 

better on the knees than running I imagine

 

I have the same issue as you. I'm 6'5" and weigh 185lbs. If I don't eat properly and I work out I just shed weight. I've been down in the high 150's before. Yoga and the row machine are my go to's at the moment. I'm going to start indoor rock climbing soon too. I work on bikes at least 6 days a week which helps a lot pysically. But the best training for riding bikes is just to ride them and keep riding them.

I really don't like weight lifting and I can't stand being a gym rat. I don't want more muscle that I'll never use.

Right now if I do 6-20 minute sessions and 1-45 minute session per day of riding at a decent pace the only thing that's fatigued are my quads. But that gets better every time I go to the track. I've only been back and able to fully walk/run for about 2 months now.


Tldr; yoga and row machine help immensely.

 

Finally someone who understands me! Why bulk up on 50lbs of muscle if you're only going to use 20. I worked on a farm all summer and carried 100lb bags of shit (non-literal shit) and tree trunks all day with my scrawny arms no problem. We have a massive rock wall here but heights aren't my thing. Glad to hear you're back up and going.

 

I've noticed squats in the off-season make a big difference in fatigue when it comes time to get back on the track. A lot of amateur hobby racers like me underestimate how much they use their legs on track. Pull ups are also helpful. They build all those little support muscles in the back that you don't realize exist until they're sore as hell after the 1st race weekend of the year! I have no formal education in this shit & I'm just a mid-pack expert in my 30s, but I've personally experienced a noticeable improvement with those 2 exercises. Although I doubt any personal trainer would argue that squats & pull ups aren't a damn good basis for any routine.

 

I have the opposite build, but had the same situation at 5'11" and was 230. I didn't need any more strength. One of my race buddies was a blackbelt in karate and we had access to the weights in the studio and would lift every other day. He would routinely get sucked into teaching a class and I would routinely get sucked into being a partner for the odd student. No I have no interest in learning the martial arts, but the workout I would get, I really believe helped me alot on the track with my mental state with patience, concentration and focus.

 

Squats are a great exercise man. In proper form they work your core, back, quads and hamstrings. :up:

 

CX and MTB racing.

 

wow... that height & 140lbs wet?? One word... luckeee!
Legs, core, & balance.

I like biking alot...especially MTB'ing. I would guess if youre covered with snow a fat tired bike could be useful to train with.

 

Stationary bike (personally I like the Spin bikes).
Lunges.
Squats (light enough weigh so you can stay in the 14-16 rep range).
p90x or Insanity.
Wall squats (like we did in basketball where you put your back against the wall, squat down till your thighs are parallel with the floor and hold it for 60 sec).
Seated calf raises.
Hamstring curls (i didn't realize how much the hams got worked till endurance racing).
"Arm bike" (my gym has one of those machines where you sit down, grab the handles and is like a bike for your arms...anyone who has rehabbed a bad collarbone break will probably be familiar with it).
Elliptical machine.
Lots of ab/core work.
More stationary bike.

 

Concept 2 rower or any really good rower

Youtube Concept 2 and you'll see how devastatingly efficient this machine can be, a lot of us off road guys use them. The concept 2 is the only machine I have used where I have wanted to vomit after an intense work out.

Row machine, old school core work and calisthenics, cardio (bicycle, spin etc), good old squats and basic weights and don't forget the secret weapon- yoga.

Keep it simple and fun.

Mike

 

Also, those hip machines are really good. The ones where you sit down and either open or close your legs with the resistance on the outside/inside of your knees. If you just do 1-2 Sprints you might not notice it, but if you race alot those muscles can get really fatigued, especially at tracks with alot of hard braking.

Eddie won't use them because they aren't manly enough for him, but I'm secure enough in my manhood to use them on every leg day.

 

Good call, I forgot that. The rowing machines are excellent. They'll kick yer ass for sure.

 

It ain't about being secure. It's about being "that guy".

 

I find that, if I date a crazy girl for a while, the physical and mental stress of racing is nothing compared to what's waiting for me at home. YMMV.