Why is Cycling Such an Addictive and Effective Cross-Training Sport for Motocross Riders?

December 21st, 2008 • Comments Cycling/Fitness
Tags: cycling, motocross, training

-Photo by ro buk [I'm not there] on Flickr.

I have posted numerous times here about my road cycling. Road cycling is by far my favorite form of exercise, and is the only one which keeps my motivated to exercise day in and day out. I began cycling simply as a way to stay fit for life and for motocross. However, I have quickly become addicted, and cycling is now one of my favorite hobbies. I am not the only one either. Motocross is an extremely popular training method for many pro motocrossers, including James Stewart.

So what is it that makes cycling so addicting and effective for motocross training? It is difficult for me to put my finger on cycling’s exact appeal, but there are a number of aspects of the sport which I believe make it such a great way to train for motocross.

Form Factor

-Photo by Christopher Bailey on Flickr.

There is no denying the similar form factor between cycling and motocross. Both machines feature two wheels, handlebars, a frame, and a seat. However, cycling is also different. It keeps you in a more riding position for longer periods of time. In addition, there is no suspension on a road bike, so bumps and ridges in the road can make the ride very jarring occasionally. Some may say that mountain biking is more closely related to motocross, and is thus a better cross training method for motocross.

However, I believe that the difference between cycling and motocross are part of the reason why it is so appealing. Amateur and especially pro motocross riders spend so much time on the motocross bike that spending some time during the week in a slightly different position is not necessarily bad. If more motocross riders used mountain biking as a form of training, their bodies would take twice as much beating during the week, and the damage to their joints and possible risk of injury would skyrocket.

For me, cycyling is like baby bear’s porridge. It is similar enough to motocross that it doesn’t feel entirely alien to me, but it is different enough to give me a break from the standard position of motocross.

Read more »

Make Good Use of Your Off-Season by Preparing Yourself, Your Bike, and Your Body for Next Season

December 13th, 2008 • Comments Motocross Tips
Tags: 2008, 2009, motocross, Motocross Tips, training, winter

Motocross is a fair weather sport, and unfortunately, this limits it to a little more than half the year for us northerners. Most riders take the off-season off, but I strongly believe that the offseason is a great time to improve your performance for the upcoming year. I’ve posted before on what I plan to do this winter, but this is meant to be a guide more specific improving your motocross performance over the off-season.

Train, Train, and Train Some More

-Photo by mrflip on Flickr.

Fitness is extremely important to your performance in motocross. Both strength and aerobic training off the track can be the difference between a stellar and a subpar season on the track. Contrary to popular belief, the off-season is not a good time to make huge gains in your physical fitness. Rather, the off-season is your chance to lay down a solid physical base for which you can build upon during pre-season training. During race season, most riders focus on riding and recovering based on motocross, forcing them to neglect their training. this is one of the reasons why off-season training is so important. Unfortunately, according to Aldon Baker, most riders underestimate the benefits of off-season training.

Unfortunately, many MX athletes short change their off-season training by jumping ahead and making it sort of a mini-Pre Season period by doing anaerobic intervals and generally race-type workouts. What a shame.

I totally agree with Aldon on this subject. The off-season is an incredibly crucial time of the season, and training correctly during this time period can have huge benefits come race time.

Read more »

Apple iPod Touch, the Ultimate Gadget for Excercise?

December 3rd, 2008 • Comments Cycling/Fitness, Review
Tags: Apple, cycling, iPod Touch, Review, technology, training

While many people view exercise as a dull, monotonous task, the truth is, that with the right entertainment, it can be quite fun. For most of my cycling and other work-outs, I listen to a 1st generation 8gb Apple iPod Touch. While riding my bike at the end of an 80 minute session on the rollers, I began thinking how perfect the iPod Touch is as an exercise tool.

Music

Good music can make or break a workout. The iPod is the perfect tool for providing you with great music for long, intense workouts. Current iPods have more than enough memory to hold sufficient music for days of exercise without replaying a song. My 8gb Touch model can hold 1,750 songs, more than I, and most other people, have in their entire music library. In addition, the playlist features in the newest versions on iTunes make designing a workout playlist easier than ever.

• Manual Playlists: Obviously the oldest and simplest form of playlist available in iTunes, they offer you the most control over which music occurs in your playlist. However, they require that you design the playlist ahead of time in iTunes (unless you use the On-The-Go feature).
• Smart Playlists: These are slightly more complex than manual playlists, but have been a part of iTunes for almost as long. Smart playlists allow you to set up a set of conditions that dictate which music will appear in your playlist. Because they can be based on play count, rating, last play date, etc., etc., the playlist is dynamic and changes every time you sync with iTunes.
• Genius Playlists: The newest type of playlist in iTunes, genius playlists are perhaps my favorite of the three choices. They allow you to choose a song in your library and it automatically designs a playlists with songs similar to that playlist. For exercise, I like to choose an intense, fast paced song, and then design a playlist around it.

The music features of the iPod Touch are its main feature, and its most used on mine, and many other devices. In addition, music is one of the biggest reasons why the iPod Touch may be the perfect gadget for exercise.

Read more »

My 2008 Thanksgiving Cycling Excursion

November 28th, 2008 • Comments Cycling/Fitness
Tags: commuting, cycling, Holiday, Thanksgiving, training

As my interest in cycling has brown over the past few months, I decided that as long as the weather was decent, I would cycle to my Aunt/Uncle/Cousins’ house in Rhode Island for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, the weather was perfect fall riding weather and I was able to successfully complete my ride. The ride was nothing special in terms of terrain, temperature, or distance, however it was fun and I figured I would right up a small ride report.

What I Wore

When I left my house at about 10:30AM Thanksgiving morning it was about 40°F, and the high for the day was 45°F, so I bundled up pretty good to make sure I was warm throughout the ride. Here is what I wore:

• Cannondale Surpass Bib Shorts
• Burton Snowboarding Socks
• Peal Izumi Quest Jersey
• Hot Chillys Peppers Fleece
• Burton Pipe Gloves

Overall, my outfit was really effective. I was warm overall although on certain sections of the ride I got a little hot or a little cold, but that is almost unavoidable when riding in and out of shadows. A lot of the gear I wore was not cycling specific, but actually snowboarding gear. I just started cycling, and have been snowboarding for years, so I have a lot of snowboarding gear and would rather not spend hundreds of dollars on cycling specific winter riding gear.

Read more »

Tips for Using Bicycle Rollers Indoor as a Part of Winter Cross-Training

November 18th, 2008 • Comments Cycling/Fitness
Tags: cycling, rollers, training, winter

In one of my past posts, I highlighted why I believe using rollers as a part of your winter training program is crucial. However, there are a number of tips, tricks, and methods which can make training indoors on a set of rollers much more enjoyable.

Rollers+Doorframe=Heaven

Many cyclists shy away from using rollers. They have the reputation of being very dangerous, and hard to use. Fortunately, this is extremely far from the truth. When used alone, rollers are very daunting, as the prospect of staying in a 1 or 2 foot wide path while cycling, drinking, or sprinting through intervals is daunting to say the least. Thankfully, a door frame is about the perfect width for you to use your rollers in. If you position the roller frame so that your elbows line up with the edges of the doorframe, the chances of you falling off the rollers is slim to none. You can simply stick out your elbows and block yourself from moving off the side. Another useful tip to prevent falling while on rollers is to remember not to turn the handlebars. Instead, lean from side to side while keeping your handlebars perfectly straight. This makes it much easier to stay upright and prevents the dreaded front-wheel roll-off that many new roller users experience.

Read more »