MX Preparation – How to train SMART!

I have teamed up with British Youth Motocross and Live Motocross Magazine in order to bring you fitness tips to prepare for your races and to get stronger and healthier for as long as possible #trainsmartandhard

Knowledge and awareness can save you #time & #money

We are already half way through the racing season and often I see riders feeling burnt out during the racing season due to overtraining throughout the year. Also riders are following generic routine that they find on social media or sharing with their friends. A generic routine can only therefore produce generic results.

A periodised training incorporates three phases throughout the year:

The first phase is the off-season program. Off-season training builds your foundation level of strength. This phase is important because you are strengthening the musculoskeletal structure which helps decrease the chance of in-season injuries.

The second phase is the pre-season’s program which shifts emphasis to speed and power training, more conditioning training and more riding. This is the most intense of the three phases.

The third and final phase of training is the in-season program. The in-season routine is maintenance training that will help you maintain your fitness level throughout the season. 

The goal of the in-season training program is to develop the highest level of racing skills while maintaining physical condition. Usually during the season your main conditioning comes through riding in regular basis and from a few days in the gym in order to main your strength levels.

In case you don’t get to ride 4 to 5 times a week then you will still need to supplement your training with more sport specific exercise. An example of how this could be broken down into is:

Monday: Always use it for active recovery. You should allow your body to recover from the previous week training and weekend’s riding. You could do 20 minutes mild conditioning such as rowing, cycling, Ski Erg or anything else, and then close the session with another 20 minutes of foam rolling and stretching.

Tuesday & Wednesday : Strength and conditioning training – keep your strength and fitness in good levels. Being strong will help you to have a better riding control, more resilient to crashes and reduces the risk of injuries. Remember, during the in-season we are not looking to increase our strength in the gym, but to maintain the levels. Our main goal is to increase our racing / riding skills.

Thursday: 45 minutes high intensity cardio. Again this could be  rowing, cycling, Ski Erg or anything else, or all of the above by splitting them into smaller time segments.

Friday: 30-45 min cardio, following by stretching and massage/foam rolling. For many of us Friday is also long driving for the racing weekend, and therefore recovery and preparation is key.

Saturday/Sunday : Winning motos!