DH Race Fitness Training

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DH Race Fitness Training
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Posted: Mar 11, 2012 at 21:49 Quote
Hello PinkBike. I recently learned that this summer I am going to be racing DH for the first time ever. I am trying to get ready, so that I will have a sweet race year, however I ain't in the best shape(winter sucks). Does anyone have any suggestions for a training routine? Strength, stamina(off bike), flexibility and balance? If I am asking a question that has already been answered please send me the link to whatever thread.

Peace,
Evan.

Posted: Mar 21, 2012 at 4:37 Quote
Come up with some strength circuits with 4-5 different excercises where you cycle through them without resting unless you absolutely have to. Example: 20 pullups, 30 pushups, 40 situps, 50 squats (no weight). Do it without stopping, then rest one minute. Repeat 5 times. A DH race run is 3-5 minutes of balls to the wall effort and pain- remember that when you're thinking of stopping to catch your breath- you won't be pulling over on the trail! Feel free to message me if you need more ideas.Beer

Posted: Mar 28, 2012 at 8:23 Quote
Check out James Wilson, he's the absolute boss in body training for mountain biking: www.bikejames.com

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Posted: Mar 28, 2012 at 10:39 Quote
Thanks guys, this really helps I'll make sure to check out James wilson.

Posted: Apr 10, 2012 at 6:29 Quote
defs check out James site, and try to get his Ultimate MTB workout program, its about $100 but i gaurantee its worth the investment, since it costed me two wins.
PoeticThreeD wrote:
Thanks guys, this really helps I'll make sure to check out James wilson.

Posted: Apr 12, 2012 at 6:59 Quote
I myself just got into Super-D racing and I'm 35 trained hard with a TRX, it'll kick ur ass and get you into shape real quick. James Wilson uses it cause it works, i've been doing a bootcamp for a year and seen amazing and fast results. You can buy them from almost any fitness store, or go to my buynsell and check em out.

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Posted: Apr 21, 2012 at 16:36 Quote
good thread! i just had foot surgery.. as soon as the doc gives me the green light to start training .. GAME ON! another good thing for training for the 3-5min. dh runs is sprints. i run/sprint between telephone poles.

Posted: Apr 25, 2012 at 2:23 Quote
there are two things: skill and stamina. first one you can gain only by riding DH regularly, but to make your trainings more effective you should improve your health. the best way is visit gym 3 times a week and do special training programm(i mean when you do a lot of repetitions of one exercise with average weight of dumbbell or barbell), also you ought to just ride your bike on streets every 2 days for 2-3 hours. i think you will succeed.

Posted: Apr 25, 2012 at 17:42 Quote
couple more things for ya:

Specificity in training! I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is to associate road riding with DH racing. At no time during a DH race will you sit on your saddle and assume a controlled spin over smooth terrain where you have to worry very little about balancing your bike (ok maybe in Pietermaritzburg). Grinding out long sustained road rides is great conditioning if you plan on racing enduro or XC, but does very little for you if you want to focus on DH, 4X, and slalom.

Here's what I do during the winter: I head out on my AM bike on our local XC trails and do 5 minute intervals. For 5 min I charge as hard as I can, whether I'm headed up or downhill- seat down, standing up on the pedals and cranking for all I'm worth. Then I either stop or pedal slowly for 5 min and repeat for 1 hour. Here's why: I am training for a sprint not a marathon, and the way you train for sprinting is by sprinting, so the way to train for a 5 minute DH race is by hammering for 5 minutes. By doing this on xc trails you also have to continuously maneuver your bike through technical terrain- so what if its uphill, its still tech- I have absolutely improved my DH riding ability by riding XC. I also use this time to practice things like maintaining good body position and braking before corners not through them. You don't need a fancy bike for this- up until two years ago my trail bike was one of REI's finest with grip shifters and v brakes- in fact you might argue the crappier your bike, the more skill you will develop. If you're snowed in all winter, use a spinner bike at the gym and do the same 5min intervals with the resistance cranked way up.

An exercise for the gym: when you go into a corner at high speed you can experience several G's of force depending on your speed and the radius of the corner. Squat jumps mimic the sequence of force experienced by your legs, hips, and core- a large amount of force vectored down toward your feet, which your legs and hips counter, followed by unloading as you come out of the corner. Start with your feet shoulder width apart, squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor and explode upward as high as you can. When you land there should be no pause as you squat into the next rep. Do sets of 20-30 and hold dumbbells in each hand or a barbell on your shoulders if you need to increase difficulty.

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Posted: Apr 26, 2012 at 21:11 Quote
Box jumps, sprints, body weight exercises, high repetition weight training and a lot of core stability exercises. Set it up into a circuit, keep your sessions intense and around 35-45 minutes. If you design a circuit properly, you will be wanting to do it only 2-3 times a week as you do not want to over train yourself. The overload principle is a great thing, but too much can be detrimental to your gains.

As Shwinn8 also said, TRX is a great workout if you have access to the equipment!

Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, good carbs and fats and a good amount of protein to help rebuild and re-energize your muscles.

Best of luck to you on the upcoming season!! If you want some sample workout programs shoot me a message, i'm doing my degree in Physical Activity and Sports Performance so every bit of help I can give turns into experience for me!

Posted: May 5, 2012 at 13:49 Quote
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Posted: Jun 6, 2012 at 2:51 Quote
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Posted: Jun 14, 2012 at 12:07 Quote
I currently race motocross but am hoping to race downhill too next year, all being well. Even if I then quit motocross and just focused on downhill, I would still do the same fitness training that I did for motocross. It's all cardio / endurance based with a bit of circuit training too but if it works for motocross then I'd be confident that it would work for downhill...even if downhill is more of an intense 3-4 minute sprint.

Monday I run, gently. 45 mins. Tuesday I do a 10,000m row and try to beat the time from the week before. Wednesday I swim for an hour. Thursday I run hard with a 1 min sprint every 10 minutes, followed by a 1 minute rest, increasing the average mph after each sprint and rest. I then do circuit training consisting of 5 exercise. I do 3 of these one after the other and then the other 2 after each other at the end. Friday I cycle as hard as possible for 45 minutes.

Listen to your body, you don't want to burn out. What works for some, may not work for others. However turning up to race downhill knowing you are going to be as fit or fitter than the other guys is going to give you extra confidence and will result in a greater ride...and also you will ride more safely. Have fun.

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Posted: Jun 14, 2012 at 19:08 Quote
[Quote="ACEdwards"]I currently race motocross but am hoping to race downhill too next year, all being well. Even if I then quit motocross and just focused on downhill, I would still do the same fitness training that I did for motocross. It's all cardio / endurance based with a bit of circuit training too but if it works for motocross then I'd be confident that it would work for downhill...even if downhill is more of an intense 3-4 minute sprint.

Monday I run, gently. 45 mins. Tuesday I do a 10,000m row and try to beat the time from the week before. Wednesday I swim for an hour. Thursday I run hard with a 1 min sprint every 10 minutes, followed by a 1 minute rest, increasing the average mph after each sprint and rest. I then do circuit training consisting of 5 exercise. I do 3 of these one after the other and then the other 2 after each other at the end. Friday I cycle as hard as possible for 45 minutes.

Listen to your body, you don't want to burn out. What works for some, may not work for others. However turning up to race downhill knowing you are going to be as fit or fitter than the other guys is going to give you extra confidence and will result in a greater ride...and also you will ride more safely. Have fun.[/Quote
Sounds like a solid routine, thanks for the tips, and good luck.

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