DH Race Fitness Training

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DH Race Fitness Training
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flag frolosophy
Posted: Jul 2, 2012 at 2:09 Quote
smileyboy wrote:
great info, as I have continued running as part of my routine I actually found out also its benefits when pedaling uphill, Me and some of my buddies did an XC ride last weekend around 40 kms, I guess 6 months of regular running paid of, I was ahead of the pack and did't feel exhausted, I just felt my legs felt "rigid" maybe because I did not stretch correctly before the ride or my leg muscles stiffened due to running.

Runners are notoriously inflexible. If feel you're having some flexibility issues, do cool-down stretches after your runs. Just make sure to warm up (range-of-motion stuff and light cardio) before you go and your legs shouldn't cramp up or feel stiff. A lot of people stretch before running (and exercising in general) but you don't get as good a stretch if your muscles aren't warmed up and you have the potential to hurt yourself as stretching temporarily weakens muscles/ligaments. Stretching after your muscles are already worn out will allow you to stretch them more than normal and, as they rebuild, they will gain a little more range. This is a really effective way of increasing flexibility.

Not exactly sure if that's your problem, but it's worth trying to see if it helps.
flag digital1234
Posted: Jul 6, 2012 at 1:21 Quote
The training make so perfect in the racing and it should be confidencial . Beside that Health is also play a very Great role in many works , for this new york home health care is the best for the good fitness and Healthy life.
flag smileyboy
Posted: Jul 6, 2012 at 6:22 Quote
frolosophy wrote:
smileyboy wrote:
great info, as I have continued running as part of my routine I actually found out also its benefits when pedaling uphill, Me and some of my buddies did an XC ride last weekend around 40 kms, I guess 6 months of regular running paid of, I was ahead of the pack and did't feel exhausted, I just felt my legs felt "rigid" maybe because I did not stretch correctly before the ride or my leg muscles stiffened due to running.

Runners are notoriously inflexible. If feel you're having some flexibility issues, do cool-down stretches after your runs. Just make sure to warm up (range-of-motion stuff and light cardio) before you go and your legs shouldn't cramp up or feel stiff. A lot of people stretch before running (and exercising in general) but you don't get as good a stretch if your muscles aren't warmed up and you have the potential to hurt yourself as stretching temporarily weakens muscles/ligaments. Stretching after your muscles are already worn out will allow you to stretch them more than normal and, as they rebuild, they will gain a little more range. This is a really effective way of increasing flexibility.

Not exactly sure if that's your problem, but it's worth trying to see if it helps.

I did try stretches after my run, I guess I have to do it more often to prevent the "rigid" feeling, one of my mates told me to do stretching after a run also, he said not to stretch before the run because it damages more my ligaments. told me to do light jogs and jumping jacks to warm me up..

I tried to do a speed jump on our local trail and when I landed I got pinched flat front and rear! never had that experience before I was even using my FS bike. I hope I correct my prob soon..
flag frolosophy
Posted: Jul 7, 2012 at 22:34 Quote
smileyboy wrote:
I did try stretches after my run, I guess I have to do it more often to prevent the "rigid" feeling, one of my mates told me to do stretching after a run also, he said not to stretch before the run because it damages more my ligaments. told me to do light jogs and jumping jacks to warm me up..

I tried to do a speed jump on our local trail and when I landed I got pinched flat front and rear! never had that experience before I was even using my FS bike. I hope I correct my prob soon..

Front and rear, eh? I don't think I've ever seen that happen before! It must be said though, flexibility and looseness are very important in biking. It always amazes me to see bmx and trials riders doing big drops on rigid bikes and not flatting, but it's all in how they keep their bodies loose and ready to absorb impacts.

Anyway, that seems like a good routine, and good advice from your friend. I usually keep it light--no need to push yourself in a warm-up. Flexibility comes a lot sooner than you think. I used to be very inflexible but I've just made a routine of stretching daily for a couple of minutes and in no time I noticed significant progress--it's all in how you stretch not how much. (Youtube has some great tutorials.)

I'm not a personal trainer (I plan to get my license soon), but if you need some more specific tips, it might be beneficial to contact a personal trainer if you've got specific questions. I don't know if you follow the MTBstrengthtraining videos that get posted on here sometimes, but they have some good tips for this sort of thing.

Salute
flag smileyboy
Posted: Jul 8, 2012 at 3:51 Quote
Front and rear, eh? I don't think I've ever seen that happen before! It must be said though, flexibility and looseness are very important in biking. It always amazes me to see bmx and trials riders doing big drops on rigid bikes and not flatting, but it's all in how they keep their bodies loose and ready to absorb impacts.

Anyway, that seems like a good routine, and good advice from your friend. I usually keep it light--no need to push yourself in a warm-up. Flexibility comes a lot sooner than you think. I used to be very inflexible but I've just made a routine of stretching daily for a couple of minutes and in no time I noticed significant progress--it's all in how you stretch not how much. (Youtube has some great tutorials.)

I'm not a personal trainer (I plan to get my license soon), but if you need some more specific tips, it might be beneficial to contact a personal trainer if you've got specific questions. I don't know if you follow the MTBstrengthtraining videos that get posted on here sometimes, but they have some good tips for this sort of thing.

Salute [/Quote]

thanks bro, yup I have watched some of those videos, I have bought a sports magazine for running that specifies on flexibility work outs and proper conditioning so far I have started adopting those exercises. Did the same jump never felt bottoming, gotta be more loose then.Big Grin
flag frolosophy
Posted: Jul 8, 2012 at 16:36 Quote
smileyboy wrote:
thanks bro, yup I have watched some of those videos, I have bought a sports magazine for running that specifies on flexibility work outs and proper conditioning so far I have started adopting those exercises. Did the same jump never felt bottoming, gotta be more loose then.Big Grin

No problem, man! Glad it seems to be working out. Good luck with your training!
flag HiMyNameIsSean
Posted: Jul 13, 2012 at 16:23 Quote
tobes27 wrote:
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.

You have very good information, But I disagree with you on road/xc riding for DH training. Those long and slow grinding sessions help to build an aerobic base. Simply put, your making your heart more efficient. It won't have to work as hard to pump out more than the average amount of blood. So the further down your race run you get while working in an aerobic state, the more gas you'll have at the end to sprint at the finish.

I think if you did 1-2 hour sessions staying in an aerobic state over the winter and saved the intervals for 6-8 weeks out from your first race, you would notice a difference.

Not trying to rag on you, just wanted to share what I've learned.
flag BobEssensa
Posted: Jul 24, 2012 at 8:18 Quote
This specific exercising elevates our own anaerobic energy, potency, skeletal muscular tissues and volume. The objective of weight training is always to strengthen people's soft tissue, muscles strength and durability, decrease probable possibilities of damage, increase heart options, improve an individual's bone mineral density, improve good cholesterol level and enhance metabolic rate for the short term.



Plyometrics

Plyometrics training are system of workout allowing people to boost characteristics of the central nervous system, work on getting quick and highly effective and improves people's general performance levels in regards to activities. It is actually a super fast technique of contracting and recharging muscular areas, that gives one additional endurance, and also resilience plus the skill to move a lot quicker, throw even farther, hop much higher thus hitting with additional energy. People who really need to be continuously activated, take advantage of this technique of exercising to power up their body system.


You can check this link for more information about p90x workout routine schedule

It's a strategy for escalating one's pulse rate, yet still staying in control and added benefits many body specifications. In addition it is great for helping the lungs volume; minimizing emotional stress, presenting one a cool sense; diminishes potential risk of high-cholesterol, all forms of diabetes, cardiac event and in some cases high blood pressure levels.
flag artwithatart
Posted: Jul 28, 2012 at 5:53 Quote
I think just ride lots - for a sport like DH racing after the bike and its set up, its 90% skill. Strength and stamina will have the most impact the higher your skill level - unless you are near the top or thereabouts you'd be better off riding lots (unless you are particularly unfit. Anyway DH racing doesn't require much fitness - looking at the pros and good regional level riders none look particularly strong or particularly fit.

If I wanted to train weights for DH racing I'd do:

Explosive 1 arm DB rows (all varients)
Explosive decline DB bench (single arm, both arms, palms in, palms out).
Explosive 1/4 ROM Barbell Back Squats
Explosive limited range of motion db step ups.

And lots of core work - probably most effective is loaded overhead motions - like 1 arm db push press, anyhow presses, russian barbell twists, db sidebends.

Other thing you could do for lols is make/find/weight your bike up and rag it round a pump track and some bumpy dh - weight should probably rotating weight like your wheels.
flag frolosophy
Posted: Jul 28, 2012 at 10:28 Quote
artwithatart wrote:
DH racing doesn't require much fitness - looking at the pros and good regional level riders none look particularly strong or particularly fit.

They might not look it, but most of them have very tough training regimens, and many of them don't ride downhill as much as you'd think.

Fitness doesn't mean muscle mass. It means stamina and explosive power. If you're basically muscling your bike around, hopping over rocks, and sprinting flat out for 3 - 5 minutes on a DH course, you'll need a pretty high level of cardiovascular fitness.

Not to say that riding your local trails doesn't help, but fitness is often overlooked by the average DHer. The top guys know that in order to be competitive, you can't be tired out mid-way down the track. I've seen plenty of people who can handle technical parts fine come to a pedal section and sit down instead of hammering the pedals during a race because they tired themselves out early on.
flag cheetamike
Posted: Sep 29, 2012 at 12:51 Quote
BobEssensa wrote:
This specific exercising elevates our own anaerobic energy, potency, skeletal muscular tissues and volume. The objective of weight training is always to strengthen people's soft tissue, muscles strength and durability, decrease probable possibilities of damage, increase heart options, improve an individual's bone mineral density, improve good cholesterol level and enhance metabolic rate for the short term.



Plyometrics

Plyometrics training are system of workout allowing people to boost characteristics of the central nervous system, work on getting quick and highly effective and improves people's general performance levels in regards to activities. It is actually a super fast technique of contracting and recharging muscular areas, that gives one additional endurance, and also resilience plus the skill to move a lot quicker, throw even farther, hop much higher thus hitting with additional energy. People who really need to be continuously activated, take advantage of this technique of exercising to power up their body system.


You can check this link for more information about p90x workout routine schedule

It's a strategy for escalating one's pulse rate, yet still staying in control and added benefits many body specifications. In addition it is great for helping the lungs volume; minimizing emotional stress, presenting one a cool sense; diminishes potential risk of high-cholesterol, all forms of diabetes, cardiac event and in some cases high blood pressure levels.


the INSANITY workout and GSP RUSHFIT kick P90X,s ass for workout intensity i have all 3 and Insanity and GSP will get you into shape real quick , we started with P90X and within a few weeks i was bored with the training , so we found Insanity and halfway thru the 1st workout my son and i where ready to puke up a lung i was gasping for air and sweating like crazy and man did i feel the pain the next day LOL . after Insanity we got Rushfit and that was another rude awakening LOL it combines weights on some of the exercises and is a 5 min routine with a 1 min rest and then 4 more 5min sets , i really enjoyed combining the Insanity for some its pylometric routines and his ab and core workouts , with GSP he did lots of strength , core and speed , balance and agility routines plus he has a really good warm-up and cooldown routine that helps with soreness LOL
flag irishsteve
Posted: Oct 11, 2012 at 14:15 Quote
i think fitness is a huge part of racing downhill.where fitness comes in is not on a single run but your there for 2 days doing upwards of 10 runs and the general wear and tear on your body over the 2 days to then on your last run belt out your fastest thats where fitness comes in.
flag EvenAug
Posted: Oct 12, 2012 at 15:43 Quote
I'm surprised that people are discussing if fitness is important or not for downhill racing. Of course it is! I've been racing XC for years, I should be in good shape - nevertheless, I became EXHAUSTED after one day of intense downhill riding. If you're sprinting wherever possible, pushing your bike through berms and jumps, shacking down the rockgarden like a dope-addict who hasn't gotten his daily shot - then do that run after run for about 6 hours, you NEED to be in good shape!

Have you ever noticed that you have less control at the end of the day? Have you asked yourself why? Is it possible to become less tired? The answer is yes, and you should know the answer Wink

...if not - have you ever felt stressed during a race? Do you know the feeling when your heart rate goes crazy? Research shows that exercise prevents stress and the ability to stay calm in stressful situations.

So what can you do about it?. To sprint fast and push your bike through berms in high speed, you need to be explosive and have good anaerobic threshold. To achieve that you can do strength exercises and run/ride intervals with high puls/fast heart rate.
If you want to keep control after several fast runs, you need to improve your aerobic threshold. You can do that by doing long exercises with low heart rate/puls. It is important that you vary your workout. Jogging, cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing - be creative.

All this should be common knowledge.
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