How long does it take

[Jeff Gilbert]

How long does it take to get out of shape?
Up untill this past Memorial day I was racing every weekend and doing 2 to 3 classes mx. My endurance was getting pretty good to the point I could do back to back motos and still not be too tired. After Memorial day my riding time became very limited, I only got to race a couple of times a month and I dropped back to one class per race. After Dirtweek 02 I ended up woth a 5 week lay off due to weather and stuff. During Dirtweek I found as the week went along my stamina seemed to drop, probably due to fatigue without recovery time. This weekend was the 1st time I really got to ride, did a few laps Sat and raced Sunday. I was already sore Sat night but today after the races I'm really sore. I raced in the "A" class so I was really pushiing it, I got a 2nd but was indeed lapped by 1st place at the finish line so I only did 4 laps as oppossed to the 5 I should have done.

My question is how long does it take to lose endurance for most people? It seems I lose mine rather quickly but the only workout I generally get is when I ride. I plan to do Lake Whitney next week and I know I'm in no shape but I really want to be competetive. Any suggestions from the "pros'" here? I got one week to get in shape. I don't want to tear my body down by over doing it and not allowing time to recover before this weekend. Why did I wait so late??? :whiner:

 

[mx547]

if i skip one weekend, i'm okay. if i skip two weekends, i can tell the difference in my hands. the rest of me hasn't been in shape in a few years (trail riding with the heartland spodes makes a person lazy). when/if i come back, i'll be practically starting from scratch. i'm at 17 weeks now with no end in sight.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I noticed problems with my hands mostly too, that and the fact I was just plain worn out. I remember hitting the whoops and my hand coming off the grip, didn't take long to get it back on. ;)
Mostly my upper body is sore, no endurance and my legs (thighs) started burning but was managable.

 

[KelvinKDX]

According to my current study - it takes roughly 10 years to get out of shape (big time). My next study is to determine how long it takes to recover forom those 10 years. :)

 

[tx246]

they say a rule of thumb is that you lose your fitness twice as fast as you can achieve it. jeff, if there is one thing you can do for the whitney race is run, run, and run some more. if you have time, say at work, do the hand exercises with the squeeze ball.

 

[Anssi]

One week left, you can't do crap for endurance except make sure you load up with carbs the last few days.

You probably lost your "touch" more than anything, making technical mistakes that take physical effort to recover from.