Lifting?

[Bodge]

Ive been lifting for a year and a 1/2 now. I do everything in 3 sets of 8 or more. Ive been thinking of breaking my routine up a bit though. Right now i do my chest and triceps along w/ my abs one day. The next day i will do my legs calves and my lower back. The third day i do my back, sholders, biceps, and forearms. When i get all of them done i start over. I was thinking about doing a cycle of heavy weight, 4 sets of 4 everyother time i do that body part. Say i do bench press monday using a heavy weight that i get a good burn from in 4 sets of 4 reps, then that thursday i do my normal 3 sets of 10. Whould this be wise, i figure i need to change something every here and there.

 

[Shig]

Have you hit a plateau? If so, then a little "muscle confusion" like you are describing might help. It would also help to try different excercises targeting the same muscle groups. I've developed a bad habit of doing the same exercises and reps for years. Although I've maintained alot of strength with minimal injury, I havn't gotten much stronger. How often do you ride? If you switch to less reps with heavier weights, you will probably need more recovery time. If you are racing, then the higher intensity work-out would be best during the off-season. Most in-season athletes switch to a lower intensity strength-maintenance routine.

For building strength in the bench press, I've had great luck with a pyramid workout with sets of 8, 5, 3, and 2 reps. Add 10 lbs between every set. When you get all reps in every set, start 10lbs heavier from the beginning in your next workout. You should be able to add 10 lbs a month to your max bench doing this workout twice a week.

 

[mach1]

It's a good idea to switch up your routine. If you do the same movements and reps every time your muscles get used to it and won't respond as well. Also, try switching which body parts you work together in one day. You may not want to work chest and tri's together since your tri's are worked during benches, biceps are worked during back etc. Try mixing it up. It keeps it fun, or, should I say, less miserable and you are less likely to get into a slump. All this helps with the most important element in any fitness program. Consistency! One more thing, don't neglect stretching and warm up. I'm sitting here with a tweeked lumbar because recently I did JUST that. :bang:

 

[SPD]

Keep changing. Don't be afraid to use machines. Try cutting your weight in half and double your reps one week. Then the next week double the weight and cut the reps in half. Take a week off every 8-10 weeks.

 

[zio]

I don't see anyting wrong with it either. It might not be wise to keep it up for longer than say 2 months (give or take)- two days inbetween might not be enough rest for your muscles if you're doing a really heavy day on Monday. remember- you build muscle after the workout, not during.

I've started doing one muscle at a time, twice a day. In the morning, I'll do a major muscle group like back, then late in the afternoon I'll do biceps. Or Chest early in the day, then abs in the evening. I've been keeping this up for two weeks now, and will continue for another two before I change it up. I like it better than "one day on, one day off".

I have a question, though- you say you've been doing three sets per muscle group? Is that it? Or do you mean you do a few different excercises, with 3 sets each exercise, and about 8 reps per set?

I like to do at least 8-10 total sets per muscle. It varies, depending on how heavy I'm lifting & how many reps I'm doing. I've recently started going with lower weight/higher reps (9-11 reps) and 11-12 sets. I was doing high weight, 4-6 reps max, with about 3 sets per exercise.

And every few months, I'll take a week off, too.

 

[Bodge]

Thanks! Zio, i mean i do 3 sets for each different exercise. I usually do about 6 sets all together for each muscle group.

 

[njkx]

this is not a bad idea lifting wise. you'll probably get bigger and stronger and be able to go with heavier weight. However, I don't think this routine will help with riding. It may actually hurt you...your muscles may get tired quicker and you'll get arm pump quicker. If you're going to do this you may want to step up your reps on your light days. Do like 15-20 reps on everything with lighter weight.

 

[Bullwinkle58]

I agree with Njkx. You don't want to bulk up if you are a serious rider because your weight to horsepower ratio will not be as good as the guy who weighs less than you. Anotherwords, he will have the advantage considering he has the same skill, etc. Lift light for endurance, and do lots of cardio.

 

[zio]

It's not easy "bulking up". Adding lots of muscle takes a lot of work & a long time.

And why will more muscle tire him faster or give arm pump quicker?

I say lift heavy. Building stronger core muscles will help on the motorcycle. Squats, deadlifts, dumbell presses, pull-ups, all of these help with your core strength.

I'd take an extra 5 lbs of muscle any day, regardless of how it affects top speed or accelleration on the bike. BFD.

 

[Shig]

Here's a link to the upper body workout on Albee's website.
http://www.how2ride.com/members/train3c.html
All of the sets are 10-30 reps, but none of the exercises seem particularly unique or sport specific to MX. The workout is premised by the statement that it is a general workout, and may not be suited to everyone.

I'm with Zio that no harm can come from heavy lifting, but I've heard alot of the propaganda against heavy weights for MX. I have not heard a legitimate reason why, so if anyone knows the facts, please clue us in.

It seems that any weight training routine should be targeted as much to the individual's body type as it is to the sport. Your workout will vary depending on whether you are an endomorph, ectomorph or mesomorph (fat, skinny or muscular). An ectomorph (skinny guy) would get more out of a heavy routine to build peak strength. The endomorph or mesomorph would get more sport-specific gains from higher reps.

 

[njkx]

I'm not saying that strength building exercises aren't good, especially if you are skinny and need to built strength. However, my personal opinion is that doing 4 reps with heavy weight does nothing for you on the track. You are training your muscles to give you a short burst of energy and power and then rest. Based on personal experience I didn't like the feeling of feeling all "pumped up" halfway into a moto. I noticed a huge difference when I started doing higher reps with light weight. BTW, when was the last time you saw a pro rider with a huge chest and biceps.

 

[zio]

BTW, when was the last time you saw a pro rider with a huge chest and biceps.

Never. Same reason you never see a long distance runner with big muscles. But sprinters, on the other hand, are usually much more developed.

 

[zio]

zia says your routine sounds like Body For Life. Not enough sets per muscle. And only 4 reps isn't gonna cut it, unless you're doing some seriously intense power lifting. You're not putting your muslce fibers under stress long enough to work them optimally. I'd say get your reps up to 6-8, and more like 10 total sets per group. And that depends on which muscle you're working. If it's your deltoids- there's three distinct heads that require their own "workout" so to speak. Arnold Presses, front raises, side raises, shrugs & upright rows are some of my favorite shoulder exercises, but they almost completely neglect the rear delts.

Go buy a book (or buy a coffee & hang out at the bookstore for a few hours) that shows each muscle group & what excercise targets each. Strength Training Anatomy is a book that we use a lot. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._books_2/102-2734333-0678540?v=glance&s=books