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Training for DH racing???

goodtobeIrie

Monkey
Aug 25, 2004
494
0
nor cal
I was wondering if any of you senioritas were willing to give me an idea of what your training regimen was like for your DH racing....ie: cardiovascular, weights, nutrition, type of trail riding, drops, jumps, etc....anything and everything would be appreciated....thanks :p
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
goodtobeIrie said:
I was wondering if any of you senioritas were willing to give me an idea of what your training regimen was like for your DH racing....ie: cardiovascular, weights, nutrition, type of trail riding, drops, jumps, etc....anything and everything would be appreciated....thanks :p
I am going to the gym and working out several days a week doing cardio/weight training. I have a personal trainer that I am working with right now and he has me working on strength and balance/flexablility(flexability helps with crashing not doing so much damage). I try and ride as much as possible. Mostly cross country. I have found myself trying alot harder stuff on my xc bike like jumping and dropping. Some weekends we try and DH if weather permits. Thats what I am doing...don't know if that helps... :(
 

radjockette

Monkey
Jun 26, 2004
162
0
PNW woods
Weight training especially centered around upper body strength; shoulders, triceps, biceps, back and some chest. A few sets for the legs and calves is good for some strength, but actually getting on the bike, any bike, even an indoor trainer geared at not just spinning exercises, but biking with a purpose for strength. If you know what interval training is, that is what you want. Obviously, practicing on drops is good and jumps that you would find on a race course (road gaps). Biking dh and freeride requires alot of upper body strength so targetting those areas for strength but not like powerlifting. Do sets of 3 for 10-15 reps is good. I would pick two different exercises for each upper body muscle group.
If you're into indoor training, bike classes at gyms are good or what I enjoy for hardcore workouts is Troy Jacobson's workout tapes and dvd's. I employed Troy's services for a personal trainer online for doing triathlons and he helped me acheive a 10th overall in the world at the world's trialthlon championships.
Hope that helps some. Tried to be brief. If you have any experience lifting weights then go to your local gym and pick it up there. If you have some knowledge and have some dusty weights lying around, I could give you a workout routine. I've been lifting weights and use to body build for many years. I have some free weights and a bowflex at home and workout 3 times a week for just about 1hr.
 

Pedalist

Monkey
Sep 20, 2003
126
0
Clayton, NC
I tied a rope to my handlebars and the back of my jeep my buddy drives all over the damn place and I have to pedal to keep up. I wear a logging chain around my kneck at all times. I go to the batting cages and have children wack me in the shins repeatedly so I feel no pain. I eat a dozen eggs and two porter house steaks every morning. I drink 2-3 gallons of purified mountain water a day. I took the brakes off of my cross country bike and converted it to a 11-44 single speed. I max my bench press and squats every two days. As far as sleep goes I prefer to sleep with a rope tied to each arm and leg pulling me in opposite directions suspended 8 feet in the air so I can get a good stretching in during those useless hours of the night when second place and all the wrest of the pukes are in bed.

Seriously when you workout with weights think about what keeps you on the bike. Your arms shoulders and back. Think about what stabilizes your torso. Your lower back and abdominal area. Your lower back and abdominal region are two of the most neglected areas of most peoples bodies. When you lift with your legs do squats and calf work. Avoid leg extensions and leg curls they stress the knees a lot and really are only good for improving definition. I do squats and deadlifts for my lower back and legs. Use good form. Stretch stretch stretch. I stretch 3 times a week and before I ride. I am more into freeride than downhill. I like to do roadgaps and drops. I also used to compete in powerlifting. Don't worry to much about how you look get in the gym use good form get done get out. I mess around with some trials type riding to improve my balance. 3 sets of 8-10 reps of bench press 1 sets of 8-10 reps military press 3-sets of 10 reps dips. 4 sets of 15 reps squats 3 sets of 10 reps deadlift. 3 sets of pullups for 45 second even if you can only hang there don't worry you will improve seated rows with the cable machine 3 sets of 10 4 sets of 10 shrugs. This is should be done on seperate days 3 times a week. I also work my kneck because I don't want to get it broken. I do cardio almost everyday. I work my abs every morning while enjoying my morning cup of coffee. :dancing: :dancing:
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
MudGrrl said:
Mutoli,
Where do you find time for all of it?
It's tuff. I think the thing that really helps is that my husband also rides/races and we do it together. So, we kinda push each other to stay on track. Don't get me wrong, there are times where I just want to sit at home and watch movies!!! :D
 

DH Diva

Wonderwoman
Jun 12, 2002
1,808
1
And in addition to what everyone else has suggested, don't forget the plyometrics and olympic style power lifting. Both help develop explosive power, reaction time, and quickness all while helping strengthen your whole body.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
DH Diva said:
And in addition to what everyone else has suggested, don't forget the plyometrics and olympic style power lifting. Both help develop explosive power, reaction time, and quickness all while helping strengthen your whole body.
Hey ya! I'm working with a coach up in Seattle that uses plyometrics. At first I thought it was just another fad thing, but after a few sessions you can tell it really works!
 

Velocity Girl

whack-a-mole
Sep 12, 2001
1,279
0
Atlanta
Last year I was working with a trainer and training about 5 days a week. Combo of Plyometrics, weights, and spinning/intervals/riding. Normally 2 days a week plyo/weights and 3 days of cycling. Once we moved to Jersey and back and had our whole season upended that threw everything off track though :(
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
Velocity Girl said:
Last year I was working with a trainer and training about 5 days a week. Combo of Plyometrics, weights, and spinning/intervals/riding. Normally 2 days a week plyo/weights and 3 days of cycling. Once we moved to Jersey and back and had our whole season upended that threw everything off track though :(
WOW! That is a lot of work! Did you feel the effects of the Plyometrics for riding? I don't race dh, just xc, but I still need to work and strengh and power.
 

goodtobeIrie

Monkey
Aug 25, 2004
494
0
nor cal
Hey, thanks for all the replies and suggestions...they're all great!!! I was also wondering about length of xc rides, are they flat rides or mostly uphill and then down or ???(or length spent on cardio in gym) Also if anyone's willing to put in the time to post their routine or even a condensed version that would be very kind of ya...and also maybe wgts. you use and for what lift...I'm trying to get an idea of how much of a wimp I am and see how strong you Dh racer girls are...just wondering if I'll be able to keep up cuz I've never even seen a race in person...Thanks again for your help... :D
 

Pedalist

Monkey
Sep 20, 2003
126
0
Clayton, NC
Oh one more thing. Ride your Downhill bike as much as possible. Get used to the feeling of being on it and how it handles. I ride mine on some less agressive cross country trails. It payed off because it improved my approach into corners.
 
Jan 7, 2004
686
0
D.C. area
Pedalist said:
Oh one more thing. Ride your Downhill bike as much as possible. Get used to the feeling of being on it and how it handles....
I second that. I ride my DH bike (it's a freeride bike, actually) on asphalt bike paths, like along the Potomac River near D.C.

Roadies look at me like I'm a freak, but the truth is, I'm getting probably two to three times as much of a work-out as they are, since their bikes are so efficient on asphalt. So I don't have to ride nearly as far. (I still find myself riding 20 miles+ even though I originally just intend to go out for a "jaunt.")
 

Velocity Girl

whack-a-mole
Sep 12, 2001
1,279
0
Atlanta
Snacks said:
WOW! That is a lot of work! Did you feel the effects of the Plyometrics for riding? I don't race dh, just xc, but I still need to work and strengh and power.

I do think the Plyometrics helped and I noticed my length strength increase (my legs also seem to respond to weight training relatively fast which can be a good and bad thing because with that increase in muscle comes the increase in size!.....The price we pay for perfomance I guess :blah: )

Believe it or not I think I noticed the difference more in my xc riding...I could push some harder gears on the flats and climbs, so I defintely see how they'd help xc as well.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
Velocity Girl said:
I do think the Plyometrics helped and I noticed my length strength increase (my legs also seem to respond to weight training relatively fast which can be a good and bad thing because with that increase in muscle comes the increase in size!.....The price we pay for perfomance I guess :blah: )

Believe it or not I think I noticed the difference more in my xc riding...I could push some harder gears on the flats and climbs, so I defintely see how they'd help xc as well.
My legs don't respond to weight training at all! I have been stuck on the same weight for squats forever. I play soccer and run, but can never really increase my weight for squats.

We went for a hella long xc ride this weekend and I too noticed being able to spin in a harder gear, climbing easier, and my legs don't seem to tire at all!
 

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
I've found that the best training is a) road riding and b) upper body strength training. Road riding really did the most, as I was quickly humbled by how *hard* road riding was. Definitely built up the legs, although the explosive power was gotten from short steep uphills pushing a FR bike. The other thing that really made a difference was strength training the "core" areas; chest, back, shoulders, stomach. Upright row is good for getting the front of the bike up, and pushup/bench is good for holding yourself off of the handlebar. Situps are always good...

Hope this helps (from a guy, but it should be pretty relevant).
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
DH Diva said:
And in addition to what everyone else has suggested, don't forget the plyometrics

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I absolutely hate plyometric drills. they are extremely effetive but man do they hurt.
 

SpeedyObnox

Monkey
Aug 7, 2004
150
0
Velocity Girl said:
I do think the Plyometrics helped and I noticed my length strength increase (my legs also seem to respond to weight training relatively fast which can be a good and bad thing because with that increase in muscle comes the increase in size!.....The price we pay for perfomance I guess :blah: )
whoa there velocity, dont hesitate to add that muscle. there is nothing hotter than a well toned set of legs (butt) :drool: . increase in size is never a problem as long as you're toned. keep working and laura and i will cancel the wedding! :sneaky:
 

Repack

Turbo Monkey
Nov 29, 2001
1,889
0
Boston Area
Just ride. Mo tech = mo betta. Learning ANY size dirt jump is what has allowed me to progress my skills the most. DJing, manuals, drops and other skills are all fairly closely related. The learing curve for jumping can be tough at first, but you will advance quickly. I have come to find that my DH skills are all very closely related. Fitness + jumping = smooth and fast. I would go so far as to say that smoothness is more important than just pure fitness. Being smooth keeps you from getting beat up when the riding gets burly.
 

goodtobeIrie

Monkey
Aug 25, 2004
494
0
nor cal
Repack said:
Just ride. Mo tech = mo betta. Learning ANY size dirt jump is what has allowed me to progress my skills the most. DJing, manuals, drops and other skills are all fairly closely related. The learing curve for jumping can be tough at first, but you will advance quickly. I have come to find that my DH skills are all very closely related. Fitness + jumping = smooth and fast. I would go so far as to say that smoothness is more important than just pure fitness. Being smooth keeps you from getting beat up when the riding gets burly.
Are you speaking of riding Djs on my Dh bike or a hardtail...I can ride em on my Dh bike at least ones on a DH trail...learning to ride a hardtail right now on em...hoping to get good enough to ride on the BMX rythm sections soon, but the guys have them so vert and so high it's a little intimidating...not to mention you have to sprint your A** off to get enough speed to start you off...I imagine that's helping the training though....

I'm really trying to get an understanding of other female's training as far as length of cardio and amount of weight for girls...was wondering what's enough and what's just TOO much because I only have males to compare myself with here...
 

Velocity Girl

whack-a-mole
Sep 12, 2001
1,279
0
Atlanta
SpeedyObnox said:
whoa there velocity, dont hesitate to add that muscle. there is nothing hotter than a well toned set of legs (butt) :drool: . increase in size is never a problem as long as you're toned. keep working and laura and i will cancel the wedding! :sneaky:

Don't worry...although I might not like it at times, I won't sacrifice my riding to keep my legs smaller. That feeling of power when you can climb a hill in a harder gear, pedal harder out of the corners, or just ride all day long and still want more, it's priceless :D

goodtobeIrie said:
I'm really trying to get an understanding of other female's training as far as length of cardio and amount of weight for girls...was wondering what's enough and what's just TOO much because I only have males to compare myself with here...
When I was training harder (and what I'd like to get back to once all the chaos of my life calms down a bit) are approximately 1 hour sessions (of whatever it might be) 5 days a week. Normally one or two of those days might be longer though if they are xc rides or dh days. Once spring hits and a great local trail opens up (Tiger) we try to hit at least once a week. Good climbing and good technical xc riding. Admittedly I don't like the climbing quite as much :blah: but I know in the long run it's good for me.

The trick is trying to balance everything so you don't peak to quickly or burn out. If you constantly push your body at top speed day in and day out for months on end you'll crash and burn. (That's why I started working with a trainer last season).

One drill I would recommend that I actually enjoyed doing were "race starts". Give yourself a count down and sprint your a** of for 10-15 seconds to simulate a race start. I've found that the more I give myself "countdowns" the easier it is come race day. I especially do them in practice. Takes some of the edge off because you've alreday done half a dozen during practice.

Don't know how much any of that helps, but I hope you find a routine that works for you :)
 

goodtobeIrie

Monkey
Aug 25, 2004
494
0
nor cal
Thanks for the added advice Velocity Girl...the race start thing is a good idea...I think I'll start trying that when I'm pedaling my DH bike at some DJs on the flats...gotta sprint start anyways, might as well make it like a practice start... :p
 

Special K

Chimp
Feb 12, 2004
51
0
CT by way of Beantown
I have found that Joe Friel's mountain bike training bible really helps to develop my workouts...
In terms of cardio, his book really helped me plan out a month... and helped me peak at the times I wanted to... (I also race expert xc, short track and super d). Some weeks it would be 2 hours, while others would 10 or so. The max riding I do in a week was about 12 (well that was before I broke my femur). I just moved up to expert downhill and the stuff from my expert xc that has worked extremely well for downhill are some sprints in the middle of the week.
For weights, I focused on my upper body and core only (the exercise ball is an awesome inexpensive tool and comes with a chart of exercises).
 

Special K

Chimp
Feb 12, 2004
51
0
CT by way of Beantown
goodtobeIrie said:
Are you speaking of riding Djs on my Dh bike or a hardtail...I can ride em on my Dh bike at least ones on a DH trail...learning to ride a hardtail right now on em...hoping to get good enough to ride on the BMX rythm sections soon, but the guys have them so vert and so high it's a little intimidating...not to mention you have to sprint your A** off to get enough speed to start you off...I imagine that's helping the training though....

Repack typing as Special K
I like shorter travel bikes. I have a Spec Enduro set up small- short stem and post. I don't like DH bikes on DJ's. The travel makes it tricky. A HT will be tough at first, but you will end up being much smoother. I here you about the steep tranny's though. Its worth it to find, or maybe even build some small jumps. There is a set of smal jumps near my house that I go to a fair amount. "Advanced" jumps are meant for better riders on small jumps. They are not easy to hit, so do not feel bad.
Given your bike options, I would try on the HT. If you do not have a small (as short as possible) stem and seat post, it is worth it to buy them. Both can be had for cheap. See if a LBS has an old take-off saddle that they can give you. The dj bike that I built for K is her old XC bike. Its a Trek womens small (1 size too small for XC) with some strong/cheap wheels, Woodman DH stem, riser HB, and the seat dropped all the way down.