- Joined
- Nov 23, 2012
- Messages
- 2,384
- Location
- Iceland
Hiya,
So how do you train?
Everybody has their sport - I think I've found a few that work well for me. In that they keep me engaged and are good overall training and also translate well to offroad riding.
Rock climbing / bouldering: Subtly different than it seems at first, once you get into it. Technical rock climbing is really a mix of weightlifting, chess, and yoga. Trains brute upper arm strength - nothing is as monstrous as a climber's forearms, shoulders, neck - but is also a really good core and leg workout (the legs are used to push the body up). Also, the instinct not to fall off the wall kicks in, and you don't really have to force yourself to continue as in weight training, you just better bleeding well hang on. Training with horizontal traverses on a long wall will basically eliminate arm pump from your vocabulary. Climbing does wonders for mental focus too - it's a very medidative sport much like riding a bike - there is really no room for conscious thought. There is only the wall and gravity. Also teaches subtle and powerful lessons on shifting weight and balance - body positioning is the key to reaching weird holds, which imo translates very well to dirt bike riding. Ridiculous burn rate too, the calories/hour figure for technical climbing is among the highest you see.
Kettlebell training / MMA-style "combat conditioning" / crossfit: Mixed kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, powerlifting, cardio, high-intensity training. This type of deal has been popular a few years now. It really freaking works. I now understand what it actually means to have strong core musculature. All body language changes and movement becomes more efficient, powerful, pleasant, and fun. A really solid core workout also gives an endorphin high second to none. It's ridiculous. I find myself walking home from the gym with a cracked grin and glazed eyes, absolutely high as a kite from the post-workout rush. Haven't felt it this strongly in any other sport. While this is obviously pleasant and nice, it is also important because it keeps you coming to the gym. Subtle effects of this type of training are also greater coordination and balance - exercises like heavy single-leg deadlifts and double kettlebell snatches are a very good teacher of unification of movement. (Hard to explain without sounding pompous!)
Brazilian jiu jitsu: One of the foundations of modern MMA fighting. A Brazilian twist of out-of-the-box efficiency on an ancient Japanese art. Incredible stamina workout - it REALLY knocks the wind out of you - and superb also for coordination, reflexes, focus, strategy of motion and dominance over a fast-paced situation. The social aspect is very strong too - it's such a primal thing. As modern humans we have really lost our way if we aren't play-fighting regularly. Very high engagement factor so easy to keep going, and no tools needed - just another human to pretzel and become pretzeled by
It's lots of fun to spar against an opponent that is very different physically - bigger or smaller - as techniques relating to this are integrated into the system.
High-intensity training / "Tabata"-style workouts: Strategically packs high effort into a short time, maximising physical gains for the time put in. In essence this involves 30-60 second bursts of activity at around 80% of max effor with a short rest in between. Usually alternated so that different muscle groups are targeted in sequence, packing a solid workout into a surprisingly short time, as little as 5-7 minutes. There are lots of mobile apps with good workout plans, here are a couple of good ones: Well Workouts ... the advanced workout is crazy! takes a big piece out of you in 7 minutes (although it looks pretty funny when you're doing it!)
Yoga: Mysticism aside, yoga is a very refined system to stretch and strengthen ALL of human musculature, balance, body positioning, and focus. Having strong, flexible hips and back is something quite magical. If you have access to a good, aggressively physical yoga teacher with classical Western physiology training who also makes some light use of the mystical/meditative aspects, they truly will give you your time's worth of practice and training. The combination for a very strong workout package.
So! What do you like to do?
So how do you train?
Everybody has their sport - I think I've found a few that work well for me. In that they keep me engaged and are good overall training and also translate well to offroad riding.
Rock climbing / bouldering: Subtly different than it seems at first, once you get into it. Technical rock climbing is really a mix of weightlifting, chess, and yoga. Trains brute upper arm strength - nothing is as monstrous as a climber's forearms, shoulders, neck - but is also a really good core and leg workout (the legs are used to push the body up). Also, the instinct not to fall off the wall kicks in, and you don't really have to force yourself to continue as in weight training, you just better bleeding well hang on. Training with horizontal traverses on a long wall will basically eliminate arm pump from your vocabulary. Climbing does wonders for mental focus too - it's a very medidative sport much like riding a bike - there is really no room for conscious thought. There is only the wall and gravity. Also teaches subtle and powerful lessons on shifting weight and balance - body positioning is the key to reaching weird holds, which imo translates very well to dirt bike riding. Ridiculous burn rate too, the calories/hour figure for technical climbing is among the highest you see.
Kettlebell training / MMA-style "combat conditioning" / crossfit: Mixed kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, powerlifting, cardio, high-intensity training. This type of deal has been popular a few years now. It really freaking works. I now understand what it actually means to have strong core musculature. All body language changes and movement becomes more efficient, powerful, pleasant, and fun. A really solid core workout also gives an endorphin high second to none. It's ridiculous. I find myself walking home from the gym with a cracked grin and glazed eyes, absolutely high as a kite from the post-workout rush. Haven't felt it this strongly in any other sport. While this is obviously pleasant and nice, it is also important because it keeps you coming to the gym. Subtle effects of this type of training are also greater coordination and balance - exercises like heavy single-leg deadlifts and double kettlebell snatches are a very good teacher of unification of movement. (Hard to explain without sounding pompous!)
Brazilian jiu jitsu: One of the foundations of modern MMA fighting. A Brazilian twist of out-of-the-box efficiency on an ancient Japanese art. Incredible stamina workout - it REALLY knocks the wind out of you - and superb also for coordination, reflexes, focus, strategy of motion and dominance over a fast-paced situation. The social aspect is very strong too - it's such a primal thing. As modern humans we have really lost our way if we aren't play-fighting regularly. Very high engagement factor so easy to keep going, and no tools needed - just another human to pretzel and become pretzeled by
It's lots of fun to spar against an opponent that is very different physically - bigger or smaller - as techniques relating to this are integrated into the system.High-intensity training / "Tabata"-style workouts: Strategically packs high effort into a short time, maximising physical gains for the time put in. In essence this involves 30-60 second bursts of activity at around 80% of max effor with a short rest in between. Usually alternated so that different muscle groups are targeted in sequence, packing a solid workout into a surprisingly short time, as little as 5-7 minutes. There are lots of mobile apps with good workout plans, here are a couple of good ones: Well Workouts ... the advanced workout is crazy! takes a big piece out of you in 7 minutes (although it looks pretty funny when you're doing it!)
Yoga: Mysticism aside, yoga is a very refined system to stretch and strengthen ALL of human musculature, balance, body positioning, and focus. Having strong, flexible hips and back is something quite magical. If you have access to a good, aggressively physical yoga teacher with classical Western physiology training who also makes some light use of the mystical/meditative aspects, they truly will give you your time's worth of practice and training. The combination for a very strong workout package.
So! What do you like to do?
