Ducati Monster Forum

As i try to improve my riding, ( more aggressive ) I have come to a realisation. I never considered myself out of shape ( what guy ever does ) 6'2" 220lbs not really a beer belly or close to a six pack to be honest, 34 years old. Always been pretty active but not so much in the last few years. I find myself not really sore after a spirited canyon run, but compensating, weight shifting while riding try to use core muscles then after a while find myself with all my weight on my arms then back and forth. Constantly sliding my butt back and forth trying to make sure i get proper blood flow. All those adjustments leave room for error. Maybe this should go under the get fit thread. But struggling to find time to ride in ones busy life leaves even less-non existent time to work out. It is crystal clear to me. Being in good physical fitness is mandatory!

Q : What to do ? what to do ?
A : Get back in shape you fat ass!

God i hate getting old.

Becoming a better rider must be a good motivation  [moto]

A basic core strength training program can be done in 10 minutes, 3 times a week.

Decide when to start and do it [thumbsup]

I have a son your age.  (http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/SM/oldguy.gif)

Regular exercise is the only way to keep from "getting old".  That and a sensible diet to keep from fattening up.

Still, there are some aspects of aging that you can't completely stop, so prepare for them now.  Loss of hearing, for example, can be reduced by wearing earplugs regularly.  Not a whole lot you can do about eyesight degradation.

I feel that I'm still in fine shape for riding on the street.  It's when I get on a dirt bike that I realize I'm not in as good of shape as I used to be.

I'm unbelievably out of shape and it really impairs my riding.  Proper technique helps, but I still hurt.

One thing that few people talk about that makes a massive difference in my riding:  stretching.  I like to stretch for at least 20 mins before a long ride.  It makes a huge difference in how I feel about my riding, how I perform, and how I feel the next day.  If I can, I'll stretch a bit after lunch too before we ride, but that doesn't always work out.  Stretching my legs, waist and lower back has bigger impact than my shoulders, back and arms, which is opposite of what one might expect. 

Yah yup.  And the good thing is, You can do a very simple, 'getting back into it' routine, all the way up to 'I can take a baseball bat to the gut' with just a few square feet and little to no equipment, at home.  Though a small investment in a ball  like this (http://www.amazon.com/Valeo-Burst-Resistant-65cm-Green/dp/B0017W2CLU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1236133452&sr=8-1) is worth it.

Segue...

Those balls can also be very use full for the stretching Spidey mentions.  Stretching before a ride, as suggested is good and you're probably more likely to do it.  If you have the time/energy/presence of mind stretching after the ride will help prevent soreness.  In general, working stretching in as something you do a couple times a week is good for keeping the 'old' away.  Besides flexibility, it can promote strength and circulation.

I'm a couple years younger, but some of my Rugby and Martial arts vices of the past are showing signs.  If I get lax/lazy about stretching, it's noticeable in how I feel

+1 on all that. I think aging can be in part simply getting out of shape and then injuring yourself slowly with bad habits and fat.

Yoga is a game changing thing to add to your exercise IMO.
A good teacher will getting you into a life style of sitting correctly, standing correctly, exercising correctly etc. that gets your head into riding with good ergo's.

It can be a mentality that keeps you from aging badly, and keeps you riding well.

here's something that is affecting me physically. i get hip joint 'cramps' i mean so bad i want to jump off the bike. i try stretching out my legs or standing up and it relieves it but as soon as i'm back on the pegs or sitting down. OWWWWW.  what kind of exercise will help that?

I have/had the same problem - if you're talking about the immediate front of your hip, where it cramps up when the foot is lifted up to the pegs.

My solution was sit ups with the legs held down, like in a sit ups bench. Even better with a rotating movement towards the top of the crunch. We're build in a way that will engage the muscles involved to aid in these kinds of sit ups (synergist muscles).

An alternative is to attach an elastic band to your ankle + something heavy on the floor, and do leg raises against the resistance of the elastic. Search for the angles that targets exactly the muscles you are looking to strengthen.

Stretching in the opposite direction might also help

been thru this with my daughter due to a soccer injury.  Core strength training works.  Bands like below help for this specifically.  You put them around your ankles, walking forward & back with a half moon step, keeping tension on the bands.  You can also use a side step, keeping tension.


http://tsa.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p4626708reg.jpg (http://tsa.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p4626708reg.jpg)

+1 for yoga.   helps the hip cramp thing too.

Oye. I'm only 23, and I've had HUGE problems with my hips and riding. Not out of shape by any means, i work out 3-4 times a week, including cardio and strength training. Nothing mind-blowing, but i do my best to keep active and keep strong. I have found, however, that my joints are just destroyed from highschool sports... My hip, well, just flipping hurts. I tried everything, and then realized i wasn't really stretching very much... Started stretching out the hip, and doing some abduction/adduction routines at the gym, and it seems to be getting better.

being a relatively strong guy has definitely helped my riding, and has helped me save my bike from stupid low/no speed topples a few times. if i weren't as strong, i just wouldnt have been able to hold it up. a relatively strong core has also made it possible for me to tote a 25lb backpack a couple hundred miles without really hating it...

my experiences are less age related though.. there are some improvements that could be made to the bike itself to make your life easier, like bars, seat, and even adjustable rearsets to take some pressure off of key places.

wow, didn't realize the hip cramp thing was such a common thing.

I have been on a strict regimen of 12 oz curls for years. I don't know if it helps but I find it enjoyable. [drink]

+1 for yoga.....I have been taking it once a week for 8 months through my gym.  It takes all the soreness out of my body after I workout.  When my instructor tells us to turn our thoughts inward, I focus on riding technique and my favorite sections of road.  It has made me a better rider, and I enjoy every yoga class b/c I am thinking about perfect lines and body position as we practice.

You may also try cycling to improve your fitness. I'm an avid mountain biker/roadie and although it doesn't do much for your core it enhances  your motorcycling ability.  For newbie's like me (been riding 3 years) it gave me a lot of confidence coming from 2 real skinny wheels.  Plus riding a bicycle on a 2 inch wide saddle makes the stock seam plush by comparison.  I'm studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and that pretty much works out the rest of they body.

+11

Well as anyone who is familiar with the San Joaquin valley in CA. can tell you Valley Fever is a pregnant dog, turns out all the aches pains and general fatigue was just that Valley Fever. Last 2 years I've been dismissing forementioned symptoms as a sign of just getting older. On the meds now i think I'm feeling better. WOO - HOO
I still need to loose a few pounds..........

I'm 46,and i go to the gym religously for 27 yrs now,not huge or anything like bulky,just staying in shape.I've been riding for 7 yrs.Now the thing for me when riding long trips,track days, city rides etc...is i can recover faster than my riding mates who doesn't workout.So staying fit really benefits us riders,plus you can handle a fall much better... ;D

Whereabouts in the SJ valley are you at? I was born and raised in Stockton, but (as I always say) I escaped.  :)

Back to your topic. The one thing I need to really work on is my left wrist. Last September, I was in an accident and fractured it. I have a titanium (cool! [thumbsup]) plate now. But over the past 6 months, atrophy set in and my wrist is still stiff and weak. Prior to my accident, I was working out religiously 4-5 days/week. I'm now slowly going back to the gym, but it hurts soooo bad. My incentive is I can't ride very long till the pain kicks in. Knowing this is preventing me from going on longer rides keeps me motivated to working out.

Yesterday, a buddy and I put on 360 miles in one day. Another part of my workout regimen for a big 850 mile ride we're doing in May. My wrist was killing me by the end of the day as it is today, but no pain, no gain! [thumbsup]

Best of luck and stay consistent.

Taft Ca. an ity bitty town west of where Bobspopa lives in BAKERSUCK.

I started working out regularly over the winter and i have to say my first ride on my bike after only a month of regular excercise made a big difference in my riding!  I do a lot of cycling mainly with weight lifting and core 2-3times a week.

That's my regimen except I use a different liquid.

I have been successfully fighting malaria since 1984; the gin is just to dilute the quinine.

Woe - freaky. A friend of mine almost died from it a couple of years ago. He was down to 90 pounds.  I had that in AZ when I was 8, but it was mild.
I don't remember much about it. Are you on on-going meds for it? Does it ever go away?

Desmostro - yeah they got me on meds they say that once you fight it with the meds you build up an immunity 2 years of meds that terrorizes your liver, we will see what happens.

I'm 47 now, when I was younger, late teens through the 30's or so, I used to ride my dirtbike 1-3 times a week at Hollister Hills.  I was 5-11, about 210-250 over those years, lots of dope smoking and and eating crappy food all the time, but I had a whole lot more wind than I do now.   And I could actually keep up with most anyone I rode with back then.   I kiind of burned out on that stuff after about 20 years, went street only for a while, quit weed and started doing cocaine, got down to about 170, which was as light as I have ever been.  Got tired of the dope, dope dealers and all the BS, bought another dirtbike, quit dope, bought a few more street bikes over the years, and have come to the conclusion that I can't ride as well as I used to.   I've got a YZ450F that I don't ride as much as I should, mainly because it kicks my ass now, and I don't bounce as well as I used to, and also, I've got a mortgage, a kid in a local college, one at Berkeley, and a whole bunch more responsibility and have to go to work on Monday.  No more calling in sick because I'm all stoved up from a crash. 

Right now, on a longer ride, the two fingers of my throttle hand go numb after 50 miles or so, carpal tunnel maybe?   Also, knees get stiff, hips get sore, etc., etc.    Wow, almost time to eat a bullet.  Or get a wheelchair to do wheelies in. 

<begin preaching>
yoga. Start slow. reverse some of that.  [thumbsup]
<end preaching>

i'm getting the numb fingers too. so yoga helps that?

Damn Bro, this isn't an NA meeting.

Yoga improves circulation, flexibility, and strength.  It certainly won't hurt to try it, and any side effects will be total body health.  I started it less than a year ago, and will continue to do it for the rest of my life!

Plus, you are pretty much guaranteed more boobies than [bacon] in every class  8)

Ride Safe!

- Oh, and I enjoyed Corndog's honesty...I doubt many of us would admit to same type of regrets on a public forum.  It shows the strength this tight knit owners group has, and how comfortable he feels with us.

Hi, I'm Corndog and I'm a .............You're right, it kind of sounded like that.   Sorry.  Getting old, tending to repeat myself sometimes.  And go on and on. 

Later, Robert

What-ev Robert. This is a "forum" right? if you get something out of it, it's good.
Tigre Woods does yoga. Lance Armstrong runs and lifts weights. All the MOTP GP guys work out like mad.
What I'm getting at, Tech, health, it's all about riding. It all counts right?

Let it all hang out IMHO. then we all learn.

Just don't squeeze the grips so hard...take it from this 55-year old it only gets less better...  [drink]

I'm pretty relaxed when I ride, I tend to let the bike kind of float, I don't gorilla grip the bars.  I think I'm get Carpal Tunnel, but I'm not paying to go see the doctor only to have her tell me I need and operation and time off of work.  It's been kind of getting worse over the past 4 years or so.   I'll do something about it when I can't hold a fork any more.

one of the things i was wondering about is the position of the controls. maybe my wrists are too angled.

cross fit

if you have issues with your hands/fingers going numb you have one or more issues going on...

*gloves don't fit properly
*controls not properly adjusted
*you need to relax your grip on the bars just a tad
*you have serious cardiovascular issues and might want to think about trading your bike for a rascal or jazzy

 i think my issues are 2 or 3 maybe one or both.
i've been thinking about rotating the bar forward a bit on the 696 to bring the controls down more.

when you're on the bike in your normal riding position, your wrists shouldnt have to be bent at all for you to apply the brake or clutch.. just be straight as an arrow. not having your levers or even clip ons adjusted properly will cause pressure points that can make riding VERY uncomfortable

yeah that is for sure one of my issues. i tried to rotate the controls forward but they wont go anymore and the bikini fairing is in the way. i'm gonna try and rotate the bars forward to see if that will do it.

just keep in mind that doing so will alter your riding position and could case you to put more weight on your hands

I ride with my elbows kind of up, in attack position, but I have motocross style bars, and as such, my levers are rotated down a little bit compared to some.  It's how I've been adjusting all my bikes bars for years and years, I know where the levers are when i need them, it's comfortable, and I feel I have good control with my elbows up.   It came from dirt bike riding and it works for me.   When I sit on other peoples sleds, their levers feel like they are pointed up, you have to reach up to grab them and that doesn't feel right to me.  On my dirt bike, where I should be standing most of the time, they are rotated even farther down, so in a standing position, they are in the right place, but the street bike is just a little below where most people have them.

so maybe that's what i'm doing?

i need to keep my elbows low to keep my arms lower and my hands flatter. hmmm i will really try to see if i am keeping my arms too high.

Raux, every good rider that has ever giving me any kind of coaching, street or dirt, has said to keep your elbows up in an attack position, keeping more weight on the front wheel.  If your elbows are down, and your front wheel starts going away, it's gone, if your elbows are up, you might have a chance to catch it before you hit the ground. 

thanks. geez i wish i could figure this out though. my hands are going numb too much

That might be the case for dirt and city, but for the twisties and track .... I'm pretty sure the consensus is elbows loose and low.
Monsters have an identity problem in that respect - the OEM bars won't allow a natural whole-handed grip without also pointing the elbows out. For longer rides and spirited/track riding - with the elbows down/loose - the hands will only be in partial contact with the grip, thus the pain issues.


The solution is, most probably, changing the ergonomics of your grip. Rizoma for sweep and added height. Suburban Machinery Bars for sweep only.
Clip ons for sweep, but usually comes with a lower grip result.

You should also check if rotating the levers will help - the wrists should always be straight.