The racer workout

[mostrobelle]

Cycling FTW.   

I started up on the bicycle for similar reasons--I don't have a weight problem--kind of the opposite.  However, I'm pretty small and tossing a 400 lb. bike around all day on the track is a lot for me.  My endurance was crap and my legs would be on fire after 3 sessions.  I'd spend the last half of every day just trying to get through it instead of having a good time and getting faster.  I got so tired one time that I just let the bike fall over in the pit.  Yeah.  That tired.  Pathetic.   

That was a couple of years ago, and the work is definitely paying off.  Now that I don't have to battle fatigue so early in the day my times are dropping on the motorcycle dramatically.  I've found that the regular workouts teach you to breath properly and manage your heartrate also.  Simply doing something physical regularly makes the few trackdays that I do feel like less of a shock to my mind and body.  I've come to enjoy the cycling a lot--so much that I've signed up for my first century (100 miles) ride in August.  I've got three trackdays after that--a couple hundred miles on the moto in a day is going to feel like a Sunday cruise!  [moto]

[Grio]

I'm sure a lot of the fatigue you are feeling at the track is just from "processing" and focus...
And yes the excersice and diet will help.  Every body has given good advice, so good luck.  Persoanlly, I could run all day and night, but I hate the stationary bike at my gym.   I force myself to do it.  Maybe I should get a mountainbike.

[Beattie_Yoo]

Perfect Pushup .... Seriously though for 40 bucks this lil tool is no joke. its all about the core muscles.
That and a healthy diet will go a long way. track days (or US rides) will ware you out real fast, a good diet will fuel your brain much longer than McD's breakfast sandwich. when your focus starts to fade, you have to work harder which will accelerate fatigue.

[Pakhan]

Liposuction and cocaine FTW 

[fasterblkduc]

Lots of good advice here.  I gave up my daily donut at work in the morning, and cut back to almost no beer, and it has made a big difference. I lost almost 10 pounds by doing those two things. Then again I have a stupid high metabolism.

I'll add another perspective that helped me a lot for racing. Relaxing! Seriously, my laptimes are so much faster now that I've learned to relax. There are some things that I've done to help that.

Earplugs....I can't say enough good things about wearing earplugs. It cuts out the wind noise, and helps you to stay relaxed and focused.

Mouthguard....Man this one really makes a difference. No more cotton mouth, and no more stress from clenching my teeth. And, it reduces the chances of concussions. That's why it's required in some sports. You can purchase these from sporting goods stores, and follow instructions on fitting them to your teeth. (involves boiling it first)

Tape over Speedo....This may only apply to the real fast tracks like B.I.R. but not looking at your speedo will keep you from getting scared of your speed. Put a piece of Ductape on it and write "RELAX" on it. My home track has two corners where it's WOT all the way through in top gear. When on a middleweight bike or bigger, you don't want to look at your speed as your tipping into the turn at 170 mph!

Water.....as mentioned before, gotta do it!

Diet....On race weekends, I just eat high protein and high energy foods. I've got a pretty good diet normally so this is not a stretch for me. I do load up on Cliff Bars during racing. One of my sponsors supplies those so that's a no-brainer.

Resting....I just sit and rest between races as much as possible. I try block out everything and just relax. Then when it's time to race, I'm calm and ready to go.

I know it's not directly related to fitness but being relaxed will make you go faster, and conserve a ton of energy.

[Ducatista]

Tape over Speedo

Gauges?  What are those?     Grio Gris and others who have talked about the mental aspect of fatigue have a definite point.  Just go for a cruise around the block and then pick up the pace on your own.  You'll tense up fewer muscles, have fewer oh poop moments, and get tired less easily.

[dropstharockalot]

Muay Thai.  http://www.indianapolismartialartsclub.com/

I dropped 20 lbs in 6 months, and then slowly shaved off the other stubborn 10 lbs over the last year.  I'm in better shape at 31 than I was at 21, and I was playing lacrosse in college.

Obviously, practicing fighting arts tones your whole body.  The movements of the Muay Thai tend to develop your core, and especially your legs and hips.  Any instructor with any fighting experience will also add lots of body-weight resistance and calasthenics as part of a class.  All of that is great for adding endurance to the muscles you need to hang of the bike.

If you don't do extensive contact sparring or fight, you don't have to worry about getting all banged up... the best part of the workout is how low-impact it is.  You're not pounding your knees and lower back like when you run miles.

I'm trying to get one of my riding buddies to give it a shot, but he's balking at the cost... he's willing to drop $1800 on a full exhaust system to cut 8 lbs from his bike, but won't spend the same amount to shave 30 lbs permanently off his butt... go figure.

[sqweak]

Wow!  Thanks for all the great info and pointers!  What a great resource this board is

I'm on day 3 of the patch and my bad eating and soda habits are slowing in anticipation of changing them wholesale on monday.  I'll check in here occasionally with progress.

[dropstharockalot]

Forgot to mention... Once I'd started losing weight and getting more comfortable with regular Muay Thai classes, I did eventually start sparring and fighting.  After a few sessions I realized that I needed to get physically stronger, since Muay Thai involves a lot of upright wrestling ("clinch" fighting), and I was getting pwnt by all these buffed up young guys.  I didn't want to bulk up, get large, or get slow - just develop functional strength - so I started working with a friend that is addicted to this website... http://crossfit.com/

The site can be a little daunting and initially hard to decipher, but at the core of all that yah-yah is a foundation of exercises that develop your ability to do a lot of work over a short period of time.  They focus on getting the muscles to work together in realistic movements, as opposed, say, to laying on your back and pushing a bar over and over - something that you'll never do in real life.

The site offers demo vids, daily workouts, tips on logging progress, and occassionaly has pictures of toned chicks in tight gear bending over (bonus!).  I've found it to be a great way to avoid workout tedium, which is one very real reason that people starting up a fitness routine bail out early in the process.  It also helps that most of what they demo on that site can be accomplished with some very basic equipment, things that are readily available on the average public playground, or no equipment at all.

Some of this stuff can be extremely strenuous, so don't pick an intense workout (like 'The 300') and expect to knock it out your first time through.  But you can cut down the recommended weight or reps or just do some of the prescribed activities until your fitness level catches up.

I was a weight room guy for years, and now I swear by this stuff.

Good luck.

[junior varsity]

a lot of guys that compete in watercross and dirtbike - many more bumps to absorb with your body, swear by the ol' standards:

Push, Pull, Squat.

(Benchpress, Deadlift, Squat - for those not hip with lifting lingo).

The classic three weight exercises, and there are infinite variations.

[Sforza]

This is a great thread.  I'm a bigger rider, 220ish, would love to get back to my HS playing weight of about 190. 

Living in NYC I face the beers, pizza,  and soda conundrum all the time.  I try to moderate, but for the most part I eat what I like, and drink when I'm dry.  My roommate calls me the most active kid he knows and the worst eater.

I try to run, and get out on the pedal bike.  My other sport I need to stay shape for is ice hockey.

Anyway, after reading this thread yesterday I went for a central park loop.  I’m just riding along on lower east side and this guy starts talking to me…Its Mathew Modine.  He handed me a flyer for his bicycle group which I thought was pretty cool.

http://www.bicycleforaday.com/home.html

I was so pissed I did get him do some Full Metal jacket lines for me.

[sh]

As dumb as it sounds, I've always found sit-ups to be good for core.  The results are pretty quick too.

[Ontario_Monster]

So the gf managed to con me into going back to the gym, only she signs us up for a body boot camp, outdoors, resistance training, running and I have to admit I've found that my core is lacking, my endurance sucks and I still hate running.  But after 3 weeks, the work outs are getting any easier (the intesity picks up each work out) but my recovery time is starting to get shorter.  Ok so I F*ked up my knee the other night over compensating but still I'm starting to feel better after only 3 weeks (3 days a week).  Yea there was a bit of a diet change but it isn't drastic and really I've had to cut back to light beer, my Irish great grand father is rolling over in his grave but then again he only weight 150lb at his heaviest and I'm 220 so I need the light beer.  The other thing I've noticed, is that this great little pub's food smells like crap when I'm working out .... and I love pub grub.

Anyway all to say that everyone seems to have some great ideas and the key one as far as I'm concerned is find something you can stick too, my goal is 30lbs in 4-6 months, but short term is 7-10 in 4 weeks.

Cheer and good luck.

 

[TiNi]

how is the workout going sqweak?
update please! 

[gm2]

I was so pissed I did get him do some Full Metal jacket lines for me.

had to read this 6 times before i realized you meant didn't