As you get closer to the beginning of your racing season it is important that you increase the intensity of your workouts
to prepare you for the actual intensity of racing. No matter what type of off-road racing that you do, it is important
that you prepare yourself physically to be able to ride effectively and safely for the duration of the race. And, one
of the most difficult aspects of training is to recreate the intensity of a race through training.
In this article I will outline some ways to increase the intensity of your workouts by using circuit training. Circuit
training is a great method of developing both your muscular strength and endurance at the same time. In essence, you
are “killing two birds with one stone”.
Circuit Training
What is circuit training? Circuit training is a type of training where you set up several exercises and perform them
one after another with little rest in between. The only rest that you get is the time it takes for you to move on to
the next exercise. After doing one set of the 4 or 5 exercises that you choose (a circuit), you take a short rest –
1-3 minutes – then you repeat the circuit. It could be weight lifting exercises, bodyweight exercises, sprints,
agility drills, or a mix of any of these together.
Regardless of the exercises that you choose, the main idea is that you limit your rest time between the exercises.
When you do this, your body is forced to adapt, and your strength and endurance improve. This not only improves your
physical fitness, but it also improves your mental toughness. When you have to push yourself beyond your comfort
zone, you make yourself both physically and mentally tougher. This will come in handy at the end of a long, tough
race.
You can also do this type of training with weights, but remember to use light weights and maintain proper form when you
start to get tired. For example you could make a total body circuit using the squat or deadlift, incline or bench press,
situps, leg curls, and pulldowns. You could also do separate circuits for upper body and lower body. There's any
number of variations to this type of training. Don't forget to work your core or midsection, as well as your arms, forearms,
wrists, hands, and grip strength.
Again, the focus with circuit training is to increase aerobic capacity and muscular
endurance as well as increase strength. When you use circuit training you are able to combine all of these elements
of exercise into one workout. Just be sure to balance your exercises between upper and lower body work to create a total
body workout. I would also recommend that you warm up and stretch your muscles before starting any form of exercise.
This is important to avoid injury. Ten minutes of light activity such as jogging and stretching should prepare your
body to begin the workout.
There are many different ways in which you could set up a circuit, but here are a couple of
examples using bodyweight exercises and running:
Circuit #1 - Hill sprints + Squats + Pushups (you can substitute Stadium steps in place
of a hill)
· Sprint up a hill
(or stadium steps)
· Do 10-20 Pushups (and
/ or Situps)
· Walk / Jog down the
hill
· Do 20 bodyweight squats
or Lunges
· Sprint back up
· Repeat for several
sets
Circuit #2 – Sprints + Pushups + Situps (you can use a track or run on a grass
field)
· Sprint 50-100 yards
· Do 10-20 Pushups
· Sprint back
· Do 20 bodyweight squats
or Lunges
· Sprint back
· Do 20 Situps
· Repeat for several
sets
You can put together any combination of exercises that you like. You could substitute jump rope instead of running,
or jump squats in place of squats, or use all strength exercises. Experiment and create what works best for you.
If you are forced to work out indoors because of winter weather, rain, etc., then you can substitute jumping rope for the
running and get a good workout.
Circuit #3 – (Indoor Workout) Jump Rope + Pushups + Squats + Situps + Pullups (if you have a pullup bar)
· Jump Rope 1 minute
or 100 reps
· Do 20 Pushups (mix
in different types of pushups)
· Jump Rope 1 minute
or 100 reps
· Do 25 Squats
· Jump Rope 1 minute
or 100 reps
· Do 5-10 Pullups (or
Towel Pullups)
· Jump Rope 1 minute
or 100 reps
· Do 25 Situps
· Repeat entire circuit
for 2-3 sets (or more if you want)
These workouts will not take very much time, but you will get a good total body workout from them. Increasing the
intensity of your workout through circuit training is an excellent method of preparing yourself for your upcoming racing season.
This is also a great way to train for athletes who do not have much extra time to work out in addition to their riding.
Give these workouts a try as you get closer to your racing season, and you will see improvement in your overall fitness
and conditioning. In turn, you will also see your racing results improve.
