Mtchell Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 So recently i,ve found my self hopping about on my bike thinking whats the point :-/ Dont get me wrong i love riding and probably the best thing i,ve done for myself. But i need some sort of goal so ive decided to enter comps as from next year. But i need to raise my fitness levels, lose the fat and become stronger ( in a way become an athelete). I,ve quit smoking, began jogging and hit the gym 5 times a week. I jus need some advice on what i should be training in the gym to aim my riding, and how far should i be running. Should i be jogging every day as well as the gym ? Also should i start riding more natty to prepare for comps ? . Any advice or tips/routines would really help as i feel theres no order or even benefit to the way im training at the moment Thanks P.s sorry if its a little long winded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitafox Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 You'd be better getting out in some decent natty terrain, setting up some sections for yourself and having a proper solid ride for about 3-4 hours to see how you cope and work from there. Bare in mind that jogging is a completely different type of fitness to riding trials, I can run round a footy pitch for 90mins but when I'm in a comp it doesn't take me long to tire out in a particularly long winded section or one that consists of lots of hopping up steep bankings and stuff. In terms of weight training I don't really know what actually the best things to train are but personally I'd focus on my legs, forearms and probably shoulders/back. Other than that it's just get out and ride, if you can make a section that takes around 2½mins to work through almost non stop then try and lower your times/not make any dabs I think that will prepare you the best but when preparing them make sure that your pushing yourself in terms of difficulty. Even if it means your not able to complete without putting a foot down it'll definately help you out. That's my opinion anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Don't do cardio AND lift, you'll waste the energy needed to build mass. Eat a bit more, lift a lot more, do High intensity training and a lot of cardio a month or two before comp season. As for exercises, I'd do Deadlifts, squats and benchpress until you have some decent strength, these three compound exercises work pretty much every muscle if done with correct form. After doing the compounds for 2-3months start adding some other exercises, isolations, for instance add bent over rows in, these will help build your lats and traps aswell as your forearms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 the best training for riding is actually riding. Riding natural is the best thing you can do if you want to ride comps, forget running and lifting weights for now, just get out and ride for as long as you can without putting your feet down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtchell Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 ITISAFOX >> oh mate i never even thought of doing that we have filey brigg her which a good half of a mile of pure natty so ill setup some sections when it drys up cheers Azatheral>> ive prevouisly done the compund training as ive been going to gym for 12 months now so ill focus on the areas you mention and are you sure i should drop the cardio and focus on the lifting ? Ali c >> yes im going to try ride more but natty to challenge myself Thanks everyone got some sense of direction now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Ride a lot but keep other cardio to a minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtchell Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Oks bud will do cheers ill post if i have any more questions Thanks been a great help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve sturt Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 I started riding comps in september. The bulk of my riding is XC based. I probably ride 15 hours a week XC, and was doing very little trials. I find the XC helps with cardio, and stops me getting knackered towards the end of the day. The one thing I struggle with is my upper body. I would suggest a sensible press up routine, to help develop the muscle structure in your upper torso. I have also found that there is no substitue for riding trials. Not street so much, but a decent variety of natural terrain. This will help to prevent you making stupid errors, such as stepping off the bike rather than using a correction hop, learning how to use a dab to its full potential should you need one, how to get your pedal down rather than your foot, how to spot "cheat" lines etc. From riding mostly natural, you should learn how to flow through a section, rather than wasting energy and time hopping about. Ive seen a lot of street riders struggle with flow when they ride natural. Saying this, I would not hold off from doing a comp. Riders and observers are usually keen to offer advice, and there are categories to suit all abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 I started riding comps in september. The bulk of my riding is XC based. I probably ride 15 hours a week XC, and was doing very little trials. I find the XC helps with cardio, and stops me getting knackered towards the end of the day. The one thing I struggle with is my upper body. I would suggest a sensible press up routine, to help develop the muscle structure in your upper torso. I have also found that there is no substitue for riding trials. Not street so much, but a decent variety of natural terrain. This will help to prevent you making stupid errors, such as stepping off the bike rather than using a correction hop, learning how to use a dab to its full potential should you need one, how to get your pedal down rather than your foot, how to spot "cheat" lines etc. From riding mostly natural, you should learn how to flow through a section, rather than wasting energy and time hopping about. Ive seen a lot of street riders struggle with flow when they ride natural. Saying this, I would not hold off from doing a comp. Riders and observers are usually keen to offer advice, and there are categories to suit all abilities. Bodyweight exercises really don't do much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve sturt Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Bodyweight exercises really don't do much. Should help stamina wise though? Youre just looking for ways to combat fatigue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualjoe Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Don't do cardio AND lift, you'll waste the energy needed to build mass. Eat a bit more, lift a lot more, do High intensity training and a lot of cardio a month or two before comp season. As for exercises, I'd do Deadlifts, squats and benchpress until you have some decent strength, these three compound exercises work pretty much every muscle if done with correct form. After doing the compounds for 2-3months start adding some other exercises, isolations, for instance add bent over rows in, these will help build your lats and traps aswell as your forearms. He wants to enter a trials comp not a Mr Universe comp. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSnowden Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 So recently i,ve found my self hopping about on my bike thinking whats the point :-/ Dont get me wrong i love riding and probably the best thing i,ve done for myself. But i need some sort of goal so ive decided to enter comps as from next year. But i need to raise my fitness levels, lose the fat and become stronger ( in a way become an athelete). I,ve quit smoking, began jogging and hit the gym 5 times a week. I jus need some advice on what i should be training in the gym to aim my riding, and how far should i be running. Should i be jogging every day as well as the gym ? Also should i start riding more natty to prepare for comps ? . Any advice or tips/routines would really help as i feel theres no order or even benefit to the way im training at the moment Thanks P.s sorry if its a little long winded I agree with the other guys, running loads will completely cancel out the weights work. If you are going to hit the weights though, 5 times a week is far too much, and if you do decided to 5 anyway you will definately have to eat a helluva lot more. Further to eating more you will also need to sort out your diet. I don't know what your diet is like for obvious reasons but you need to start eating more red meat/veg and less fatty stuff like the normal sweets etc (although a 'treat day' once a week is always an option to help that. When it comes to competition time you need to reduce the amount of calorie intake by roughly 15% but by doing this you will start to lose bits of the important stuff necessary for muscle/mass growth. From the way you're talking with the fat loss, are you wanting to burn excess fat or lose the weight which could also help especially in trials riding? If it is the latter remember that muscle is heavier than fat and will weigh you down a bit more, but on the other side you will have increase power for the pedal kicks require for longer/higher jumps. When it gets to the comp time as i was saying, reduce the calorie intake by 15% but you need to bump up the carbohydrate intake by about 10-15% to balance and give your (human) frame the extra oomf for the big day (especially if you want to look good in photos!). Take a look at Damon Watson, rider for Trial Tech he's built like god knows what; but he is still one of the world's best riders. So define your aims slightly more clearly i.e. -Fat loss -Muslce gain -Cardiovascular increases to help you and also keep a record of all the exercises that you do in a 'log book' or keep a blog (like i did/ do - not that i update it very often) and take regular measurements of the key areas you're focusing on (i.e. chest, biceps/triceps, waist at the narrowest point/navel etc. And the key thing as someone already mentioned is that to improve your riding, you need to ride; test yourself try and do bigger gaps, higher jumps etc, but play it safe too, always wear a lid and don't do something you know for certain you can't do or you'll just get hurt Hope this helps mate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Should help stamina wise though? Youre just looking for ways to combat fatigue. I agree with stamina but he recommended pushups which as the name implies a pushing exercise, most of the moves in trials require pull. He wants to enter a trials comp not a Mr Universe comp. Mass = strength to some degree. *SNIP* Lad knows his stuff. Except for the fatty foods comment. The absolute best things for you to be eating are meat and fish, stuff like chicken, beef, tuna is amazing. Man evolved along the principles of "Low car, high fats, high protein". With lower carb intake the fats become the main energy source, you'll feel more alert and awake after the initial switch over to low carb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSnowden Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Lad knows his stuff. Except for the fatty foods comment. The absolute best things for you to be eating are meat and fish, stuff like chicken, beef, tuna is amazing. Man evolved along the principles of "Low car, high fats, high protein". With lower carb intake the fats become the main energy source, you'll feel more alert and awake after the initial switch over to low carb. That's a fair call, it's good though, cos i know f*** all about trials... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 That's a fair call, it's good though, cos i know f*** all about trials... Paha I don't know much about either ;D Although I've gained 12kg of reletivly lean mass in about 6months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSnowden Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Paha I don't know much about either ;D Although I've gained 12kg of reletivly lean mass in about 6months. That's not bad going! I've just recently got my diet sorted, i have a lack of motivation with gyms/weights cos im a hard gainer.. soo i tend to steer clear and just cycle.. stomach finally getting flat though, been stuck on the last bit for ages, probably should start using weights (again...) I only got my mod on friday and it's my first trials bike so i know the theory now its for the practice, just waiting on some tubes and pads then im away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 That's not bad going! I've just recently got my diet sorted, i have a lack of motivation with gyms/weights cos im a hard gainer.. soo i tend to steer clear and just cycle.. stomach finally getting flat though, been stuck on the last bit for ages, probably should start using weights (again...) I only got my mod on friday and it's my first trials bike so i know the theory now its for the practice, just waiting on some tubes and pads then im away You can't have a stomach and be a hardgainer As mentioned before, only do cardio when you need to, otherwise eat a lot and lift heavy amounts for low reps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSnowden Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) You can't have a stomach and be a hardgainer As mentioned before, only do cardio when you need to, otherwise eat a lot and lift heavy amounts for low reps. yup its the chest/arms im having troubles with.. legs are solid from climbing/road cycling/mtb so they're fine, stomach is washboard, i just need to get a bench but i dont have room and i refuse to pay obscene gym prices so i stick with the set of dumbbells i have and bodyweight exercises. I eat loads, mostly meat/potatoes/fish/veg very rarely sweets, and i drink fruit smoothies every other day morissons blender for the win! Edited July 17, 2011 by TheSnowden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) No bench, only got dumbbells and you wonder why you're a hard gainer. I have a cheap York DB9 bench, 2x dumbbells and 1x barbell aswell as up to 95kg of weights all for the cost of 2-3months Gym membership. You can't expect to build any significant muscle with bodyweight exercises. If you still refuse to either get a gym membership or proper equipment then look at Convict Conditioning. It's a book, download it from some Warez/Torrent and have a gander. Edited July 17, 2011 by Azarathal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowcloud Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 So recently i,ve found my self hopping about on my bike thinking whats the point :-/ Dont get me wrong i love riding and probably the best thing i,ve done for myself. But i need some sort of goal so ive decided to enter comps as from next year. But i need to raise my fitness levels, lose the fat and become stronger ( in a way become an athelete). I,ve quit smoking, began jogging and hit the gym 5 times a week. I jus need some advice on what i should be training in the gym to aim my riding, and how far should i be running. Should i be jogging every day as well as the gym ? Also should i start riding more natty to prepare for comps ? . Any advice or tips/routines would really help as i feel theres no order or even benefit to the way im training at the moment Thanks P.s sorry if its a little long winded Nice one mate, great help having defined goals. From a sports science point of view I'd do a power and strength split and keep up the jogging. Strength is usually 4-6 reps in a set and power 1-3. Pure strength could be 5 sets of 5 reps with heavy weight of the big lifts: deadlift, squat, overhead press or bench press and also weighted chin ups for low reps. For leg power: box jumps, sprints, sled push/pulls and explosive squats etc and power cleans seem to transfer well over to trials. Jogging everyday is pretty safe if you keep the intensity down and do it a good while after lifting on gym days (6+ hours). Hill repeats and longer sprints will be a beast for leg power endurance but that might be time better spent actually riding trials. Second what everyone else says about diet, neck as much protein as possible, and just riding. Best way to get good and something is to do it. Also bodyweight exercises can get good results and can be pretty fun if you have the time to put in learning skills. Most top gymnasts haven't seriously touched a barbell and are pretty jacked, check out Yuri van Gelder Hope that helps mate and good luck on the comps! Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSnowden Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 No bench, only got dumbbells and you wonder why you're a hard gainer. I have a cheap York DB9 bench, 2x dumbbells and 1x barbell aswell as up to 95kg of weights all for the cost of 2-3months Gym membership. You can't expect to build any significant muscle with bodyweight exercises. If you still refuse to either get a gym membership or proper equipment then look at Convict Conditioning. It's a book, download it from some Warez/Torrent and have a gander. got a barbell, got the plates, got the dbells, got loads of books lol, im in student accommodation so i don't have room for a bench.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azarathal Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yuri is a genetic freak though and to be honest, gymnast body weight exercises are painful, have you ever tried to muscle up on rings? Unrelated - Which part of Berks are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSnowden Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 last post for me from this topic cos im going to bed. Snowcloud is my cousin lol so i'll try and get down to your end of the woods (bracknell as that is where he's from too) and when i can actually do something we should get out for a ride sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowcloud Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yuri is a genetic freak though and to be honest, gymnast body weight exercises are painful, have you ever tried to muscle up on rings? Unrelated - Which part of Berks are you from? Oh yeah rings are a whole new world of pain! I agree that weightlifting is much better at producing good results fast, was just saying don't totally discount bw, some top NFL teams and MMA athletes (can't remember any names) have started using it more recently Actually from Bracknell too mate, just looking to get into trials. Some of those random brick sculpture things in Great Hollands look good for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitafox Posted July 18, 2011 Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 One more thing to prepare the way a champion does, eat beans on toast like it's going out of fashion the week leading upto a comp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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