Best machines to go on in the Gym?

[mxracer1]

Could anyone tell me which machines are the best to use when your in the gym, or what are the best kind of techniques/training methods to improve my riding and fitness... any help would be greatly appricated, thanks alot, Mike :)

[Too Fat To Fly]

I tend to go for the confectionary ones as you know what your getting.

However some places have those hot chip machines, but the portions are poor and it doesnt really achieve anything. :D

[mxracer1]

okay dude, which ' confectionary ' machines is that then??

[Factory Gaz]

I tend to go for the confectionary ones as you know what your getting.

However some places have those hot chip machines, but the portions are poor and it doesnt really achieve anything. :D

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Too Fat To Fly]

okay dude, which ' confectionary ' machines is that then??

I'd stick with the ones with Mars on the front :lol: ;) ;)

[mxracer1]

I'd stick with the ones with Mars on the front :lol: ;) ;)


haha.. but really, which ones would you advise, gym wise..

[Gaylord_Fokker]

Could anyone tell me which machines are the best to use when your in the gym, or what are the best kind of techniques/training methods to improve my riding and fitness... any help would be greatly appricated, thanks alot, Mike :)

im a member of a small local gym...when i joined they asked what i was training for etc...explained mx and that i was carrying knee injuries..they soon worked out a routine for me telling what would help and what equipment to avoid

usaully go on the stretching machine...treadmill..stretch...bike and then rowing machine...then do a few weights :)

oh and welcome to the forum Mike

[mxracer1]

im a member of a small local gym...when i joined they asked what i was training for etc...explained mx and that i was carrying knee injuries..they soon worked out a routine for me telling what would help and what equipment to avoid

usaully go on the stretching machine...treadmill..stretch...bike and then rowing machine...then do a few weights :)

oh and welcome to the forum Mike


Cheers, yeah i normally go on treadmill, bike machine, rowing, and weight machine and the other various ones, ive being told that rowing machine is good for motocross though.. keep posting people, cheers.

[28]

Welcome to the forum.

Let common sense apply when you go to the gym. Don't hit the weights and come out like Hogan, becuase thats not ideal for mx. Mainly, for an average rider, your just looking for better cardio fitness. So stuff like the rowing machine, bike, cross-trainer, running machine etc. are ideal for building up fitness.

Speak to the people at the gym and they will help you out with a basic program. If you are looking to get the maximum out of your tiem at the gym, and to get a program to maximise your performance on the track, you can get Paul (RacersEdge Coach) to draw you up a full on personalised plan.

Otherwise there are some good people on the forum who are 'gym' people and i'm sure they will help out further :)

[mxracer1]

Cheers for the advise.

Yea i want to inprove my Cardio fitness to improve my riding as ive got a couple of races coming up soon.

How do i get Paul to do me an exercise plan? s it the kind of thing i can do over an email etc?

wb, cheers..

[28]

Yeah, but i should imagine he'll want run some tests on you first. But i'm not sure how that all works out.

If you pm Hollywood and ask, he'll give you the details.

Like anything though, it does take time and effort, and is not something you can get overnight results from :(

[mxracer1]

Okay, yeah i think ill just ask at the gym and see if they can sort me out with an exercise plan for Cardio fitness.

*Another Question*
Have you got any tips for Racing? anything would be very much apreciated..

Wb, Mike.

[Factory Les]

Welcome Mike,

Firstly what are your weaknesses? i.e. - do you get tired after say 10 mins on the bike, and if so where? Are you just knackered physically, or are your legs gone so you can't stand up, do your arms go etc etc? Once you've identified that then that's an area to work on.

28's advice re heavy weights work is the general accepted rule - BUT - my weakness was strength. My fitness was fine, I'm a good runner etc etc. but I found hanging onto a CRF 450 hard work so I needed to get stronger. So in my routine I eased off the cardio a bit and built in some heavier weight sessions. Over the course of a couple of years I got a lot stronger (without bulking up) and my riding improved a lot.

So my point is there isn't always a 'one-size fits all' approach. A good cardio base is essential, and rowing is also excellent as it replicates a lot of the movements you make on the bike - but you might need to compliment that with a weights programme, or you might not - it just depends on where your weaknesses are really.

[Priddle121]

i go swimming now as opposed to the gym, less stressfull on the joints and it gives a good cardio workout, i do a mile tuesday and a mile thursday of each week...

[jason]

our local gym has just got a new all singing all dancing x-trainer it some how makes the push and pull of yor arms go stiff and the feet easy and vise-versa its really good as it gets your arms working woth out building unwanted muscle, i plan to do my first triathlon this year so ill see how fit i really am then!

[motoxxx]

I mainly do running and swimming, i usually run once or twice a week around a 4 mile loop,and swim 70-80 lenghts each swimming session.
i always wanted to join the gym,but feel that my training at the moment is working well,so dont want to change it too much.

[jason]

does any body find the treadmill to be harder work out? i can run a comfterble 5 and a bit mile loop as were lucky to have a big bit of country side around us but im pushed for 4 miles on the tread mill,

[cluke92]

yeh i find the treadmill hard work sometimes, i used to go on them alot when i went to the gym, i think its cos you are not really moving so its hard to see how far you have actually gone.

i am just swimming at the moment, doing 60 lengths (this its a 25m pool) but planning to increase that next time i go.

i am also thinking of doing a triathalon soon, well its something iv always wanted to do, where did you get any info from jason about it all?

[motoxxx]

Carl,next time your swimming,ask on reception. im pretty sure they will have some info on triathlons. i know,a month ago,they held one at Longlete,i was thinking of aiming to do that next year:)

[cluke92]

that may be my aim then, where do they do the swimming tho over longleat, cant be in the lake :lol:

[motoxxx]

It is Carl;) Just not the lake with the hungry, hungry hippos:lol:

[jason]

if yuo buy a mag called 220 triatlon they have dates etc in there aswell as good training tips etc, i think im going to start out with a half tri first

[cluke92]

yeh right, i did a search for the longleat tri and saw the finish time was 4 and a half hours for the winner, think that might be a bit too much to start with :lol:

cheers for the info as well

[mxady29]

Could anyone tell me which machines are the best to use when your in the gym, or what are the best kind of techniques/training methods to improve my riding and fitness... any help would be greatly appricated, thanks alot, Mike :)

I went to the local council gym to drop the nipper off the other day... you know how they encourage you in to look around and try out the machines.....well I reckon after an intensive trial... the best machine by far is the ....Vending machine...:D

[Smurf's Dad]

I am not going to recommend any machine for improving strength. They are bio-mechanically inferior to free weights exercises. They are good for cardio vascular work.

With a machine the movement is limited and because you don't have to balance the bar it doesn't work the smaller muscles surrounding the major muscles. They also tend to have a limited range of movement rather than a full range.

[cluke92]

that is a good point, people can find that they work one arm or leg better than the other when the use the weights machines, rather than free weights, due to using one arm or leg for more power. whereas with free weights you have to use both arms/legs the same to get the bar to the same level, but the machines will always keep the bar the same level on some of the machines. i hope that makes sense

[abyz]

If your general fitness is already good then I think most riders would benefit from a general free weights program to increase strength. The truth is nobody turns into Arnie after a few sessions on the weights, it takes years of dedcated training to put on major muscle mass. But you will increase your general strength fairly quickly. and that is beneficial to most riders.

If you do use weights try doing some excercises on the swiss ball, very good for core muscle strength and general balance.

As far as cardio goes I think you have to go along way to beat the X-trainer!

And stretch as much as you can, tends to reduce injuries.

[Walker]

certainly will be in lake, the do one near my uni should see the water that you have to swim in absoutley filthy part of white water rafting senting but im sure its connected to the sewers!

[Factory Les]

If your general fitness is already good then I think most riders would benefit from a general free weights program to increase strength. The truth is nobody turns into Arnie after a few sessions on the weights, it takes years of dedcated training to put on major muscle mass. But you will increase your general strength fairly quickly. and that is beneficial to most riders.

If you do use weights try doing some excercises on the swiss ball, very good for core muscle strength and general balance.

As far as cardio goes I think you have to go along way to beat the X-trainer!

And stretch as much as you can, tends to reduce injuries.

I agree with all that 100%. I meant to say in my earlier post that I used free-weights as opposed to the machines. You really won't put on bulk either - not unless you dramatically increase your calorific intake, start eating about 2g of protein per kilo of body weight and completely cut out all cardio - BUT you WILL get stronger, which is the point of it all for me.

The Swiss Ball is great too - a lot of riders overllok working their core, but this is key to being a good rider in my eyes.

Oh and keep it varied too, and try and do things you enjoy. I personally get really bored swimming, so I hardly do it - it's a fantastic exercise and great for MX, but I just get bored going up and down all the time. So I do other things that I know I will do - keeps you training on the days when you can't be arsed or don't really feel like it, so keep it varied and keep it fun where poss.

[Smurf's Dad]

A great deal of the ability to bulk up is down to genetics. I have to try and avoid free weight training on my legs as much as possible as they gain muscle mass really easily. I once gained 2.5 inches around my thighs in a month.:eek:

Ady managed the same to his waist over christmas.:p

[mxady29]

I saw this quote from Mrs Smurf in relation to Smurf's Dad's last post...:eek:

''I wish he could put the size on were it counts''...:lol:

[28]

:lol:

I'm glad to see everyone is in a friendly mood today :lol:

[abyz]

That's true, and thats some impressive gains most trainers could only dream off.

Body type (ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph, (I think)) is of prime importance in training. Even so if you are training and you suddenly become massive over night ( not a problem I've ever encountered, but I am a lazy git), then increase the reps lower the weight and is there really a problem in gaining acertain amount of strong lean efficient muscle mass for mx.

[mxady29]

I saw this quote from Mrs Smurf in relation to Smurf's Dad's last post...:eek:

''I wish he could put the size on were it counts''...:lol:

He started it...:p :lol: :lol:

[Smurf's Dad]

Oi my Elfin little friend, you have seen the size of my bum, and it takes a heavy hammer to drive a big nail.:lol:

[Smurf's Dad]

And she meant in the wallet.:lol:

[The Voice]

if yuo buy a mag called 220 triatlon they have dates etc in there aswell as good training tips etc, i think im going to start out with a half tri first


Your right Jason, 220 is a great Triathlon mag with good training tips and all the seasons races. My advice to anyone attempting a race for the first time is to go for a pool based sprint race. I've been racing Triathlon since 1990 and I can tell you, your better off having the body shock over a short distance than a long one, theres nothing prepares you for the run when you get off the bike section, your legs dont want to work. Sprints are great fun too and believe me they are an excellent way to really improve your fitness.

I'm just starting to get my training into gear for this year after 18 months out due to injury and all my work will be done on the road as the nights get lighter rather than in the gym but each to there own. Of course we also have the added bonus of being able to swim in the roads with all the rain we're getting :D

[mxady29]

Oi my Elfin little friend, you have seen the size of my bum, and it takes a heavy hammer to drive a big nail.:lol:

:lol: :lol: :rolleyes: