Anybody have a good exercise list or routine to get an edge on riding and holding up the bike or going on longer trips? In general just what to focus on with fitness to improve riding ability and endurance.

 

i'm gonna catch hell for this, but i'm gonna say sex. varies by position, obviously, but think about it - it works the **** out of your abs, and core strength is great for posture and gets rid of back problems. works your lower back, your legs. missionary works your triceps, abs, and lower back. i'd say missionary is probably the best position because it most closely emulates riding. except she's not between your legs, and the bike is. another thing that will help is just practice. the first time i rode, my hands were sore and falling asleep, my left hand hurt from using the clutch, my knees hurt from foot position, my lower back ached, my *** hurt from the seat, my junk hurt from my weight shifting during unexpected braking, and my neck and shoulders hurt like hell from holding up my head with the helmet. this was after about 45 minutes of riding, and i'm in really good shape. i'll still get sore if i ride for 2 hours at a time, but putting 2600 miles on my bike in a month and a half helped immensely. just play through the pain, and it'll go away. and, if you're not getting much sex, having the bike oughta help you in that department too

 

Dude, I think your probably just numb from all the sex!!!!. Seriously though, they say you have to be in reasonable fitness to ride, but I've seen some sorry sights, & they still get by. Wot a lot of people do not realise is that doing stretching exercises & warm ups, before riding & when you stop for breaks, is the best. Wot is causing a lot of muscle fatigue, is static pressure (read: sitting in the same position for long periods) on your muscles/nerves/blood supply. Numb bum/hands, aching shoulders & cramps in your legs, can be avoided if you remember to do them. If you throw good nooky into the equation as well, then who am I to argue......

 

I started a weight lifting routine last fall for my own good health and well being. I could not believe the differance when riding season came around this spring, i feel good riding all day now where i used to be very tired and burned out.

 

Any cardio training will help with your endurance for longer riding periods, especially at the track. Strength training won't do much except for strength and help you be lean. But all in all it comes down to diet.

 

Agility work is key for hitting the twisties and/or stunting, IMO. Bodyweight type movements, including stretching, will help immensely. Being able to throw your weight and the weight of the bike around to make adjustments on a whim is critical to riding hard. I personally don't see cardio work as a huge component, but then again I've never had any real issues when it came to cardiovascular performance either. If you feel like you couldn't save yourself from dumping it on slow speed u-turns then work on lower body strength. If you feel like you can't throw the bike around through turns then work on your core strength along with upper body work. This is coming from a powerlifter, not from some douche bag personal trainer who would sell you a $60/hr medicine ball workout.

 

So because your a powerlifter and not a certified personal trainer your opinion matters more than theirs?

 

No, because I'm a powerlifter and not a "certified" personal trainer it means my opinion comes the opposite side of the coin, the side that would normally loathe to make some of the above suggestions.

 

I may just be summarizing much of the above by saying this, but anything that helps your general fitness will help you on the bike: flexibility, aerobic improvement, strength, diet, working on eye/hand/foot coordination, etc.

Bicycling (I prefer road, but any type of cycling) will help strengthen the lower body and other parts, while simultaneously acting as an analog for the powered two wheeler. Just remember that the controls are in different spots -- that handle on the left is NOT the clutch, trust me.

Naturally, spending an increasing amount of time on the motorcycle helps. I still remember the first time I jumped on my three-month-old GPz550 and rode from NC to NY in 1983... Ow.