Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o 00 0') .-4 The following information is excerpted from Brad's book - Motocross: Techniques, Training and Tactics, available from Kawasaki and Moto-X Fox dealers_ The progy-am is broken into four major training areas: (]) CV's (cardiovasular)_ (2) Strength (gorillas). (!l) Power (super sets). (4) Powerdowns. Each portion of the progy-am con· centrates on using a different percenta~ of an athlete's maximum weight lifting capability (one repetition) for a number of repetitions. Exercise speeds vary from slow to normal to fast. Here's a guideline for the percentages of the one-repetition maximum capa· bility used for each training area: (]) CV's - 35 t040%. (2) Strength - 40 to 50%. (3) Power - 60 to 75%. (4) Powerdowns - begin at ]00% and decrease by equal increments. Cardiovascular: The emphasis is on maximum effort for a brief period of time to exercise and stimulate the cardiovascular system. The objective is increasing the athlete's blood (and oxygen) delivery to the muscles. The training also increases his ability to recover quickly after hard exertion. The weight resistance used for each station should be 35 to 40% of the athlete's maximum capability for one repetition. Twenty seconds are spent at each station: Three laps around the circuit is the norm. The exercises used for CV's are: (]) Curl. (2) Military press. (3) Bench press. (4) Sit·ups. (5) Knee extensions (for quadricepts). (6) Pull-ups (for lats). Strength. The objective of the strength portion of the progy-am is to increase the amount of weight the ath, The National Athletic Health Institute testing referred to in this article was organized by Dave Hawkins of Cycle Magazine for a story that appeared in the February, 1980 issue. The NAHI is a non-profit sports medicine research organization that was formed by two of the nation's most prominent sports doc.tors, Dr. Robert Kerlan and Dr. FrankJobe. The specialists at the institute really didn't know what to expect of the gy-oup of motocTOllllen. One physiologist, looking at Brad Lackey, offered the opinion that he definitely was not a world competitor. Of course Brad has already lete can handle for one maximum effort. The weight resistance used is 40 to 50% of the one· rep maximum. The purpose of the CV's that precede these strength exercises, or gorillas as Dean calls them, is to get more blood pumping from the rapid exertion. Then the increased blood (and oxygen) supply can be used to advantage during the strength portion of the progy-am. Three laps around the stations is the norm. A slow count, one-two·three, should be used for both the contractions and extensions. The elapsed time for each repetition is six seconds, counting once a second. Five or six repetitions are used. Killer gorillas up the slow, count to five seconds for both contraction and exteilsion, thus increasing elapsed time for each repetition to ] 0 seconds. There are several variations possible with the training, utilizing both the sixsecond and 10-second gorillas. One variation is combining gorillas with CV's. For example: six gorillas, then five fast reps, followed by a couple more gorilla reps_ The purpose of gorilla training is producing as steady as possible an exertion from full extension to full contraction and back again without stopping at a rest point. This continually alternates maximum effort of both the positive and negative aspects of weight resistance training. Most standard exercises fail to equally test positive and negative aspects. Positive exercise is concentric. It shortens an exercised muscle from full extension to full flexion (contraction). An example is the bicep in the first half of the standard curl exercise. Negative exercise is eccentric. It is the lengthening portion of the muscle work, from flexion (contraction) to extension. Again, an example, the exten· sion of the bicep during the second half of a curl. Power. The objective of the power portion of the progy-am is to increase the athlete's ability to move a large resistance quickly. The weight resistance used is 60 to 75% of the exerciser's one-rep maximum. With these super-set exercises two partners pair off and alternate at each exercise station until they each complete three sets of 10 repetitions. Then they move on to the next station. The weight resistance of 60 to 75% generally works out so that 10 repetitions is the exerciser's limit, the point at which he reaches a tempo' ary failure. Some additional stations added for power are: (I) Leg presses. (2) Shoulder shrugs. (3) Wings. A variation sometimes used with these super-sets calls for inserting one slow gorilla repetition after the first five power repetitions. Sometimes all three approaches - rapid CV, slow gorilla and steady power - are used in combination. One generally accepted principle of weight training is that it is the last few repetitions, when the body wants to quit and the mind must will it to continue, that produce the muscular growth the athlete is seeking. So try to add one more repetition and then just one ~ore at the end of each power exerCise. Powerdowns. The objective of the powerdown portion of the training progy-am is to increase muscular en- durance. This is done by increasing repetitions while decreasing weight resistance by increments. The initial resistance is set just above the exerciser's one· rep max. In effect, the training begins with a no-rep effort or failure. Resistance is then reduced by even increments. This allows the repetitions to increase with each new reduced resistance effort. The weight reduction continues until the athlete is doing 40 repetitions. For additional information about this progy-am: Dean Miller, Sports Medtech Unlimited, 2920 Melon Coun, Antioch, CA 94509,4]5/754-4552. The foregoing information relates to the progy-am Dean developed for Brad during the winter of 1978-79. As mentioned, the past year's measure. ments and input have suggested refinements with the emphasis on developing specific exercises more directly related to motocross. Just as a fac· tory is reluctant to a talIt about their latest prototype bike, Brad and Dean aren't making that information public at this time. But as with developing a bike, what they're learning this year will become a pan of the package next year. A run of five to six miles every weekday has been a part of Brad's progy-am for years. In the past he has used a daily lightweight "maintenance" progy-am during the season. However this year, going all out for the championship, Brad will have Miller with him to fine tune his daily training. This in· creased exposure to world circuit racing should enable Dean to refine the program even more. So while the mechanical engineers continue to improve and redesign racing motorcycles, we are simultaneously seeing that physical "engineers" are and will most likely continue to play an increasing role in helping to decide who the winners will be. proven that he is just that on the track. Still, previous testing with a few other motocrossers had left the staff with their doubts about the physical capa· bilities of the gy-oup. The test gy-oup, in addition to Lackey, included Brae Glover, Kent Howenon, Jimmy Ellis, Brian Myerscough, Jeff Ward, Warren Reid, Mike Bell and local pro Chris Heisser. The first and most significant test was the treadmill. The riders kept going against increasing resistance until they were literally ready to drop. Lackey lastest the longest, posting a time several minutes in excess of the average for professional football players. Three tests were used for upper body strength. Brad was best in the bench press and curls and finished second to Mike Bell in shoulder presses. Lackey pressed the most gross weight with his legs while Jeff Ward pressed the largest multiple of body weight. A second leg Cybex test saw Mike Bell come out on top. Jimmy Ellis proved to be the most flexible of the gy-oup in two tests. Abdominal endurance was measured by bent knee situps on a slant board. Broc Glover and Brad Lackey tied for best performance. Lackey also topped the overall hand gy-ip strength test, edging Kent Howerton. A weighted scoring system was developed to determine who "won" the testing. Out of a possible 300 points for a perfect score the leaders were: Brad Lackey (225), Jeff Ward (201.5), Mike Bell (197.5), Chris Heisser (161) and BrocGlover(157.5). The nine motocrossers tested came up with higher average scores in each category than any of the other gy-oup of professional athletes tested by the institute. The staff, needless to say, was impressed. With results like that, the ola claim that motocross is the second mOSt demanding spon may have to be revised - upward. • Normal weight training, unlike gorilla training, uses a strenuous initial ef· fort (or jerk) followed by reduced resistance as the weight is swu ng to a rest point. Then gy-avity generally helps the return of the weight to the starting point. With the gorilla technique the muscle gy-oups are forced to work smoothly and continuously, both positively and negatively. ...... .... ""' ~ < 13

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