Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

- .. - 't '~ ~; . ~ Brad Lackey's ~ championship ! training program By Dean Miller and Len Weed This and future installments are excerpted from Championship Training, featuring Brad Lackey, by Brad's personal trainer, Dean Miller, andLen Weed. A II first person comments are by Dean Miller. . Be aware that inany areas of sports medicine., training, and nutrition do not offer black-and-white answers. Training is as much-an art form as it is a science. In many ways, preparing an athlete is similar to tuning a racing engine. It's part study, part experiment, part dreaming up new approaches, part trying different combinations. It's putting past results and present ideas together, searching for something that works better. Research often suggests answers but conclusive evidence may be lacking. And continuing research sometimes que~tions or invalidates principles and approaches previously accepted. Differing views, where applicable, will be mentioned along with indications of new research that may change prevailing views. It took me more than 10 ye,ars to reach -my goal - the Open class World Championship. It's my hope that, with this training program, you'll be able to achieve your racing goals too, in less time. . As a member of the first generation of American motocrossers, I had no experts to guide me. I learned by trial-and-error. . . ' Improving my racing skills overseas, competing agaznst the masters of the SP01't, was a long,-slow process. And it involved much more than just learnin~ how to ride a.motorcycle fast. I came to realize that motocross, at any level, IS total involvement. To do well, you have to be better prepared, mentally and physically, than your competition. Riding skills aren't enough. You must have a positive mental attitude, good nutrilion, the proper rest, and excellent overall fitness to come out in front. In short, what you need is the performance pyramid. I had been racing for more than a decade when Dean Miller introduced me to this total involvement training concept. I had already sensed the need for a more complete approach to racing, so it didn't take me long to become a true believer. . The performance pyramid gives you everything you need. The program Will help you avoid spinning your wheels like I did early in my career. It's a sure way to get hooked up and on the gas with your racing. Brad Lackey 78 About Dean Miller Dean Miller received a bachelor's degree in physical education from California State University al Sacramento in 1976, then earned a master's degree in athletic training and sports m.edicine ~t the University of Arizona. It was at Arizona that Dean was first exposed to the performance pyramid concept he used to structure Brad Lackey's complete training program. Miller launched his athletic consulting service, Sports Medtec·h, in 1977 in Concord, California'. That same year he also became. affiliated with DeLaSalle High SchoQI in Concord. . . ' He met Brad Lackey late in 1978. His first assignment was rehabilitating Lackey's injured ankles. He then began preparing Brad for the 1979 Grand Prix season. A year later Miller became the first full-time ,trainer on the world motocross circuit. He returned to Europe in 1981 and, in 1982, saw his friend and client become America's first motocross world champion. Miller's involvement with Lackey led to other assignments in mqtorcycling. He consulted with Team Suzuki from 1979 through 1981 and also had a program with Team Kawasaki during the same perzod. In'1982 he consulted with Team Husqvarna. Individual clients included road racing world champion Kenny Roberts and Grand National Champion Ricky Graham. In 1983 Miller became executive director of Sport H,ealth, a training and rehabilitation facility in Walnut Creek. He also began acting as a training consultant for the Walnut Creek Aquanuts, a synchronized swimming team that includes Olympic gold medalists Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie. I was first exposed to the performance pyramid concept at the University of Arizona iIi a Physical Assessment class taught by Richard Munroe, Ed. D. of Physical Education. Dr. Munroe developed a number of'specific pyramids for very . successful university athletes including Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner. The pyramid concept offers a broad base for general conditioning as well as a continually narrowing, more intensified focus for a specific sport. A complete program will vary from sport to sport, but beneath the surface, the framework remains the same. The motocross pyramid, obviously, is tailored to the challenges of hanging onto a motorcycle over gnarly terrain. Motocross is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. When the National Athletic Health Institute tested a group of motocrossers, they found some of the . highest levels of overall fitness they had ever recorded for a given sporL The top individual scorer among these motocrossers was Brad Lackey. Using the framework of the pyramid, we can develop a specific program for motocross training that will enable a racer to not just survive but 'excel during two 40-minute mOlOS. The pyramid provides a map to follow, a way of sorting out alternatives. It's a blueprint for placing building blocks together to develop an athlete's body and mind. The base of the pyramid is organic soundness and physique. The athlete's body and its capacity to perform. This foundation allows every other level to build upon itself, strengthening the overall structure. While the physique and its athletic potential is primarily determined at concep.lion, the actual level of fitness and performance within that poten- . tial is up to the individual. More specifically, on October I, 1981, Brad Lackey weighed 179 pounds. His overall appearance was less than normal for him after resting for several weeks following a Grand Prix season of illness and injury including. a broken fOOL At that date the foundation of OUi pyramid was sub-standard. Six months later, Brad's' weight was down to 164 pounds, but muscle tone was redefined to display a triangular frame above the waist, and his oxygen capacity was greatly increased. He was prepared for what was to become his World Championship season. His championship effort really started the previous October, six months before the racing season, when Brad began preparing his performance physique. The second level of the performance pyramid is nutrition. As heavy fuel burners, athletes need to be conscious of selecting balanced diets which include foods from the four basic food groups. Each of these food groups, plus water, contribute to the energy system within the body. The meat and fish group provides fats and proteins. Breads, cereals and grains primarily provide carbohydrates, Dairy products offer proteins and fats. Fruits and vegetables prov'ide combinations of proteins and carbohydrates and limited amounts of fats. All four of these food groups contribute vitamins and minerals. Water, which contains no essential nutrients except trace minerals, allows the system to wor,k. It's a very impor-

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