Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126801
tant and sometimes overlooked element of nutrition.
-The third level of the pyramid is
fitness. Here we begin to concentrate
on the specifics of working the body
athletically. Fitness is broken into
three areas, in some ways the three
most important blocks of our
pyramid:
D Muscular strength.
D Stamina.
D Muscular endurance.
Muscular strength is the ability to
generate maximum tension for one
contraction.
Stamina is cardiovascular endurance - the body's ability to sustain
total body involvement overextended
periods of time.
Muscular endurance is the ability
of a muscle group or groups to do
continuous (or work/rest/work) repetitions over an extended time period.
All three aspects of fitness apply to
motocross, especially in longer motos.
A racer needs strength to lift or push
his bike. A racer needs stamina to
remain on his bi\te over rough terrain
for 40 minutes. A racer needs muscular endurance to hang on, create pressures, operate controls, and provide
body suspension.
Fitness is improved by training,
practice, and competition. Developing strength, stamina, and endurance
allows an athlete to refine the higher
levels of his training pyramid.
The fourth level of the pyramid is
ability. The emergence o[ an athlete's
given talents in competition. The
elements o[ ability include:
D Agility.
o Balance.
D Flexibility.D Power.
D Speed.
Agility is the ability of the body to
move and change positioning rapidly.
Balance is the ability of the body to
maintain vertical equilibrium or
centering.
Flexibility is the ability of the body
to work the entire range o[ motron of
a single joint or combination of joints.
Greater joint resil ience may also hel p
prevent or minimize cenain injuries.
Power is the ability o[ the body to
use strength rapidly.
Speed is the ability o[ the body to
react quickly.
Agility. Balance. Flexibility. Power.
Reaction speed. Each of these ability
factors, to a cenain degree, is maintained and increased with fitness
training, but they're really refined·
with specific sport practice.
The fifth level of the pyramid is
coordination. Controlled responses
to stimuli.· A groove developed by
practice. Within this level are:
D Visual perception.
D Motor coordination.
o Kinetic awareness. .
Visual perception is the ability to
see what is, isn't, or may be happening and relay that information to the
central nervous system. Quick, accurate perception allows quicker analysis and response.
Motor coordination is the ability
of the muscles to respond to neurological signals.
Kinetic awareness is the ability to
feel comfonable with a spon - mentally as well as physically. It's a relationship of energy and forces within
the athlete to external energies and
forces.
The sixth levei of the pyramid is
psychological - the channeling of
mental energies to guide physical
performances. These psychological
characteristics include:
D Personality traits.
D Intellectual capacity.
Personality traits motivate the
training and performance of most
successful athletes. They trigger com-
After 1 0 years of trying, Brad Lackey became the USA's first 500cc
World MX Champion in 1982.
petitiveness and the need [or achievement.
Intellectual capacity isan attribute
few successful people lack, regardless
o[ their formal education. Theircapacity to investigate, analyze, understand, and utilize knowledge helps
them achieve success. .
The final level of the pyramid -its
, peak - unlike the building blocks
beneath it, is itself a pyramid. That
pyramid atop the pyramid is the
individual himself and the relationship between two elements.
D Individual trai ts.
o Task specifics.
This is the [inal blending that
allows an individual to use his personality, his intellectual capacity, hi
physical awareness, his coordination,
his abilities, his overall fitness to do
what he has to do.
What made Brad Lackey a champion? What combination o[ attributes allowed him and other champions to conven a desire to reality?
How do champions use their traits,
emotions, thoughts, and physical actions to accomplish what they want?
There's no easy answer. Brad
achieved success with a strong but
silent confidence. He knew what he
had to do. He knew his body was
ready because he'd trained it and red
it properly. He knew his motorcycle
was ready because he had competent,
dedicated technical people working
on it. He knew that all the other suppon activities were taken care of by
people he trusted. All these [actors
allowed him to concentrate on the
task at hand - scoring Grand Prix
points.
He did everything he could to
bring himself to a point where it
finally, solely, was up to him. His
own relationship with the ta k at
hand allowed him to draw something £.rom within to achieve what he
wanted.
Any performance pyramid should
be structured so that each and every
block of every level contributes to its
overall strength. And each pyramid
should be designed [or a specific goal
such as orr-season, pre-season, or inseason e£ficiency.
nlike the pyramids o[ Egypt, a training pyramid
should be reevaluated and rebuilt
periodically. Each block should be
examined and adjusted accordingly.
(Continued next issue)
Championship Training, by Dean
Miller and Len Weed, includes Brad
Lackey's complete year-round training program as well as in-depth fitness and training information for all
sports. 112 pages, over 80 photos and
illustrations. To order, send $9.95
plus $1.50 posiage and handling to
Cleansheet Enlt!rprises, P.O. Box
241C, Tarzana, CA 91356. California
_
residents add 65( sales tax.
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48 pages of the bt'st tor street & MX
nduding Champlomh", Supe