i raced mx last year with a '01 can am ds650 and didn't do too bad. One of my close friends hit a double too fast and landed short on another jump n broke his back, he's now paralyzed from the waist down. So i bought a '04 450r. And i love it. Its so much better compared to the big heavy ds. I was just wondering if you guys could help me out with some simple tricks n tips on racing.

arm pump is a big thing too. i've researched it all over and found many work-outs. What's effective and what doesn't work?
and any other tricks or tips as far as racing on the mx track.

thanks i appreciate it.

Ride ride and ride somemore to get in shape and eliminate arm pump. I have not really found any lifting excersices that really help with armpump. They do have a surgery for it if you want to go extreme haha. They say to ride woods and that will help get you in shape the best.

yea thats kinda extreme...

maybe someday when i go pro lol

A good steering stabilizer helps from tiring you.

The most helpfull thing i found to get rid of arm pump is to Relax and stay loose. I found myself tense 100% of the time and it was killing me about third lap. Learn when to stay loose and when to be on your game

ok this is a total noob question but what is arm pump?

Arm pump is when your fore arms hurt like a biotch after riding. but if you want to get technical Chronic exertional compartment syndrom

Good suspension a steering stabilizer and Fasst bars will all help with arm pump, One thing is be confident in your riding ability.

oh ok. my arms have never bothered me after riding. but last time i rode at the track i could barely walk the next day!! lol took me like a week to be able to walk normal again!!
my quadriceps were killing me!!! and to top it off i had PT for my state certification course all that week! i was dying! lol

guess im a lucky one, i hardly ever get arm pump or sore after a day or even full weekend of riding the track, dunes, or woods...

well it might have something to do with me being a 340 pound tub o' lard!! lol

are the $130 rebuildable stabilizers just as good as the $500 rotary ones?

what he said. i ride every chance i get

i agree on the more you ride the less armpump you get. i ride almost every day in the sumer if its for five minutes or and hour and i hardly ever get arm pump at races. i know not everyone has the property to ride every day but the more you ride the better. being comfortable on your machine and knowing its, and your limits is also very important in racing, but you also need to know how to push yourself physicaly and mentaly in a safe way. thats the best advice i can give.

now by ride do you mean like race on your practice track or what?

Ride hard for as long as you can. If you have a practice track then yes, but go else where to change it up every now and then also. Ride hard, like a good 20-30 min moto. Once you get enough stamina to go all out for the whole time you should be good to go.

i've heard from a couple of people that say they ride hard through the woods and it helps them on the mx track...

what is best to do off season to build up your stanima?

Does anyone follow a certain routine?

Yes, a lot of people ride woods...if you can go hard through the woods dodging trees and getting kicked around by ruts and the uneven terrain for a good half hour, then you will be able to last on the mx track also.

You can ride anytime, it's just a little colder.

You can also lift weights and run. When lifting focus a lot on your back. These are the main muscles used to hold on to the bike. Also do some squats and leg work. I have heard that swimming helps a lot too, but I have not tried it. I will be starting here shortly though.

i was reasearching on the computer on how to get rid of arm pump, a couple of places said that its not real great to work out your muscles to get them large, only use low weight and high reps, because of the blood takes longer to travel in-out of your arm...

Yes, that is true.

have you ever heard of a workout called... NEGATIVE WEIGHT TRAINING ?

while i was reasearching arm pump i found this work-out and it said that it will ELIMINATE arm pump

do you guys have any tips on how to start to race i really want to but i cant find any places that have just casual races to begin with and all my friends ride too slow to race against me on the track we go to like every weekend

i live by chicago and we go to a place called KiTracks very often

I have no heard of that...do you have a link or some more info on it?

Find what district you are in and then go to their website and check the schedule. There probably wont be many races left this year though.

Michigan www.ama-d14.org
Indiana www.amadistrict15.org
Wisconsin www.cycleusa.com/dist16/
Illinois www.amadistrict17.com

http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=13

I have. One exercise is "reverse" pullups. You warm up your arms with a few pushups then stand on a chair next to a pull-up bar and start with your chin over it. Hang and then start to slowly lower yourself. Slowly count to 10 (i think?) and at 10 your arms should be fully extended. Then get back on the chair and repeat until you die lol

thats how the negative weight training is like... check out the link the pics of the guy are pretty funny

http://dirtbike.off-road.com/dirtbike/arti...l.jsp?id=328767

Interesting. I might have to try it.

just hop back on that DS HOSS for practice, thats gotta be hellish to throw arround lol

believe it or not i loved it, the power was there n it didn't seem like that you got arm pump so easily. now with my 450 i get arm pump quicker. i gotta say tho that the ds is way too top heavy. jumps nice with the stock suspension, but nothing cant beat an aftermarket set-up

when i said i ride every day it isn't always on my track i am fortunate enough to live on a 330 acre farm so i ride trails alot, and i have a decent size track. but any rideing is good because you learn your machine better and know its limits, and how far you can push makes you much more comfortable when you get on the track.

working on a gas rig will help, swinging a hammer all day rigging up will give you the worst case of arm pump you have ever had!


after working on the rigs, my arm pump issue was helped.


next year im going to try that grip tape on the plastic and frame and see if that will help hold me on the bike with my legs, and then i wouldnt have to hold on with my hands as much




Eric

what kind of tires does everyone run? i kno 18's is a deff in the back but what brand and type?

there are a couple things i have done to help with arm pump and/or any muscle cramps. as for the arm pump i have a rod with string and a 5lbs weight at the end of it... hold my arm straight out with each end of the bar in your hand and roll it up and roll it down slowly... i do this maybe 10-15 times at one sitting probably 2-3 times a day.... also a day or two before a race i eat 2-3 bananas a day, the potassium helps a lot... and about 30 mins before a race i pop 2 advil to thn the blood out a little...

also, dont make your gloves or anything tight around the wrist because it restricts blood flow just enough to get some arm pump.

and stretching before/during/after a race day helps. also a 50/50 mix of power aid and water is what i drink through out the day.

as for the tires i will be running Razr mx's front and rear this next season... they seem to work better in the terrain down here (sandy/clay/dirt mix)

YES RIDE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. PLUS I USE MXN MOTONUTRTION . ITS A GREAT PROGRAM. AND IT WORKS FOR THIS OLD MAN AT 45 PLAYIN MX..................