Racer X Virtual Trainer

Hi trainers!

i follow Coach Seji's workout plan and ride MX at weekends. I wore my heart rate monitor yesterday while practicing and i was absolutely amazed!

I do 16 miniute practice sessions and my heart rate was an average of 190 with Max 196. I am 31 and physically fit. Now this wasnt really race pace but i dont tend to get anywhere near that heart rate zone unless i really push on a Lactate Threshold test running/cycling...

My question is this...... is motocross really that physical or is it something else like the concentration during riding or breathing causes such a high heart rate?

Thanks!

I have found with my riders and other people I have talked to that heart rates in MX are pinned from start to finish. I always expected a gradual increase and things like crashes and certain sections to spike the heart rate, but that is not what I find to be the case. One day when you are practicing, get your heart rate up and then pull over and quickly find your pulse with your fingers to check the accuracy of you monitor. You could have electrical interference from the bike that is giving you a false reading.

But yea, MX is THAT hard!

Check out this article, The Exercise Intensity of MX and SX Racing

_________________
Tim Crytser
Your Virtual Trainer
www.racerxVT.com

Heart rate will always be high on the motorcycle for a couple of reasons:
1. The bike weighs roughly 220 pounds.
2. You are adding velocity that your body is attempting to push and pull around; using every muscle in your body.
3. Your quads (top of your thigh muscles) are the largest consumers of oxygen in the body. If you are in the correct attack position, your quads are fully engaged - heart rate goes up.
4. We tend not to breathe very deeply, limiting our oxygen uptake - heart rate goes up.
5. When momentum is lost and we bounce off of every obstacle on the track - heart rate goes up.

One of the biggest revelations that our riders experience is that they actually go faster, longer when they "slow down". Think about Jeremy McGrath, he was so smooth on all of his landings that he could go fast all day long. Was he in shape, yes, but there was something about the way Jeremy rode (still rides) that allows him to conserve energy and go so fast for a long period of time (Pourcel would be another example when he was at PC).

Here are a few things you can do to make riding and racing a little easier:
1. Learn how to belly breathe (let me know if you need some help with this).
2. Focus on smoothing out your riding style - land on the backside of all the jumps; execute better throttle control, etc.
3. Build your aerobic engine
4. Improve your overall body strength
5. Enhance your flexibility (your heart rate is lower when your muscles move without restriction).

Please let me know if you have any questions!
-Robb Beams/MotoE (robb3@earthlink.net)

Hey Expat, I had an accidental experiment while on the spin bike the other day. I was maintaining a steady 135-140 BPM, then I started to zone out and think about riding, actually visualizing riding laps and sections of a local track. When I looked down at my HR monitor it was reading 158. I hadn't changed my cadence or resistance. Once I refocused on what I was doing and taking deep breaths my HR came back down to the 135-140 range. I can now see how your riding HR will become much more elevated than when you're exercising heavily. I too get a very high (upper 190's) when riding, yet my LTHR is a good 10-15 BPM below that. Trippy...

Excellent response therealmoney but just to be clear you actually you have no idea what your LTHR is on the motorcycle. That is unless you have done a LTHR test on the motorcycle which is very, very difficult to do. Most amateurs do not have the skills on the bike to push themselves to LT and still ride safely. Remember, your LTHR is specific to each mode of exercise you do and that includes the motorcycle.

_________________
Tim Crytser
Your Virtual Trainer
www.racerxVT.com

Correct, no true LTHR # for MX...referring to Rowing/Cycling LTHR's...

I guess I was referring to this statement. Sounded like you were referring to your rowing or cycling LTHR. Who knows, your LTHR while riding is probably in the 190's!

_________________
Tim Crytser
Your Virtual Trainer
www.racerxVT.com

Wore my HR monitor for two 20 minute motos yesterday. Avg was between 188-190 and my max was 198. I don't think the engine was providing any type of interference, although I didn't pull over and test manually. I did a road bike ride the day before and noticed I was at 192 on a short climb. Then on Friday my HR hit 189 doing a leg circuit. I think that's just they way my heart works...do you guys think I should be worried?

On a positive note, I felt really strong in my motos, so I think my body is getting more efficient at performing at that heart rate (I'm on week 5 of the 19 weeker). I'm usually pretty blasted at the 12-15 minute mark and barely hanging on...I used to think that my HR would come down as I got in better shape, but now that I understand how the LTHR measurement works, I know what to expect for riding (same HR but more force/power output).

Thanks for all the free info you guys!

Nothing to worry about as long as you feel good during the high heart rates. Good job and keep up the hard work!

_________________
Tim Crytser
Your Virtual Trainer
www.racerxVT.com