Medicine Ball Hip Toss on Stationary Bike
By Charles Dao
Charles Dao of Evolution Fitness Elite Sports Science is a part of one of the most progressive training centers in the country. He partnered with John Louch and Matt Neel to create a training facility that could cater specifically to athletes (more specifically, action-sports athletes). With riders such as Josh Hill, Jay Marmont, Josh Hansen, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, and Ronnie Faisst already on the list of professional motorcycle riders who train there, Evolution Fitness in Murietta, California, is quickly becoming the premier facility to train in Southern California’s motocross hotbed.
In a regular addition to Racer X’s Virtual Trainer, Charles will break down exercises in sequence to show some of the things he is doing with the stars of the sport. These are all things that can be done in most gyms and will improve your fitness dramatically. So far we have covered the
Jab-and-Pull
, the
Walking-Lunge-with-Rotation
,
the Stationary Rows on Bosu Ball
, and the
Single Leg Cross-Over Reach
. This month's
featured exercise is the Medicine Ball Hip Toss on Stationary Bike.
Evolution fitness's, Charles Dao
This exercise is great for core strengthening and developing hand-eye coordination; two important components in MX training. As an added bonus, while you are working those areas you are also getting an amazing cardiovascular workout. You'll need a spinning bike or equivalent with the handle bars removed, and a medicine ball.
You start with your hands out in front of you and your shoulders back and your chest up. Begin spinning on the bicycle at about 60% resistance while keeping a steady cadence. A good pace is to tap your right knee every time it comes up in 10 seconds. Ten to twelve taps is a good pace. Next, you will need a partner to throw a 10-12 pound medicine ball to you. As the ball is thrown to one side, you want to catch it and decelerate the ball. Work on lengthening your muscles as you rotate to the side. Next, accelerate and throw the ball back to your partner. Be sure to keep your core tight so you don’t strain your spine or lower back. The next throw should be to the other side where you will repeat the same motion. The twisting motion in this exercise is very important in motocross training. This exercise is perfect for adding to your interval training program. Start with 30 reps or as many as you can do in 45 seconds to a minute. The throwing motion should be quick but controlled while the pedaling should be slow and smooth.
That's it for now. Until next time, good luck with your training and, as always, VT can be reached anytime at
crytset@comcast.net
. In addition, be sure and check out the Racer X Virtual Trainer
archive section
, your complete one-stop information zone for motocross fitness.
