So you’ve bitten the bullet and got your BMX racing license and have been hitting a few club nights. How good does it feel to be back on the track again! But man, after two straights your legs feel like someone is shooting a flame thrower at them! Surely it didn’t feel like this when you were 20 did they?

Being 2015, you’re probably on Facebook and you see the Pros posting PBs from the squat rack. Heck even the guys you race against at the clubbie are posting the same thing and THEY’RE sponsored! Maybe this is the answer to the flame thrower? Can hitting the gym help my racing and riding in general? If I go to the gym, will I be faster??

Well, yes and no. If you can’t manual the first step up cleanly, then getting to it faster is a recipe for disaster. Something I’ve seen more than a couple of times. Skill before speed should be the mantra for us older racers and once your skills have improved sufficiently, then yes, hitting the gym and lifting weights will help your bike speed (especially acceleration). And as a bonus, getting stronger will help your quality of life in general.

Here’s something to think about and keep in mind when you’ve returned to BMX racing at a mature age. I’m talking 35+ here.

Just like a car, our body needs to be maintained, and taking 10 or 15 years off from any type of exercise really affects it. Your strength levels drop because we lose muscle mass as we get older and this is exasperated if you have an office dwelling job, or don’t work physically. The only way to regain lost strength and muscle mass is by lifting heavy stuff like when you train in a gym. But you don’t have to live in there. Once a week is sufficient because you still need to be on your bike 2 or 3 times a week working on your track fitness and more importantly, your skills. Remember, skill before speed.

Right now at this stage of your return-to-racing career, what you will benefit most from is a good head to toe flexibility program that you do once a day (preferably in the morning). Why are you so sore after a night of gates? Remember, all those years you’ve been “resting”? Ligaments and tendons are kind of like the rubber bushes in the suspension of your car. They start to perish after a while, and whilst you can’t replace them (like in your car), you can work with them to return some of their function to them.

A gate start in BMX loads up the body and lack of mobility can lead to injury. Most of us already have some back pain anyway and a night of gates can really make it sore. Now you don’t have to go out and buy yoga pants and take up bonsai(!); and it doesn’t need to take more than 15 minutes. Working on your flexibility and mobility will improve your gate starts and your riding overall in these initial stages of your return to racing, and onwards.

There are also strength imbalance considerations with BMX, as the quad muscles are recruited heavily in mashing the pedals and the hamstrings not so much. This is where weight training once a week will help prevent injuries due to muscle imbalance and just maybe fire you out of the gate a little faster. But don’t neglect riding your bike.

What’s a good balance? Once a week in the gym, 2 or 3 sessions on the bike AND stretching every day. The last part I can’t stress enough!

Next time we’ll look at what exercises specifically you should be doing when you’re at the gym and that flexibility stuff. Till then, keep popping wheelies.

About Bruce Morris #84

• Brisbane Australia
• BMX Racer – 35+ years
• Fitness Professional – 25+ years of operating gyms and training people
• Coach 84 BMX Training – Coaching the 30+ racers. Spanning performance, fitness and healthiness