with Justin Travis, USAC Certified Coach

Last month was about having fun on your bike and setting goals for the upcoming season. Now you need to make plans to achieve those goals. Use the following steps to achieve the best possible performance for racing.

1 Look at your race calendar and circle the major races you are planning on attending for the next six months. Proper training requires what is termed as “periodization” meaning that to achieve maximum results you have to train in periods. Much like the levels of a pyramid, each period builds on the level before it and each level gets more specific in exercises that directly relate to your sport (BMX). Pros and top amateurs pick a race or a few weeks of important races and train all year with those races in mind.  The tricky part about BMX racing is that our season is year-round and athletes and coaches have to combine long and short-term training goals.

2 Look at your daily calendar and figure out how much time you have weekly or daily to dedicate to BMX training and practice.  Make sure to take into account other sports, activities, work, and fun time.

The most important part of training for young athletes and even the weekend warrior Cruiser rider is general fitness and bike handling skills.

3 The first period (the base of the triangle) of any training program is called Anatomical Adaptation. This refers to making sure your tendons, ligaments, muscles and central nervous system are adapted for heavier lifting in the future. In regular guy terms, this means general fitness. High levels of general fitness need to be achieved by both young athletes and weekend warriors before lifting heavily to reduce injuries and promote a healthy lifestyle.

4 I can’t stress enough that the most important part of training for young athletes and even the weekend warrior Cruiser rider is general fitness and bike handling skills. If you are a young athlete and you participate in other school sports then you are going to be in good shape, especially if you get plenty of exercise during practice. If you are 25 and older, consider getting a gym membership and working with a personal trainer to get in shape with the long-term goal of being an explosive athlete.

5 Once fitness is addressed, an athlete needs to work on the sport specifics. One of the best workouts you can do is to get outside and ride your bike. Even if it’s cold, as long as it’s dry, get out there and ride for an hour at least three times a week. The best sprints to do during this period are sprints that will build a solid base for getting around the track. Basic intervals work best. Do five to ten sprints for 20 seconds each with a three minute rest time between sprints at 80 percent of your full speed. Between sprints, practice manualing, bunny hop manuals, and other basic skills.

6 The week before each race you circled, take it easy, but keep riding. You want your muscles to be fully recovered before an important race but you also want to be in tune with your bike. Continue to ride, but cut your riding and sprint time in half.

7 Anatomical Adaptation for young or new athletes can last anywhere from eight to ten weeks before moving on to more sport (BMX) specific movements. Winter is the best time for this so you can focus more on skills, power, and speed when the weather turns nice again. Next month we will focus on basic skills.