What does Working Hard Really Mean?
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 - 8:55pm
In professional motocross racer terms what does that statement actually mean? From Andrew Short to JT$ they all are working hard, but other riders seems to have better fitness, James Stewart addressed this in his podcast stating that Andrew Short hangs on for the first 17-20 minutes and then falls off Dungey's pace. Andrew takes racing seriously and I believe he is a hardcore trainer, but does he just not train enough. Anyone have any insight into this? How does one rider have the perfect balance of speed and fitness and others are all over the place, seems like there are tons of trainers and fitness info out there, it seems like there would be more fitness parity amongst the riders.
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 - 4:55am
#2
For riders like Short I don't think fitness is the big issue. It's the mental game that holds them back. There are certain riders who are going to either win or land on their head trying...Short would rather ride in his comfort zone, which is fine. Until he lets it hang out and gets in the mindset that winning is the only option (stewart), he's going to hover around the top 5...even if he works out/trains 10 times a day. I like Short, but you will never hear riders like Reed or Stewart being happy about their 2nd or 3rd place weekend. That's why they have championships. In other words, without believing you are the fastest guy out there, your training can only take you so far.
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 - 5:13pm
#3
"MainJ" points out that the "mental game ... holds them back." And adds that "training can only take you so far." To expand on this a bit, as a former amateur racer, I attest to how important the "mental game" actually is out on the track. Also, the mental game and training can actually act synergistically. Good Forums as of late Matthes!
If Jason Lawrence had been doing his share of riding, he could show up at a race hungover and still last longer than Short. Everybody has a different body. A lot of it is just natural.