How to train like a MX pro: Cardio

A new series of tips from top riders, starting with Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin.

Date 15 June 2015AuthorAaron Hansel

You’d never know just how demanding motocross is by looking at Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin. Even after a race – they both look like they’re ready to charge through another full night of racing! Maybe that’s because they’re both trained by Aldon Baker, one of the best, most accomplished trainers in the business.

To learn more, we asked Baker what he does to make sure Dungey and Musquin are prepared to handle the intense cardiovascular demands of racing.

 The Methods

According to Aldon Baker there are three main ways to get your cardio on: swimming, jogging and cycling. Aldon leans on cycling the heaviest to keep Ryan Dungey, Marvin Musquin and the rest of his elite athletes in fighting shape.

“The one that links in best with racing motorcycles is cycling. I use some running, but cycling prevents any further jarring on the body, something the guys already get plenty of from being on the motorcycle. It’s also easier to get in the zones that are required off the motorcycle, and it really seems to fit in well with the guys.”

The Workload

Every athlete’s body is different, so you have to match the amount of work to the individual. Before training begins, Baker assesses each athlete so that their individual programmes can be optimised. Baker continues to monitor their fitness levels and adjusts his requirements accordingly to make sure they’re on the right track.

“The work varies throughout the season, depending on what kind of loads they already have on them with racing, but they’re pretty much doing some form of heart rate training every day of the week,” Baker explains. “When they’re cycling they don’t do set a set mileage, because the body doesn’t remember that – it remembers time. Everything is related to time, which varies anywhere from an hour a day to two-and-a-half. During the off-season we’re doing a lot more hours on the bicycle, but even on the light days you can always expect a minimum of an hour.”

“I monitor their heart rates on race day too, at least at some point during the day, either in practice, during a heat race or even the main. I want information, as far as what’s happening during a race situation, and having a guy wear a monitor during a race helps make sure the training we’re doing is lining up with what the stresses are in a race scenario. The amount of racing and training on the motorcycle that you have to do is incredible [Baker’s athletes are turning approximately 1,000 hard laps a month], so it’s important to have them conditioned in order to be able to cope with those kinds of demands all year.”

Balance

“You have to train in all areas to produce a complete athlete with complete fitness, and anyone who knows anything about motocross knows that heart rates are high,” Baker says. “They already spend a huge amount of time on the bike, so I don’t have too many off-the-bike sessions with high heart rates – it would throw them out of balance. When we’re doing cardio we’re actually targeting some of the lower zones, like 130-145 BPM. We do have some high intensity workouts, but at heavy points in the season that’s usually only about once a week. They’re getting enough of that on the motorcycle.”