Post-lockdown recovery: get fitter to go faster

The lockdown has made great chefs out of us all and if there was an audition for Masterchef India right after the lockdown was lifted, we’d have more contenders than even for Roadies. Of course, yummy food also equates to empty calories. With absolutely zero physical activity you’re not burning any which means all the excess calories are going to magically appear around your belly or glutes. And if you’re a motorcyclist, you don’t want anything to come between you and the fuel tank, even if its your own belly. If you’re a sucker for Instagram likes, wouldn’t you be happier with a knee down shot over a shoddily clicked picture of Maggi? You obviously cannot ride your motorcycle today but you can prep for the next ride by working out in your own drawing room. Allow us to tell you how to be faster and fitter.

Hard-core

The Cervera native places a strong emphasis on core work to navigate through continuous track bends as well as elasticity to prevent injury on the rare occasion when you roll on the earth. But of course, not all of us possess superpowers like Marc Marquez. However, your upper trunk is super important and so are your abdomen muscles as you’re moving from side to side even on a regular ride and thus it is important to keep your core stable to keep the bike on both its legs. There are a lot of exercises to keep your core strong sans any weights. You can begin with a circuit of five sets of Planks, Dead bugs and Boat with rest of 1min in between every set. If you think you’re fitter than most then you could also try doing L-sits and Wall planks. Make sure you don’t take more than 60sec rest to keep the heart pumping. For those who own a big ADV, you could use the machine’s weight to perform various compound exercises which work on your core anyway.

Everyone hates leg days

Some feel more fatigue on the upper part of their body and others feel it more in the legs.It depends on their structure. Mick Doohan said he always felt his legs were giving a little bit more than the upper body, and that was in the days of the 500cc two-strokes. Marquez has put on a lot more muscle on his upper body as some call his riding style very ‘loose’. If you are a trackday specialist then you cannot ignore your upper body at all. Make sure you’re doing pushups, pull-ups, tricep dips, close-grip push ups, bicep curls (using water bottles) and shoulder press (again, using water bottles). "Physically your legs go through a lot of work because ultimately you are pushing away from the ground and your other leg is pressing against the bike," says Marc Marquez. That’s why working out your legs is of utmost importance. To work on your quads and hamstrings, make sure you’re getting a good dose of squats, lunges, pistol squats, donkey kicks, side lunges, calf raises and good mornings.

Refuel

Working out is just 30 per cent of the job while 70 per cent still depends on your diet. Try and maintain a ratio of 50:30:20 (Protein:Fats:Carbs) for your daily intake of calories. If you workout regularly and maintain your diet well, there’s no reason for you not to take that dream ride to Ladakh or wherever once the lockdown ends!