Last week we talked about the base of our pyramid, nutrition. This week will be the next level in our pyramid, metabolic conditioning. Metabolic conditioning is often thought of as cardio, but it is much more than that.
Understanding Metabolic Pathways
Let’s talk about an idea you have likely not heard before: metabolic pathways.
Three metabolic “pathways” exist, and it is important to understand all three and how to keep these in mind when training.
The Phosphagen Pathway provides the bulk of energy used in highest-powered activities, those that last less than ten seconds. Think 40 yd dash, max effort deadlift, or running from a bear.
The Glycolytic Pathway is used mostly in medium exertion movements. These movements can last up to several minutes. Think 1 lap or two laps around a high school track and your highest level of effort up to about a 1-mile run for elite athletes.
The Oxidative Pathway provides energy for longer duration, lower intensity activities like a 5k run. Motocross racing actually uses all three pathways due to its intermittent high-intensity nature - bursts of power combined with sustained effort over 15-30 minutes.
Anaerobic vs Aerobic
Now let’s talk about a couple of terms you have likely heard before: anaerobic and aerobic. Anaerobic meaning “without oxygen”, Aerobic meaning in the presence of oxygen.
The first two pathways we discussed, phosphagen and glycolytic, live in the anaerobic world. Think about the last time you gave all-out effort on a sprint or some other short high intensity activity. You feel lightheaded, possibly a copper taste in your mouth, your heart is pounding.
The last pathway, the oxidative pathway, is in the aerobic realm. Running on the treadmill for 20 minutes, long walks on the beach, etc. Getting your “cardio” on is often akin to these activities.
Why Traditional Cardio Isn’t Optimal
Now I bet you have heard that “cardio” is the way to go for weight loss and overall health. Have you ever wondered why you almost never see “fit” people on the treadmill? Long periods of steady-state cardio primarily improve your endurance for that specific activity. While it does help with fat loss and cardiovascular health, it’s less effective at building muscle and explosive power compared to interval training - both of which are crucial for motocross performance.
Anaerobic exercise builds muscle, while excessive aerobic exercise can lead to muscle loss. When you do too much steady-state cardio without adequate resistance training and nutrition, your body may break down muscle tissue for energy. This is especially true during very long endurance sessions.
The key word here is “excessive.” Moderate aerobic exercise has its place, but for motocross racers, the focus should be on explosive power and short-burst endurance - which is where anaerobic training shines.
Often times you see Motocross racers putting in 100s of miles on a bike. They could likely get better performance doing wind sprints on those bikes. Is it wrong to ride 100 miles on your bike? Of course not - it’s fun, it is a great way to see the outdoors, and you get to wear those cool shorts and clippy shoes.
Anaerobic training not only improves “sprint” capacity (your average local motocross race is a 4-8 lap sprint), it’s also of great benefit to endurance racers (3hr Cross country circuits).
How to Train: Intervals and Tabata
Intervals are the easiest starting point. An example of an interval workout would be to head to the local school track and do 8 laps, alternating all-out sprint for half a lap and recover with a slow run for half a lap.
Tabata is the way to go for at home training. It’s simple: 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. It takes four minutes to complete. I like to do 3 total sets with one minute of rest in between each set.
Sample Tabata Workout
Round 1: Shuttle Runs (4 minutes)
- 20 seconds: Shuttle Run (back and forth to end of your driveway, at least 20 feet)
- 10 seconds: Rest
- Repeat 8 times total
- Rest 1 minute
Round 2: Pushups (4 minutes)
- 20 seconds: Pushups
- 10 seconds: Rest
- Repeat 8 times total
- Rest 1 minute
Round 3: Air Squats (4 minutes)
- 20 seconds: Air Squat (try to get your hips lower than your knee)
- 10 seconds: Rest
- Repeat 8 times total
Total time: 14 minutes
Test and Retest
Test it yourself. Run a mile or two and do your best to record how you feel and your time. Or do a 5-lap race sprint simulation next time you are at the track and record how you feel/time.
Do intervals and Tabata for 2-3 weeks. Then retest. Your mile will be faster, you will recover faster, you will feel stronger on the bike.