Contents
- Build Stamina
- Practice More
- Strength Training
- Increase Your Endurance
- Structured Training
- Get Over the Muscle Cramps
- Don’t Attempt to Lift Weights
- Pay Special Attention to Lower Back Strength
- Breakdown of Exercises and Workouts to Train for Hard Enduro
- The Bottom Line
One of the most demanding and, at the same time, most exciting types of motorcycling is off-road motorcycling. On the other hand, hard enduro is a more challenging off-road endeavor. It is the toughest form of off-road racing, also known as extreme enduro. Hard enduro involves several aspects of motorcycle riding, including:
- High-speed maneuvers
- Jumps
- Dives
- Obstacles
- Bumpy surfaces
- Tough terrain
- Other navigation encounters
A hard enduro rider needs to have a strong grip, be physically fit, fast, alert, and have several other attributes. You cannot just wake up one morning and decide to go for a hard endure ride. Extreme enduro is, in its essence, very tough off-road riding. One needs to undergo specialized training and practice for several years to become a pro hard enduro rider. Read on to learn how to train for hard enduro.
1. Build Stamina
The first and the most obvious prerequisite for extreme enduro is stamina. You have to be tough and work on your stamina. Do not take extreme enduro lightly. If you lack enough strength, you will not be able to stay at the enduro race track for more than five minutes.
Training for half an hour a day for extreme enduro will not help. For extreme enduro, stamina is something that is worked out each and every day and for many hours at a time.
There are exercises that you have to do to help build your stamina. Gradually progress from walking to jogging, running, and finally cycling. The larger the lungs are, the more stamina you have and the more prepared you are for extreme enduro. Work like there is no tomorrow and only stop when you are completely exhausted. However, doing exercises up to the point where you can hardly breathe is not a good idea.
2. Practice More
Extreme enduro is not something riders go through on a daily basis. Therefore, you cannot practice it every day. It is also a different sort of activity from everyday motorcycle riding and thus can take you a huge amount of time to learn.
The next tip revolves around the frequency of your practice. In hard enduro, the more you practice, the better you get. Get comfortable with the hurdles, barriers, terrain, and other factors you can face during a hard enduro ride.
Practicing hard for extreme enduro will also assist in creating muscle memory which will assist the rider to overcome obstacles with ease.
Riding is one of the best exercises that can be recommended for hard enduro. If you have to compete in hard-enduro racing, then it will be wise if you train daily. It will help you build the right muscles.
3. Strength Training
Strength training should also be incorporated into your schedule if you want to train for hard enduro. You must have a strong body, including core muscles, arm muscles, and lower body. Above all, you need to be flexible, quick, and substantially more mobile to ride hard enduro proficiently.
Next, it is necessary to train the hamstrings, arms, ankles, hips, and lower back when preparing for hard enduro. Athleticism has to be there in your body.
There are many exercises that one can do to build strength, such as push-ups, chin-ups, jumping, rope skipping, stretching, and climbing up a ladder.
4. Increase Your Endurance
First of all, one has to recognize the concept of endurance. Endurance is the body’s capacity to endure unpleasant or difficult situations. If someone has better endurance, they can stand and fight challenges without quitting. The term “Enduro” originated from endurance racing that involves a number of laps.
Thus, it is necessary to build endurance to train for hard enduro. You can increase endurance by following the tips below:
- Gradually build up the exercise duration.
- Slowly progress up the degree of difficulty of your exercises.
- Slowly increase your walking duration.
- As you slowly increase the time spent on a walk, also slowly increase the speed at which you walk.
- Gradually, you should start jogging and then move on to running.
- Start with lighter weights while working out.
- Gradually add the reps for a given set.
- Gradually increase the degree of challenge to your bodily and mental capabilities.
5. Structured Training
Structured Training is one of the key processes for acquiring speed. It also aids in effectively training your body to perform in a certain way. Due to being structured, this training does not put extra pressure on your body, causing it to slow down. It is the best form of training methodology backed by science in enhancing your overall performance for hard enduro.
The structured training comprises several specific workouts and plans for enhancing your endurance and training energy systems.
Structured training is characterized by progression, and it has some steps that need to be followed to be implemented properly. It gets into light exercises and is gradually taken up to the next level.
Structured training involves the following:
| STRENGTH TRAINING | Building: – Muscle strength – Power |
| CARDIO TRAINING | Includes: – Cycling – Walking – Jogging – Running – Swimming – Enduro riding |
| IMPROVING AGILITY | Includes: – Ladder climbing – Plyometrics (jump training) – Cone drills for agility, reaction time, balance, and speed. |
| IMPROVING FLEXIBILITY | Includes: – Yoga Stretches |
6. Get Over the Muscle Cramps
Tightening of muscles is very frequent during muscle exercise or during any form of physical activity. However, part of the training includes getting over the muscle cramps. One can endure the pain for a few days and if one persists in stretching the particular muscles that are affected, the cramp will subside. It will also assist in improving your stamina.
7. Don’t Attempt to Lift Weights
It is not advised to do arm exercises with weights. Lifting weights only develops and pumps your arm muscles. But this does not mean that the speed of your arms’ movement will be improved.
Indeed, when your arm muscles are pumped, it can reduce your arm’s flexibility and mobility. When training for hard enduro, do not focus on the size of your arms. Instead, focus on muscular strength and flexibility.
8. Pay Special Attention to Lower Back Strength
During your training for hard enduro, it is essential to ensure that you also work on your lower back muscles. Your back muscles have to be in shape for hard enduro. Of all muscle groups, it is one of the most highly used muscles as the body position is mostly bent over during hard enduro riding. It also takes the most pressure and shocks as you ride on difficult terrains during hard enduro riding.
9. Breakdown of Exercises and Workouts to Train for Hard Enduro
Strength Training
| For Small Muscles | – Push-ups – Pull-ups – Planks – Bridges – Heel taps – Straight leg lifts – Bird dogs – Goblet squats |
| For Large Muscles | – Bench press – Deadlifts – Bent-over rows – Squats |
| Back Strength | – Squats |
ENDURANCE TRAINING
| Cardio | – Walking – Cycling – Jogging – Running – Swimming – Jumping lunges – Rope skipping |
| Rules | – Start small – Gradually increase the difficulty – Gradually increase the reps |
Additional Tips
- Go for the ride
- Practice hard enduro
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Cross-train for full-body strength
- Consistency is key
10. The Bottom Line
Hard-enduro riding is one of the most extreme types of motorcycling. It includes multiple off-road challenges, obstacles, jumping, and several other challenging maneuvers. To become a pro hard enduro rider, you must be both physically and mentally tough. Your every muscle must be functioning at its best.
