Driver Fitness

[noskill]

Hi all, I am currently reveiwing my fitness programme for racing and have read many books including strength training for driving, all the caroll smith books and inner speed, and I would like to know what others are doing? It seems to be an area that not many people seem to pay that much attention to but, I would just like to kow what kind of "regimes" other people go through.

At the moment I play squash 3-4 times a week for 1/2 hr and do about 250 adominal exercises (with a helmet) every other day and about 50 push ups (also with Helmet). It seems adequate but with the possibility of enduro's coming up I wonder if its enough.

I also ride mountain bikes a few times a week.
mainly down hills though

cheers in advance

[Richy_Rich]

I had a brief dalliance with a gym last year. I ended up going about twice a week, but I've sort of wound down and now go, er, never

So, I probably won't be much help.

[JustinDawkins]

Sounds as though you already do a lot.

A good book is Fit for Motorsport by Haynes.

I play squash 2-3 times a week, I go the the gym 5 ish times a week, where I usually run for 15 minutes, row for 3000 meters (about 11 minutes) and then either swim ten lengths or do 10 minutes if weights. I tend to go in the morning before work.

What you have to watch is stuff that 'builds' your muscles too much, as it makes you heavier, for racing cardio stuff is better.

A good motorsport exercise is to use a large weight as a steering wheel, and do turning motions (like when you were 8!). This is particularly good if your race a heavy car, or one with a small steering wheel (Im that one).

What do you race?

[DALY]

justin, I go to the jim and pick up pints with a straight arm, usually three or for motions to start with, then by teh 6th one I usually take about 8 goes at it. Is this any good?

[peteconnors]

Although not a racing driver, I thought I'd have a go at the Exchange & Mart comp, so figured I had to get fit. I'm going to the gym 5 times a week. On my first day, I had 5 minutes on the bike, 2 minutes rowing and 2 minutes cross training and I was knackered. However, just over a month later, I am now cycling 78 minutes (increasing 4 minutes a day), rowing 22 minutes (increasing 1 minute a day), cross training 22 minutes (increasing 1 minute a day), and running 3000 metres (increasing 200 metres a day), and swimming 36x 50 metre lengths (increasing 2 lengths a day). I am losing weight at a steady rate, I still find it tough, but I'm increasing the load each day so it doesn't get easier, and I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. As for the wheel excercises; I switched to a car without power steering, and as my job involves a lot of parking and manouvering, it's working a treat!

[noskill]

Cheers for the info. for your information i run an F3 car in a little country called Australia. I must say thuogh peter, yould give me a madssive run for my money in the fitness stakes if you kept that up...

now anyone got any diet tips....

[peteconnors]

No fizzy drinks. No alcohol. No ciggies. No chocolate. Well, the odd bar here and there... At the moment I have a bowl of cereal at 8.45am, hit the gym around 10, finish around 1pm, shower, have lunch (usually rice or pasta with chicken or fish) around 2.30pm, head off to work at 4.20pm. I take a few pieces of fruit with me to work, which stop me getting hungry. Just as well, I am currently delivering pizzas for a living, and all fake orders get given to the staff. How tempting is that? It has definately taught me self control!!!

[noskill]

I know htat problem I work a lot in the restaurant trade and here is always a bowl of hot chips infront of me!!! It takes a lot to stop eating them......

[johnw]

Mmmm
Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong.
I've just always followed the maxim No pain, no pain
Works for me

[Hybrid]

That's some conditioning - five years of 1st grade rugby and I never trained like that.
Why dont you try www.qasport.qld.gov.au and see what they say. They are sport science experts and will deal with diet as well.

[Stinky]

Well, when I was in FF1600 I used to go to the gym for an hour and a half a day, 5 days per week. I did lightish weights but for high numbers of repetitions. I also did a lot of CV work. Sometimes I would warm up in the gym then go for a long run then come back to the gym to do cool down exercises. On Sundays I would take it easy and just swim for 45 mins.

I found that when I just ran I got good CV fitness, but the rest of me was out of shape, when I just did gym, I got very shapely and strong, but not very fit, so I mixed the two. Also, I am a girl, and found that to drive I raelly needed to do the strngth work to be able to drive the car, I guess a bloke would be naturally stronger so maybe wouldn't need to do so much strength work, only CV stuff.

These days I race saloons, and I work for a living so I don't have time to go to the gym everyday like that, so I just walk when I can and do a bit of yoga.

I hope this helps.

:-)

Christine

[ss_collins]

hmmm gyms are expensive, crystal palace hill is on my home from work so I walk.... thats it.

[noskill]

Cheers its n ice to know what other people do.

The biggest probl;em seems to be balancing your weight and muscle balance.

[peteconnors]

News just in - this beats the Atkins diet if you need to lose some weight quickly...
The NHS Diet
Monday last week: developed pain by kidney.
Wednesday: had some chips on way home from work. Most tasty. Decided if pain was still there in morning I would go to doc.
Thursday: Did not eat anything incase of worse case scenario. Went to docs around 4, examined me, rushed me to hospital with suspected kidney infection. Around 7 I got blood and urine samples taken. Around 9 I had x-ray. I was told the doctor would check x-ray and let me know what he thought. At 10.30 I was taken to surgical ward by wheelchair, having been told nothing by anyone. Began wandering what they knew that I didn't.
Friday: 10.30am, finally seen by doctor who said all systems were normal except for pain, would recommend ultrasound. Should be done later that day. At 1.15 I asked Ward Sister if she knew when the ultrasound would be. Was told that they had only just sent paperwork to ultrasound, so wouldn't be til Saturday, earliest. I asked if I could go home for the night and come in for the scan the next day, but was told that if I leave the hospital I was officially an out-patient, and would have to wait 6 weeks for a scan, even though I could have freed up a much needed bed for them. As the only possibilities were hernia (would get worse) or muscular problem (would ease up), and I was the most minor problem in the ward (one kid had argued with a windscreen and lost, another was passing blood, and was on his 4th pint of top up that day) I discharged myself. Got home at 3.30pm. I had a lovely bacon sarnie and went for a kip. The stats looked like this:
41 hours without food
22 hours without fluids
32 hours without sleep.
After a weekend of taking it easy and eating quite a bit, I weighed in today at 1/2 a stone lighter than last Monday. By my calculations I lost close to 3/4 of a stone (4.7kg?) in a couple of days.
I never got the ultrasound, but the pain has almost gone. Turns out I'm not pregnant after all.
BTW I am awaiting joining information from BUPA.

[Chris Y]

I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago. Got taken in to hosp. in an ambulance with suspected appendicitis (severe pain in abdomen, but not sore to touch), lots of pain killers, and lots of tests including about 10 x-rays. They still haven't reached a conclusion about it, although they suspect a kidney stone, but neither they or I have found it yet...

Approx. 2 days nil by mouth

Going back to hospital for more scans this Friday.. Might join you on the BUPA list

[DSM]

peteconnors - you ought to be pregnant after being F----d about so much!!

[peteconnors]

To top it off there was Porsche racing and Clio Cup racing on in the early hours of Friday morning when I was wide awake, but I couldn't watch it because they'd replaced the TV with beds. Bugger. I think the £42 a month they quoted for BUPA is worth it! Kinda wish I was pregnant though, I'd suddenly be worth a fortune and would be able to afford to go racing! Plus it'd explain my gut...

[zefarelly]

dunno where you live Pete, but last time I went to A&E (car crash, minor whiplash, just went for a check up) I was in and out and sorted within 15 minutes.

I did have to wait 6 months as an outpatient for an arthriscopy (sp?) on my right knee though, hadly life threatening, just a pain, esp driving long distance !

[peteconnors]

I'm just outside Shrewsbury. Apparently the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is one of the worst in the country. My mum had an operation when she lived in Bournemouth and the hospital was superb; she had her own phone, tv, and a lovely view of Poole harbour. Amazing how it varies across the country!

[DAVID PATERSON]

I work 10-12 hours a day siting at a desk and get home far to tired to do anything really. I also live with fantastic cook who's obsessed with err, generous helpings. I'm probably the fattest person here. No problem, I've just upgraded to a more powerful car.

[Tiptop]

Hi All,

I race formula fords and need to lose some more weight. I play squash 3 times a week and go to the gym. Does anyone know of a good website that helps with diet and fitness training. I would be willing to to pay for a trainer as I need to lose 3 stone by next april...

Cheers
Tiptop

[Dr Venom]

Stop eating all the pie's then....!

[Dr Venom]

Or for more info have a look at the thread mark "Fitness" in racers forum.

[RMR]

If you goto the gym the staff there will give you the best and safest advice.

personaly i do lots of cardio work, cycling, swimming, running and rowing, keep the heartrate arount 130-150 depending on age. and a sensible diet of course

[DAVID PATERSON]

I joined a gym last night, there going to write a programme especially for me. Now, I just need to eat less and better.