dc or monster socks pulled up to your chin
^^ does actually work

No

How does playing a computer game train muscle memory?

The best training for racing is racing. Race more get faster. In the mean time ride more, commute by bike for base fitness, ride at night for skills and the explosive fitness. I would say circuits but now the clocks have gone forward I would invest more time on riding then circuits. As winter approaches do circuits until then ride more etc.

finally some sense on the thread. explosive power indeed. strength and conditioning. all basics of general fitness right?

ride more hard things, regularly.

race more. there is nothing like racing for giving you better experience/confidence for even more racing.

and please god. don’t just mince around a pump track with a head cam on.

How does playing a computer game train muscle memory?

Are you serious? of course computer games train muscle memory, (for playing computer games) What playing the game will help him with is his reaction time, hand-eye coordination, track/line learning memory skills. Spotting the fastest lines. Staying smooth and knowing e3xactly when to hold it wide open and when to hold back is the only way to win the game. (same as DH racing, fitness being equal) Have you even played it?

personally if I’m practising a specific course for a race I’ll tend to Session my way down once or twice then try to stitch together some “feet up” runs and maybe one or two race-ish paced runs, that all assumes you’ve got the time/energy, I only really had time for 2 full practise runs and a little bit of sessioning this weekend, so one feet up sighting run and a second with some pace, before sitting about for ~1hr then race runs, I suppose you do need to be aware of fatiguing yourself too much during practise or getting too cold waiting for your run (well you do if your me)…

And yep, definately out braked myself at a couple of points where I knew better, which is really the issue I’m getting at with the question I suppose…

Ultimately I know it’s all down to time on the bike, but I don’t have alot of time, so I’ve got to come up with a bit of a strategy to make what I do have really count… Actually you are wrong, it’s not ultimately down to time on the bike at all, DH racing is a big mental game and your mindset seems wrong for a start. From what you wrote above, you also don’t know how to use practice efficiently, Why didn’t you walk the track before riding it? (that would give me more than 5secs advantage on most tracks straight away)

muscle memory is about teaching you muscles to do a task. you gain the muscle memory by doing the task. muscle memory for bike riding comes from riding bikes. muscle memory for playing mx games on a computer comes from playing mx computer games.

The muscle memory for dh racing will come from dh racing and other things that emulate riding a dh bike things like perhaps riding an mx bike for real, or riding any push bike off road.

though i do agree regarding the head game bit

Surely the correct answer is a new bike. That’s got to be worth a try 🙂

muscle memory is about teaching you muscles to do a task. you gain the muscle memory by doing the task.

Yes, I’m well aware of what muscle memory is thanks 😉

muscle memory for bike riding comes from riding bikes. muscle memory for playing mx games on a computer comes from playing mx computer games.

Yeah, that’s why I already said the same above. incase you missed it:
“of course computer games train muscle memory, (for playing computer games)”
🙄

The muscle memory for dh racing will come from dh racing and other things that emulate riding a dh bike things like perhaps riding an mx bike for real, or riding any push bike off road.

Yes, and the OP has already made loads of (IMHO pathetic) excuses as to why he can only ride a couple of hours a week.

In my DH days the difference between bottom 3rd and top 3rd was knowledge of the track and skill. I did really well at mountain ash through a combination of riding it a lot and watching good riders lines. However I wouldn’t discount what ability to sprint could do for you especially on a course like mtn ash

XC racers are very fit, doesnt mean they are anygood at DH, The more speed you can carry the better! fitness will help though with things like arm pump etc.

Massive “depends”, just like everything else that’s been mentioned. A xc skier will probably be fitter than me, but would (s)he be able to beat me down a 10- 12 minute off-piste downhill derby? Maybe, maybe not, but me being 100% fitter would have meant my legs weren’t destroyed halfway down with my form going to s–t. And I wouldn’t have landed on my arse/back/head 3 times.

Thing is, you know one or two things could make the difference. but you don’t know which of the 10-15 possibilities are the right ones to concentrate on. No-one can tell you that over the internet, so you can either try one at a time, follow faster mates down and narrow it down or go and see someone like Jedi.

And GW being a tit again.

IMHO pathetic

He’s got different priorities to you. Other things are more important to him. Even if they include relaxing. That is all.

Sure, some people need a kick up the arse, but who are you to tell who they are, from wherever you are?

Not being able to accept people having different priorites is pathetic.

Just trying to work out which pro dh racer has the initials gw. 😀

aaron GWin?

“The best training for racing is racing”

No it isn’t.

Greg m.. No.
Gee a… No.
**** me.
Aaron gwin on stw.

care to expand?

“The best training for racing is racing”

No it isn’t.
Why not? I have only done 4 DH races, My times are getting faster each race. Its working for me!

People suggest new kit, but I think a relatively cheap and easy “win” is some mud tyres for when it’s muddy.

Can easily be worth 5s and not cost too much. Not helping you on a dry track though!

Not sure if it’s above, but making sure that I do plenty full non-stop runs helps me. Cos sessioning is all well and good, but it feels different when you’re riding the whole track and not hitting sections fresh/slower entry speed etc.

Having said that, I’m generally firmly mid table, top half on a good run, so my advice probably aint worth ought 😉

15 minute workout – XC bike and pick a big gear, stand up and mash hard for 10 cycles then carve and pump an imaginary turn 10 times (left then right). Rest for 10 seconds and repeat until you’re completely banjoed. Then do it again. Once you can feel it getting easier – switch to the DH bike.

Cheers for your input GW My primary “Pathetic excuses” are respectively 33 and 2 months old and outside of my busy working week they have first claim on my time, riding is sadly a distant third or fourth ATM, getting a whole Sunday for a race was a bit of a coup in my pathetic little world TBH and probably won’t be repeated for a little while.
As much as I like your Xbox based training program I’m technically a Grown-up now, and therefore can’t sit in front of the telly for hours on end developing gamers thumb, when I was a student maybe that would have flown but not any more… and for that reason I’m out.

Oh and of course I walked the bloody course – Where exactly did I say I hadn’t? Effing Armchair experts… 🙄

I think in amongst all the suggestions there are a few good ones and ideas worth turning into self improvement excercises:

-Repeated drilling of corners (of all different types) is a good idea. (I actually quite like your idea for a “flat corner carving drill with added rider fatigue” above Mr Euro as it ticks a couple of boxes).

-Repeated drilling of technical, rough rooty/rock sections with corners in (increases rider fatigue and forces some thought on line choices)

-Self-timed runs on my local trails I think as a baseline just to gauge progress.

-Some self-timed runs on less familiar courses (With No aborting runs due to botched corners etc, basically treat it like you would a race run).

Alot of the above isn’t that far from my normal riding, only I think now it will be framed in a diiferent context i.e. “How do I approach this in a race situation?” Still keeping it fun I reckon….

-Also More Cycle commuting and I think realistically I’m going to have to do some targeted excercises off the bike to build the old core muscles and general endurance/fatigue resistance…

There’s my “Programe” now to put it into action…

Anyone here bought a DRC “X-monitor” lap timer? Is it a reasonable investment for ~£30?

All sound good cookeaa + a skills course at some sort of DH track. 😀

Bikejames.com has loads of good MTB fitness stuff – his latest video on bodyweight exercises is a very quick regime for the time starved (and he actually has worked with Aaron Gwinn).

I’m technically a Grown-up now

WTF are you doing still riding a push bike in the woods then? 😛

Believe it or not my first priority is also my kids.

Personally I don’t really know why you are bothering with racing at all if you can only manage a few hours a week to try and improve (but that choice is entirely upto you).

I’ve often wondered why the bottom half of the field bother racing. At my local series it’s the same people again and again.

Seems an expensive way to confirm you’re slow.

😆

I’ve won 3 races since my last post 😉

jam bo – Member

I’ve often wondered why the bottom half of the field bother racing. At my local series it’s the same people again and again.

Hmm… Perhaps they enjoy it? Crazy I know 😉

jam bo as a fully paid up member of the ‘bottom of the field club ‘ I can confirm that it is indeed fun
it would be nice to ne an elite DH god like yourself
but ill just settle for riding my bike as fast as I can down a hill

to the OP. have you considered a suspension tune ?

For the record, I’m no elite. I don’t race anymore as I know I’ll come about middle of the field, higher on a good day, lower on a bad day.

if you don’t beleive racing makes you better at more racing then i give up frankly.

Maybe get some training and focus it on cornering. I went along to one of Jedi’s jumps and drops days and we did a little bit on cornering and it made me realise that it was by far and away my weakest area so I plan to go back and do a full day’s training on cornering. I cleared a 9 foot gap jump with ease but fell off on a simple corner!

I can totally see how it can be fun to race, even though you know you’ll be middle/bottom.
It’s very difficult to replicate the excitement of racing in training/leisure rides. You just pick a level just above yours and aim for that. Just like this op is doing with chasing 5secs.

The important thing is beating your mates.
Makes the long journey home easier. 😯

dunno about excitement (that’s a personal thing) but it’s actually far easier to replicate a situation where you can see improvements outwith racing at a DH event. unless you take your own timing equipment to the race over a race weekend you will only get one chance to chase a level above your previous best time. (your second race run in a 2 run format race when the weather/conditions don’t change too much). the next race you enter even at the same venue will almost always be taped differently, have different conditions and different opponents.

timing yourself on the same track/sections can show you instantly where you can save time through line choice, where not/to pedal, pump/jump, bike set-up etc.

its why KOM on strava is so addictive. you can beat your mates without even being there.