With the revolutions to the maximum
Do you want to become a really good pilot? Then prepare your body properly. How he trains, what tools he uses, what psycho-physical stresses a single-seater driver receives on the track.
Head and neck training
During a car race the driver's cervical section is subjected to longitudinal stresses (such as when the driver's center of gravity rises against the force of gravity due to the impact against a curb) and above all transverse type (due to the effect of curves and sharp braking),
The best solution to limit the damage of the cervical tract is given by the specific training of the neck muscles, through an athletic preparation carried out with front, rear and lateral flexion exercises of the head and with retropulsion exercises of the same.
To increase the load, you can perform the movement in a horizontal position (prone or supine), in order to work against the force of gravity. Later the same exercises can be performed wearing the driving helmet or with the help of elastic bands.
Shoulder and arm workout
The upper limbs are those that have a more direct contact with the stresses that the ground transmits, through the wheels, to the steering wheel. The driver's forearm is subjected to continuous vibratory stresses which induce him, throughout the competition period, to maintain a strong basic contraction of the arms, which is greatly emphasized during steering, forcing the driver to repeatedly work loads of about 30-40 kg. The training of the upper limbs includes, in addition to all the classic strengthening exercises for shoulders and arms, such as side and front raises, curls with dumbbells and the French press with barbell, also specific strength resistance exercises for the muscles of the forearm. For the latter, low or medium loads are used, inserted in a context of exercises such as: dorsal and palmar flexion of the hands, simulations of driving with outstretched arms holding weights, circling of the wrists with the "Power Balls" (balls that contain a gyroscopic system inside which tends to increase the load as the circling speed increases) and so on.
The car of the 2009 Italian champion Carrera Cup Italia, Alessandro Balzan, color bearer of My-personaltrainer.it
Abdomen-Back
When the human body is in an upright position, the lower limbs, especially if flexed, are able to act as shock absorbers for almost all those stresses that are transmitted in the "foot-head" direction, that is, in a longitudinal direction to the body axis. when we are seated, the legs cannot play the role of shock absorbers, so all the other body structures, buttocks, abdomen and spine, will absorb the vertical stresses deriving from the vibrations of the machine and from the sudden jolts it makes during the race. It should be noted that the intensity of the stresses decreases as the vertical distance they have to travel increases (inversely proportional trend), therefore the areas subject to greater stress will be the buttocks and the lumbar area, while the head will be less affected by the shocks. coming from the car seat. This places a great strain on the structures of the vert column hebral, which can be partially relieved, if the musculature used to support the spine is toned and functional. Therefore, crunch exercises (simple or with rotation) for the abdominal tract and torso extensions for the lumbar tract cannot be missing, followed, at the end of the workout, by unloading exercises for the spine.
Aerobic training
During the "Formula" races the heart rate of the drivers remains around values of 110-160 beats per minute, with maximum peaks of around 190 beats during the moments of most intense psychophysical stress. The increase in heart rate is, in fact, due more to emotional states rather than to an actual physical workload.
In fact, the motorsport disciplines are accompanied by a strong emotional component, which determines particular involvement of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as of the cardiovascular system.
Having said that, pilots' training must include aerobic work sessions, which allow the heart to be always ready for sudden loads, responding better, whatever the origin of the triggering stimulus. For this purpose, we will use a heart rate monitor to monitor the changes in heart rate during work, which will remain at values of 120-160 bpm depending on the type of training chosen (continuous or interval). To avoid situations of boredom, it is good to use various tools: running outdoors and on runner bikes in indoor and outdoor versions. Training at the armoergometer is very useful, which allows us to perform an exercise
aerobic while using endurance work for the muscles of the upper limbs.
Motor-postural control systems (visual, vestibular and proprioceptive)
They are not part of the muscle groups, but they are also massively involved in car racing, despite the limited movements. In fact, the visual system is directly linked to the reference points and the motor response of the rider during the race. The greater the training to the visual stimuli, the better the responses to the stimuli they propose will be.
Training based on response times is very interesting: when one or more lights come on, the athlete must push various buttons corresponding to the color of the lights, at increasing speeds.
In most sports, such as football, running and many others, the involvement of the vestibular system is marginal. This is not the case with motorsports. This is in fact activated by large movements with sudden movements, typical of gymnasts, divers and pilots, in fact. Preparation for the race must include specific training for this control system as well.
To conclude the very brief excursus on motor control systems, we cannot fail to mention the proprioceptive system, the first and fastest to be recruited. Many of the physical exercises described above could be performed in unstable form ("surf" tablets, Swiss balls), precisely because of the "activation of this" important system.
The card takes into account a week without competitions. During the competition week, all the exercises will have to be revised according to this. The exercises listed are purely indicative and must be compared and changed according to the pilot's preparation periods (general, specific, race conditioning, etc.)
