bradvanhorn

Edited: Never mind, Hotfoot provided a far better answer than I

So at what point do you go against this rule? Example, if I am working construction and doing 12hr days (which I will be in two weeks) how is that healthy for the body to only consume say even 6 meals at 180cal= 1080cal when you are working and burning calories for 12hrs a day? Every diet plan I have seen consists of taking your job into consideration such as how much activity you are doing throughout the day not even including your workout routine. It would be really hard to last even a day of work and only eating 180cal meals. Doesn't your body store foods as fats if you don't take in enough calories? A muscle recovery protein not "whey" protein supplement consists of 280cal, are you telling me I am supposed to eat 2 apples each meal or an apple and 1 slice of bread? That method just seems very unhealthy and boarder line anorexic..... The key element being, "eat whenever you're hungry". However, I was having a similar thought about this perhaps being too few or possibly too many calories.

Interesting info. I seem to recall a more complex formula for the calorie intake. Something like 6 "meals" (eat at ~3 hour intervals) a day plus a pre- and post-workout "snack". So more or less 8 meals a day. And the calorie count was based on desired body weight vs. actual body weight. I don't do this myself, but I seem to recall reading something like this... So, I'm hovering at ~195-200 lbs at 6 ft tall. My preferred weight usually is ~180-185 lbs. I gained most of the extra body fat as a spare tire running just under the belly button and in the love handles, but a little in the hips and glutes. Any dietary suggestions? Thanks!

A track-day friend of mine is a full time MSF instructor. As he puts it, MSF basic course trains you to ride at 25 mph in an empty parking lot... definitely not preparing riders for "street combat". Holy ######!

Although many American would cry foul, I generally agree with you on limiting cc's. I really don't know how successful tier systems have been elsewhere in the world, but I like the idea of a tier system which allows you to move up only after rigorous testing. Of course there would I'm sure be much heated debate over how to define a proper testing process. Also, as with many things subject to government regulation, I suspect the hardest part of managing such a system in the long-term would be preventing bureaucrats from corrupting it to further other agendas.

Yeah, this is a good one... I recall seeing a number of these types in our rider training. They could straight line their Busa like a champ and because of that you could barely get their attention when you talked about cornering. Get them on the range and their poor steering and throttle errors were scary, yet still they thought they were awesome. We have a local AMA Pro who a couple weeks ago was telling me he often gets random street riders challenging him, telling him they bet they could ride faster/better than him. He invites them to the track and they give any number of excuses why that's beneath them. I guess this is just part of the "trash talk" culture we've ingrained in certain segments of America.

My blood type is A Pos. Are you thinking of the "blood type diet" or whatever it's correctly called?

Well, bread and cheese aren't pure evil, but if you're really determined then you might look for ways to substitute or omit those parts. Another thing to consider is most people can't deprive themselves forever. Have a cheat day where you eat one or two meals of something awful, like pizza and ice cream . As long as you don't go completely crazy, a cheat day helps with cravings and gives you an opportunity to relax and enjoy foods you might otherwise miss. I've discovered over time I really don't like a lot of those less healthy food choices, but I do still enjoy some soft-serve ice cream or a donut once in a while .

Yeah, for sure I see that too. The photographer at my last track day put all the pictures online for people to see/buy. I was looking at some of the riders pics thinking, "wow, that guy is crossed up something awful".

I can relate to your recent experience. I moved last August and I started riding here at New Orleans Motorsports Park (NOLA) and mainly with a different track day organization. I'll definitely say throttle control errors is #1 that I see on track, but there are so many to choose from (many of them I might be doing myself ). One related problem I noted a couple weeks ago is the organization itself and their self-made rider training/briefs. I found much of their explained technique confusing, and also contrary to what I've learned from California Superbike School (repeated schools) and also at Pridmores STAR School (once). I'm a pretty logical guy and if you can present me something that I can "get" just listening to your explanation, then we're in good shape. When I'm puzzled from the moment you start to the moment you finish, that's a problem...

This is a challenging topic... A lot of infomercial creators would be out of business if there were an easy solution. I've been in the military over 24 years and until a few years ago was very fit and had not much trouble maintaining. Time and abuse of the body (bad fitness practices, often harsh environmental conditions, etc) definitely have taken a toll and finally started catching up to me. Surgery on both shoulders in 2008, almost fully recovered my fitness and then in 2010 crashed and had a nasty concussion and neck injury, reaggravated the neck/brain issues in 2011, finally started working out regularly in Spring 2012 and then the left shoulder and left achilles crapped out a few months later. I'll estimate I've gained ~15 lbs of body fat (for sure not the worst case scenario) the last few years and it's frustrating when you're not used to having that trouble. I'm still improvising my workouts a lot because the left shoulder is terrible and the right shoulder now is going too; 5 pushups is enough to bring on excrutiating pain. Keeping intensity high and alternating a wide variety of workouts with high rep, low rep, no weight, heavy weight, sprints, long run/bike, etc., etc., keeps me going. If I mistakenly focus too much attention on any given part for too many days then I'll surely pay a price in new aches and pains. Anyway, one thing I did that I've enjoyed is a shift in my daily diet. I've not made a complete switch but I'm now on a Paleo style diet. Meals are fresh fruits/berries, vegetables (and not plates of lettuce), nuts (real nuts, not peanuts), and lean meat; almost no breads/starches when I can avoid them (hard to do this completely because my wife doesn't want to give that up). A handful of nuts/berries also is a great snack and is surprisingly filling. It's not a miracle cure and not for everyone but it's another option to consider.

As I think about my recent riding improvements it gets me even more excited because each breakthrough is very satisfying and I know there's still so much more to learn and experience. I pondered Hotfoots question for a few minutes and I found three things foremost in my mind. * Higher entry speeds/speeds approaching the corner. Especially after my crash at VIR, I was pretty intimidated by faster corner entry speeds. I wouldn't even try to get top speed on a long straight and often would roll-off/brake much earlier/harder than necessary. Practicing the wide-view technique has really helped me to overcome that rushed sensation. As a result I'm effectively reaching top speed on the straights, staying on the gas longer, braking later/harder, and carrying more speed into and through the corner. * Sliding tires. Sliding tires used to unnerve me quite a bit. A tire slide often would trigger an SR and a bad reaction, typically roll-off the gas (and then run wide). A couple weeks ago in the fast esses at NOLA I slid the front and rear simultaneously (I suspect an error of adding throttle and lean). Slight pick up of the bike, hook turn, continue the roll-on, the bike kept going like a champ. I barely even registered what happened until after I came off track at sessions end. * Closeness to other riders. At my first track experience I was passed by two riders who were much faster. They probably were 20 ft to my right as they passed (nice wide track) but I hadn't expected it and the shock of them blasting past rattled me. Now people will close pass me (often control riders it seems), inside, outside, stuffed entering a corner, etc., and I barely notice. I also used to keep a lot of distance from the rider in front of me but as I've learned to see more and better recognize where they roll-on/off, brake, etc., I now can ride right behind someone without much concern. I think wide-view again is key in increasing my comfort.

Unless you are seeing signs of excessive wear, dry rot, etc., or unless you'll be challenging the track lap records, then I'd say your tires are just fine. If you have any doubt about their quality then I'd replace them. The school does offer a truly killer deal on Dunlop tires if you want/need them. I have enjoyed riding the schools BMWs but when possible I prefer to experience the training from the controls my own bike since that is what I have to ride every day. If you don't mind training on a different bike then renting might be a better idea given your thoughts about fatigue, travel, etc.

A principle I learned long ago, and reinforced by the recent explosion in CrossFit'ting, is you have to train with high intensity. "Light" or "recovery" training is mostly useless to your body, unless maybe you have specific problem which can't be overcome by changing exercises (i.e. recovery from a medical problem). The key is to train unpredictably and with generous variety. 5k run today, calisthenics session tomorrow, then a heavy weights session, then 400's, and so on (all done "hard", no easy days). The idea is not new but is effective. I haven't read Dr. Sears but have added it to the to-do list.

I'll push this to our club president... In addition to petitions, we also should be communicating with our respective congressmen/senators and urging them to reign-in the NHTSA or amend the laws if necessary.

It might be best to call and talk with Whitney or one of the office staff on whether it's best to request gear in advance and then ask for a refund if you don't need it. However I will recommend you get your own gear if you can afford it and if you think you'll be doing more track riding in the future. The school gear is fine but in my opinion nothing beats having your own gear - it's likely to fit better, feel better, and you won't have to worry about the hygiene habits of those last students to rent the gear For experience I think you only have to indicate how long you've been riding. That by itself won't mislead anyone - your coach will talk with you before you ride and they'll get a better measure for your ability then. I had been riding over 20 years when I took my first school - after the school I pretty much felt like I'd just finally learned to ride. You may hear that sentiment from lots of students.

The two times I took my own bike to the school I disconnected and taped all lights and signals, removed reflectors and mirrors, and covered the speedometer. I know they want you to cover or remove your mirrors so you won't be tempted to do mirror checks and also cover the speedo so you aren't distracted by checking your speed. I don't recall if disconnecting/taping lights/signals was recommended but I'm pretty sure it wasn't required.

For myself, I find numerous variations of deadlifts, squats, lunges and box jumps are best for building my leg strength and endurance.

I've been looking at the UA Cold Gear on the UA website. I too use the loose gear/heat gear in the summer. I thought the cold gear looked promising (at least from what you can tell online) so I guess I'll check out the local sporting goods store this weekend and see what they have on hand. Hotfoot: Is there a specific UA lineup you've tried and liked? They are a bit confusing since many of their items are near identical in appearance (and description) but with a slightly different title. Thanks!

The more comfortable to one side thing seems odd for some reason, but I do get how you likely feel - I prefer right turns . I did a two-up ride with Jason Pridmore at VIR last year. When we rolled back in the pits he immediately said, "you don't like lefts do you?" He could sense me not moving well with him on the left turns... pretty amazing. Also, I must say the two-up ride scared me senseless - I probably would've been screaming like a baby but I couldn't find my voice . Watching you move on the bike, it seems like a number of times you were pretty close to the turn point when you shift across the seat, even though there was a lot of time to get moved early. I struggle with this myself sometimes - getting moved over too late and then getting some shake in the front since I'm still moving as I turn. This is one of my targeted areas to work on improving (I'd love to say perfecting) this year.

That is just awesome! Congratulations Hotfoot!

Cobie has been telling me for over a year about the greatness of Dr. Price hydration formula so thankfully seeing this thread reminded me it's time to order some, which I just did

That track looks entertaining. Are you more comfortable with left turns? It seemed to me you looked a bit smoother and also tighter on apexes going left. It also seemed like you might be moving off the seat a fraction late.

It must be the time of year for these conversations . I was talking last week with a local AMA pro and one of the subjects was strategies for improving in the coming year. In a way it's a bit humorous for me because he's looking for tenths or hundreths of a second, whereas I'm looking for multiple seconds (maybe dozens ). My braking actually was much improved by the end of last year but in general braking and shifting still are troubling me. I think my top three things to target for the start of the year will be: braking, shifting, body position (hip flicks and getting a little more off the bike). Our first track day weekend is 19-20 Jan and hopefully I can test each of those gently and then decide how I want to prioritize them for planning my practice.

Hmmm, cold and wet at the racetrack... This is the first year I've lived close enough to the racetrack that riding in the cold and/or wet is not deterred by having to travel. When I lived further from the track it was much easier to rationalize not going unless the weather would be favorable (warm and dry being the most preferred). I did some Google searching and found all sorts of layering possibilities - everything from wearing a plastic trash bag up to expensive thermal/gore-tex undersuits. I have a couple different weights of thermal underwear but my leathers are perforated and I assume the greater concern will be wind chill factor, even more so if it's wet. One thing I saw, which seemed an interesting possibility, was a reasonably priced ultrathin wetsuit. I have electrical wired in my trailer so I can hook-up and run a heater/fans if necessary for when I'm off track. So, what to do while on the bike...