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The Motorcyclist's Free-Weight Workout
Made simple for riders 17-77
For many motorcyclists, the idea of heading out to the gym
several times a week just isn't appealing. But a simple free-weight
workout can be done at home a few times a week and greatly enhance
your motorcycling adventures while putting a healthier edge on your
life in general.
Why you ask? For one, the human body functions much better when
the muscles are toned up and there's enough muscle mass to
accomplish the tasks at hand. Picking up a bike that has fallen over
requires an extensive number of muscles throughout the body to
complete the task including quads, abdomen, chest, triceps and
biceps. The chore can be much easier with a set of toned muscles.
Ditto if you have to push a bike with a flat tire off to the side of
the road, load it into a truck or ride it several hundred miles a
day. And if you're a dual sport rider, you'll most certainly want to
keep your muscle sets toned so you can handle the bike through the
various terrains that nature spits out at you.
In the following workout, you'll be utilizing simple free-weights
(dumbbells), about the only expense in the whole deal. A weight-room
style bench would be nice, but as you can see above, a simple ice
chest and patio chair will cover that need without the additional
expense. We're not shooting for a Hercules approach here, we simply
want to tone up and build up a little muscle mass so it's available
when we need it. Then simply maintain it by doing the workout
several times a week.
If you're getting on in years, and who isn't, take heart. It sounds like some suspicious promise from a late-night infomercial: feel 15
to 30 years younger by exercising just one hour a week! But that’s exactly what
happens when you lift weights. Strength training has been shown to decrease
insulin resistance, decrease resting blood pressure, reduce arthritis pain, even
improve memory. Some experts believe it’s as essential as aerobic training: “As
good as walking is for a variety of things, it does not address the loss of
muscle that accompanies the aging process,” says Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D.,
fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, and
coauthor of Strength Training Past 50 (Human Kinetics, 2007). That loss of
muscle - about seven pounds per decade for men and five pounds per
decade for
women - causes a slowdown in resting metabolism that then translates into a host
of health problems.
Much of that age-related decline in muscle mass can be halted - and even
reversed - by strength training. Gary Hunter, Ph.D., a professor of human
studies and nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, found
that lifting weights for 30 to 40 minutes three times a week increased the
muscle strength of women 60 to 77 years old by almost 40 percent - putting them
on a par with 35-year-olds. Other studies have found similar benefits from
lifting just twice a week.
Try the following routine for a month, and see if you don’t notice a change. You
need only a few things: an hour a week (in two 30-minute segments), a pair of
dumbbells and a bench or ice chest to utilize during two of the exercises.
Beginners should start with one set - 8 to 12 repetitions - of each exercise,
using 5-to 8-pound weights (you can find them for $40 or less at any
sporting goods store). More advanced exercisers should shoot for two sets of
each exercise, using 10- to 12-pound weights.
Before you begin:
Get the right weights - To select the set of free-weights
that are right for you, visit the sports store and try a set of
exercise #2. Find the set that allows you to complete 8 repetitions
without too much trouble.
Go Slow - Keep in mind that resistance is key. Raise your
weights slowly and lower them slowly. This requires a bit more
effort and control than simply lifting and lowering at natural or
high speed, thus you'll build more muscle over time.
Once every two to three days - Do the workout only every
other day or every three days. Doing the routine daily will simply
tear down muscle, but you need a day or two in between to allow the
muscle mass to grow.
Feel and imagine - As you do each exercise, you'll feel
the muscles you're working on. Imagine just what it is you use each
of these muscles for during motorcycling. For those with sportbikes,
the Trunk Curl exercise (#6) is a start to sustaining your laid-over
position for many miles, but you may want to investigate additional
abdominal exercises designed to strengthen your back.
Warm Up - You need to warm up a bit before you begin.
Since you'll probably be doing this at home start with 10-20 minutes
of gardening or housework, wash your car or motorcycle, take a short
bicycle ride or walk, or do a repair you've been putting off.
There's plenty you can do to warm the body up around the house. No
need to run out to a gym and watch CNN from the Stairmaster.
Always check with your personal
physician before beginning any exercise program.
 1.
Dumbbell squat (quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals) Hold a dumbbell in each hand,
with palms facing inward, arms down by your sides, feet about hip width apart.
Keeping your head up, shoulders back, and eyes fixed straight ahead, slowly
squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Finish the exercise by slowly
returning to a standing position. |
2.
Dumbbell lateral raise (deltoids) Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing
inward, arms down by your sides. Slowly lift the dumbbells away from your body
until they’re level with your shoulders, so that your body forms a T shape.
Lower slowly to the starting position and repeat. |
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3. Dumbbell Curl (biceps) Hold a dumbbell in each
hand, palms facing inward, arms down by your sides. Lift the
dumbbells in unison toward your shoulders, rotating your
wrists as you do, so that your palms are facing your chest.
Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position. |
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| 4.
Dumbbell overhead triceps extension (triceps) Grasp a dumbbell with both hands
and lift it upward until your arms are fully extended, directly above your head.
Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head toward the base of your neck, then
raise the dumbbell until your arms are fully extended. |
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 5.
Trunk Curl (abdomen) Lie on your back on the floor, with your knees up and feet
flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head, then raise your shoulders
about 30 degrees off the floor. Be careful not to pull your neck - your hands
are there for positioning only. Slowly lower your shoulders to the floor.
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 6.
Dumbbell bench press (chest) Lie on a bench (or in our case - an ice
chest/patio chair configuration like you see here) with your feet flat on the floor, a
dumbbell in each hand, and your hands on either side of your chest near your
shoulders. Push your arms up until they are fully extended
above your chest,
then slowly lower the dumbbells to your shoulders. Repeat. |
 7.
Dumbbell one-arm row (biceps) With your right knee and hand on a bench and your
left foot flat on the floor, grasp a dumbbell with your left hand. Slowly pull
the dumbbell to your chest, then lower until your arm is fully extended. Repeat
the set with the weight in your right hand.
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SR! - Spring 2010
Thanks to Ryan Barnett who modeled as Mr. Moto-Muscle-Mass and
processed all the shots used in this feature. Parts of this story
were adapted from AARP Magazine and Human Kinetics. |
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