Put the weights away, if racing

[atvrulz]

I lifted weights all winter on a strict schedule with low reps and high weight. Started getting big. Now it is affecting my riding. Just raced a hairscramble this afternoon, and ten minutes into a two hour race, my forarms starting swelling up like popeyes, and felt like they were going to explode. Needless, to say, racing my quad is more important than getting big and strong, so the weight set is going in the closet. I know i could do many reps, with light wieghts, but just found a new riding spot so i can do laps, to build up riding skill and build up endurance. This is just for your information.
thanks

[cliq20]

Originally posted by atvrulz
I lifted weights all winter on a strict schedule with low reps and high weight. Started getting big. Now it is affecting my riding. Just raced a hairscramble this afternoon, and ten minutes into a two hour race, my forarms starting swelling up like popeyes, and felt like they were going to explode. Needless, to say, racing my quad is more important than getting big and strong, so the weight set is going in the closet. I know i could do many reps, with light wieghts, but just found a new riding spot so i can do laps, to build up riding skill and build up endurance. This is just for your information.
thanks

that should have made you more toned and not big anyway. the best way to get so that it doesn't hurt is seat time. i workout but all i do is bench and squat once a week. i don't gain much but i don't lose any. i might do forearm curls too. that helps a lot with arm pump plus even just using a stress or squeeze ball all day gets your arms so that they are used to the grip problem. if you gained weight by lifting that could be a problem too. more weight to hold onto the quad. the only thing i've had problems with is my wrists. just keep working them with your usual workout and you should be fine. lifting usually isn't for riding anyway, and you need more endurance exercises for riding. it doesn't hurt to lift and i can't see it being the cause of your problem. just my .02

[SHOCKER]

i mostly curl and bench, working out my chest and arms, but it has never efected my riding, if not its helped me throw my bike around

[cletusEX]

It all depends how you lift. Low reps and high weights is not the right way to prepare for anything involving endurance. That's more for short intervals of strength, like playing football. High reps and lower weight will train your muscles to be strong over a longer period. Most wrestlers (real wrestlers not the ones on TV) do a lot of reps. Either way seat time is more important, but it never hurts to be able to throw your bike around.

[KY Woods Rider]

Many people always seem to overlook it, but yes, lifting weights can definitely cause problems if you don't keep in mind what you're trying to accomplish. Some weight training is a good idea, because increased strength is always a bonus. However, if you go at it only to increase your strength, you will most likely cause more problems than you solve. Those huge muscles you get from lifting heavy weights take a good supply of blood and oxygen to keep them functioning, and if you skip over cardio and endurance training, you'll end up with huge muscles that give out within a few minutes of riding. And being strong enough to throw your quad around like a mini won't help you very much if your muscles give out quickly and you're barely able to work the levers. Riding ATVs isn't about brute strength, it's about a combination of reasonably good strength and outstanding endurance.

The best training for riding is riding, because there's nothing else you can do that will precisely imitate what your body goes through while riding. However, if you do want to train in other ways, training for better endurance is the way to go IMO. Things like running and using light weights and high reps is what you need to be doing. Doing this will increase your strength to some degree, but most importantly it will increase your endurance. Now, if you get to a point where your body isn't getting tired while riding and you would like to have more strength, then add a bit of high weight, low rep training, just don't get too carried away with it.

i had the same problem. i was lifting alittle bit thiswinter and i got arm pump the first race. so i quit that. i never got arm pump before and i have been racing for 7 years.