I am a 29 year old BMX racer and general cycling enthusiast; I've played sports ranging from youth soccer to track and field in junior college (100m, 200m and anchored the 4x100m) and I have always raced BMX. Over the years I have grown accustomed to a certain style of training and conditioning, but after leaving JC I realized a traditional gym/healthclub is far from the ideal environment to train in.
While I do not consider myself a true CrossFitter, I do feel my training style most closely aligns with CF (and CFFB). Where CrossFit aims to prepare you to handle the unknown and be a jack of all trades, my style of training prepares me for success in the sport of BMX racing. Unsatisfied with being a one trick pony, I do branch out into many styles of training in an effort to be the best athlete I can be. Having said that, at the end of the day I want to be fast on a bike and I set myself up to do just that.
My needs as a BMX athlete are to have a good deal of power, agility, balance and endurance - races may only last 45 seconds, but running 20 motos over the course of a weekend taxes your body and demands that it can recover quickly. Additionally, my competitive year is such that I can plan to peak during summer and then lose a bit of racing fitness starting in the early fall. I usually spend late fall rebuilding what 6 months of racing has consumed (typically 5-10 pounds of muscle), then go into winter with a focus on strength gains. As winter becomes spring, my training shifts focus into power output and then race specific fitness/endurance.
My training isn't all that different from what CF does: I train systems, not parts and I favor the big, nasty movements like squats (all kinds), deadlifts, Oly lifts and variations of them. I love bodyweight movements, plyometrics, sprints (on foot or on a bike), and I don't mind climbing things. For conditioning I hit things, swing things, jump on or over things, throw things and run with things dragging behind me. If it gets me breathing hard, I know it's probably working.
So far I have outfitted my garage with the following:
- stall mats covering the whole work area
- Craigslist special squat stand (in need of an upgrade)
- Craigslist special adjustable bench (decline to 90°)
- Craigslist special Olympic barbell (really in need of upgrade)
- EZ curl bar (a birthday gift, lol)
- 280lbs of bumper plates
- 700+ lbs of Ivanko iron plates
- Pro style dumbbells from 5-65lbs on a homemade bed frame rack
- Vertical leg press machine (it was free)
- Pro Maxima GHD (I've modified it with a larger foot plate area)
- homemade PVC parallettes (I think that's what they are called)
- technique bars (PVC pipe)
- stereo system
- small fridge for drinks and snacks
- whiteboard
- training log
Out in the driveway I have:
- Pull-up bar (bar is 8' above ground, posts are sunk 3.5' inground)
- 3 tractor tires ranging from 175lbs to 660lbs
- broad jump/long jump pit
- BMX practice gate with random start controller
- small dragging sled with a weight horn (floor flange + 10" long pipe nipple)
For conditioning I have:
- fluid trainer (converts my road bike to a stationary bike)
- 3 road bike, 2 mountain bikes and too many BMX bikes
- various jump ropes
- 30lb slam ball
- running shoes
- sprinting spikes
- stopwatch
- 450 acres of almond orchard and dirt roads
What I want:
- plyo box (will build soon)
- outdoor Oly platform (can't lift overhead in my garage)
- nicer barbell(s)
- gym rings (would hang them from my pull-up bar when using)
- larger slam ball (maybe 50lbs?)
- kettlebells
- power cage/squat cage
- weight storage trees since my weights are strewn about the floor :-(
I'm also open to advice on proper footwear for various lifts and activities. I enjoy deadlifting barefoot (or just in socks), but my trusty old flat and hard sole skate shoes don't cut it for squats or Oly lifts. I keep the running shoes around for conditioning or when going lighter/high rep on lifts.
What would you add or recommend to further my athletic training facility and its capabilities?
Sorry for such a long post... I like to be thorough.