well ive decided that i need to get in better shape for next years national karting championship , and ive decided to do loads of fitness stuff

Running 5 km each day
200 + sit*ups / currently struggle here
wheight lifting , nothing special
push ups

what else can poeple suggest for me to do ?

Regards

Jack

I dunno how useful this would be (I'm not fitness guru :P) but maybe just playing recreational sports such as tennis/football or whatever a couple of times a week too might help?

I play badminton twice a week and that certainly helps me keep fitter

Quote from J@tko :

I dunno how useful this would be (I'm not fitness guru :P) but maybe just playing recreational sports such as tennis/football or whatever a couple of times a week too might help?

I play badminton twice a week and that certainly helps me keep fitter

does golf count . i walk , no buggy for me ... used to though

What about taking a bit of martial arts up, that will help get you fit.

That plan you've got already is quite a bit. I doupt you can get more fit then that O_O.

Being a blackbelt in Taekwondo I really suggest it. Its great cardio work and really good for the legs and abs.

Quote from evilpimp :

Being a blackbelt in Taekwondo I really suggest it. Its great cardio work and really good for the legs and abs.

The belt you use to keep your trousers up doesn't count lol, only joking

Martial arts is a good way to become fit and strong though.

swimming maybe?

Quote from tikshow :

swimming maybe?

Yes defintly, Swimming is great for keeping fit, and recreational sports for the fun element also.

Quote from J@tko :

I dunno how useful this would be (I'm not fitness guru :P) but maybe just playing recreational sports such as tennis/football or whatever a couple of times a week too might help?

I play badminton twice a week and that certainly helps me keep fitter

+1 except for badminton I thought only fairies played that

Quote from jwardy :

200 + sit*ups / currently struggle here

That is bad for your back, although 200+ isn't all that hard you do low numbers for a reason.

Try this, it is close to the actual Army fitness guide (but not exact) and it is pretty good for build stamina and strength.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

That is bad for your back, although 200+ isn't all that hard you do low numbers for a reason.

Try this, it is close to the actual Army fitness guide (but not exact) and it is pretty good for build stamina and strength.

When doing sit ups you dont always have to get all your back up (off the floor) Just getting your shoulders off the floor is classed as a sit up. I prefer doing full sit ups though.

Quote from sam93 :

When doing sit ups you dont always have to get all your back up (off the floor) Just getting your shoulders off the floor is classed as a sit up. I prefer doing full sit ups though.

I don't put my shoulders on the floor as that is a sign of no control, I start with my shoulders raised above the ground, go up and lower myself down stopping short of touching the ground. The reason behind this is muscles develop faster when acting as a brake. Plus it stops you slamming your back/shoulders into the ground on the way down.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

I don't put my shoulders on the floor as that is a sign of no control, I start with my shoulders raised above the ground, go up and lower myself down stopping short of touching the ground. The reason behind this is muscles develop faster when acting as a brake. Plus it stops you slamming your back/shoulders into the ground on the way down.

I didn't say to put your shoulders on the floor did I? I normally keep my shoulders about 2" off of the floor. I was told that if you have your shoulders off the floor and only lift a further 3-4" it is still classed as a sit-up. I never do them that way. Like to actually feel the muscles working. I need to build all my muscle back up after a year and a half of recovery where I have put weight on. Going back to martial arts and becoming more fit then I use to be.

Well you ahve the bases covered. I think one of the key ingrediants to a good traning program, especially as something a demanding as high level karting, is doing something that requires to use many muscles as well as you brain.

So far I have found nothing as good as Rock Climbing. Simply FANTASTIC!

Biking is also a good way to build up endurance. Make sure you go for endurance in your muscles, and stay away fromt he heavy stuff.

may I ask - what specifc championship are you considering and class

Quote from jwardy :

well ive decided that i need to get in better shape for next years national karting championship , and ive decided to do loads of fitness stuff

Running 5 km each day
200 + sit*ups / currently struggle here
wheight lifting , nothing special
push ups

what else can poeple suggest for me to do ?

Regards

Jack

Eating the right food too, stuff low in fat high in protein, ermm also loads of different exercises you can do with weights to cover different muscle groups, maybe join the local gym, the one down here you get a meal afterwards protein shakes etc.

Quote from J@tko :

just playing recreational sports such as tennis/football

Bad idea, because especially those two have a very high risk of snapping your sinews. If the goal is fitness rather than fun, stay clear from most team based sports.

Other than that, everything has been said: running, swimming, biking are advisable.

Echo the comments from Psychoman on the sit ups.

Not only will doing 200+ not be great for you, if you really want to build abs you need to be doing squats etc.

For overall fitness try something like 100 or even 300 circuit training. That'll soon sort you out.

I heard James Hunt wrote a good book on ways to prepare your body for motorsport.

Quote from Rdcranno :

I heard James Hunt wrote a good book on ways to prepare your body for motorsport.

like what? whiskey and parties?

your plan seem pretty intense, you need some time to let your body recover or else you are just wearing yourself out but gained very little.

I can help you out on the running Jack.

Personally, I would avoid running every day, if you aren't specifically training to run, I would say 3 runs a week would be sufficient, I would break these down as a short (3 miles max) steady run, a longer tempo or speed session, and a long slow(er) run at the weekend.

That way, you aren't putting excess strain on your joints, the tempo / speed session will improve your "twitch" muscle fibres, which would help with karting, and the long run would improve your stamina no end.

On days you aren't running, I would say anything low impact, like swimming, x training, rowing etc etc, even walking, is good.

Personally, I would stay away from heavy weights, because all you'll end up doing is bulking up, which if you are karting you don't want to do, plus it makes any cardio work harder.

If you want anymore indepth info about running (I can help out of running schedules, tempo / speed sessions, pacing, distances etc etc), give me a PM.

Remember, REST DAYS ARE IMPORTANT, you will injury yourself otherwise.

Work on your cardio, swimming, skipping. I see your doing running which is good. Make sure your wearing suitable footwear as running on concrete can do you more damage than good.

Also as Psychoman said, check out some basic military training regimes, the web is full of useful info.

and the most important thing is what Messy said, eat the right food!, all your work is in vein if you dont have the correct fuel down ya!

good luck, have fun

Quote from JJ72 :

you need some time to let your body recover or else you are just wearing yourself out but gained very little.

^ What he said. The right amount of rest is possibly even more important than the right amount of excercises. I don't know if you're new to running, but 5km every day seems quite a lot to me, if you're a beginner. I'd start off with three times a week, max.

(Edit: beaten by the runmeister himself. :razz

And one thing I think is missing in your plans is food. Make sure you take enough carbs everyday to give you the energy to keep this up, and make sure you take enough endosperms (just looked that up with babelfish; wtf? :shy for muscle recovery.

(Edit: aanndd apparently the food thing isn't new in this thread either, you might just wanna skip this post! )

Quote from danowat :

I can help you out on the running Jack.

Personally, I would avoid running every day, if you aren't specifically training to run, I would say 3 runs a week would be sufficient, I would break these down as a short (3 miles max) steady run, a longer tempo or speed session, and a long slow(er) run at the weekend.

That way, you aren't putting excess strain on your joints, the tempo / speed session will improve your "twitch" muscle fibres, which would help with karting, and the long run would improve your stamina no end.

On days you aren't running, I would say anything low impact, like swimming, x training, rowing etc etc, even walking, is good.

Personally, I would stay away from heavy weights, because all you'll end up doing is bulking up, which if you are karting you don't want to do, plus it makes any cardio work harder.

If you want anymore indepth info about running (I can help out of running schedules, tempo / speed sessions, pacing, distances etc etc), give me a PM.

Remember, REST DAYS ARE IMPORTANT, you will injury yourself otherwise.

+1
the actual body adaption to the training is happening during the rest periods,. so running each day full out and training your muscles full each day. Wont give you the best fitness gain.
Dont increase your running mileage to fast. Experts recommend a maximum distance gain of ~10% per week.

For push ups you might find this handy.
For sit ups you could use the same schedule (Maybe on the push-up rest day)

Are you planning to do the weight stuff at home or in a gym?

Quote from Rdcranno :

Make sure your wearing suitable footwear as running on concrete can do you more damage than good.

Yes, extremely important, and don't go buying them willy nilly, get to a shop that can do gait analsys and get the right shoes for your gait, it will save lots of trouble in the future.

Personally, I swear by Asics running shoes, I brought a pair of Brooks adrenalines after running in Asics, and believe me, the Asics are streets ahead.

You can come do the Paris Marathon with me Jack, the training for that will get you fit

I got a pair of Brooks Beasts (as they suit my feet - they suffer from overpronation), and they are awesome.

I'm trying to run at least once or twice a week in an effort to improve cadiovascular fitness, and sit-ups/pull-ups/press-ups in a bid to get rid of my expanding waist line as my metabolism slows down with age.