Is Dirt Biking a Workout?

As much as dirt bike riding is fun, it’s can also be extremely beneficial for your health and fitness. Of course, it is dangerous. If you’re considering motocross as an after-work fitness plan, consider the dangers and the benefits.

Dirt bike riding is a workout. As well as strengthening your core and toning your muscles, dirt bike riding has numerous health benefits that are an advantage for your overall fitness and health. To be a full-time motocross rider you need to be considerably fit. 

It sounds strange, that to drive a motorized bike you need to be fit. But when you look at the difficulty of the tracks and compare it to the weight of the dirt bikes, it makes sense that riders need to be strong and fit. Want to know more about motocross fitness? Read on and see if motocross is the fitness regimen for you. 

Can You Lose Weight Dirt Biking?

Riding a dirt bike can in fact help you to lose weight. A 30-minute ride on the track can be the equivalent of any other 30-minute intense full-body workout. 

Considering taking up dirt bike riding as a way to lose weight? At Risk Racing, we encourage it. We do, however, advise you to be prepared to be sore initially and to be prepared for a whole-body workout. We also encourage riding safely, take it easy and work your way into it. 

Riding a dirt bike can be a fun way to lose weight if you’re not entirely keen on the gym. I know a few of us aren’t. One of the reasons dirt bike riding is so great, other than how thrilling it is, is that it is a great and fun way to stay fit. Especially when you’re connecting with others that have joined the dirt bike riding world for the same reason. 

Is motocross good fitness?

Motocross is definitely good fitness. Motocross can improve your health in numerous ways, from endurance to strength. 

Here are the health benefits that riding motocross can have for you:

Raises your heart rate

Raising your heart rate can be very beneficial for your health. A raised heart rate moves oxygen and blood more efficiently to your muscles, which in turn helps you to burn more calories and lower your cholesterol rate. Depending on how hard you ride, the track you’re riding, and your riding ability, you could lose up to 400 calories in one hour of riding. 

Improves core strength

Improved core strength leads to better stability and balance. When you strengthen your core, you also strengthen your pelvic, lower back, hips, and abdomen muscles, which in turn start working together amicably in your everyday activities. 

Increased strength

To manage a dirt bike, especially on a motocross track, you need to have enough strength to handle the heavy machinery. Depending on the size bike you have or are thinking of purchasing, adult bikes typically weigh anywhere between 215 pounds (98kg), 221 pounds (100kg), and 248 pounds (112kg). 

The more you ride, the more you are using your muscles, the stronger they will become, just like using gym equipment at a consistent rate. 

Brain stimulation

Due to the higher level of brain stimulation needed to ride a dirt bike, maneuvering the bike around sketchy and harsh tracks, as well as using the pedals, brakes, clutch, throttle, etc. your brain is more active while riding. Using and activating your brain more frequently will improve cognitive function. 

Cognitive function is necessary for our ability to think reasonably, understand problem-solving, recalling information, and making decisions, among other functions. 

Better posture

Have you noticed how the pros sit on their bikes? They hardly slouch. Slouching posture on a dirt bike is not the way you want to ride. Elbows out, shoulders pulled back, sit taller, squeeze the bike between your legs. Strengthening your core will also have a positive effect on your posture, on the bike and off. 

Your core supports your spinal agility and overall back health. 

How do I Train my Body for Motocross?

Is dirt bike riding sounding a lot harder than you thought it would be? It doesn’t have to be. With the right training, on and off the dirt bike, you can train your body in fitness, endurance, and strength, to be able to keep riding your bike effectively to lose weight and gain fitness. 

We want you to be burning fat, not muscle. It’s important to know that weight loss can also result in the body getting weaker if you’re not losing body fat, but are losing more muscle weight instead. 

Keep building on your strength and try out a few exercises that can be done simply at home. 

Here are a few exercises you can try that might help out with your new dirt bike fitness plan:

Yoga

Yoga is a full-body workout. Have you ever seen an advanced yoga class? I dare you to try one out sometime, you’ll be surprised how much strength and flexibility you need to have to do yoga. 

Yoga improves full-body toning, balance, and strength. Yoga can also help you to de-stress and reduce inflammation. You might consider warming down after a ride with yoga. 

Not tempted to go to a yoga class? That’s fine, there are numerous online classes you can try from YouTube. 

Planks

Planks offer full-body improvement in overall strength. Planks put less strain on your spine, and you need a healthy spine to ride your bike on harsh terrain. 

Glute Bridges 

Strengthens your core and warms up your glute muscles as well as increases strength in your lower back and in turn, improves your posture.  Strengthening your glutes, which are the longest and strongest muscle group in the body, will help your positioning and maneuverability on the bike. 

Check out how to do a glute bridge here. 

Push-ups 

Don’t forget that you’ll also need the strength of your upper body to handle the bike on the track. Doing push-ups will work on your upper body strength. 

Swimming & Cycling

Swimming and cycling are all-around activities that keep your heart rate up to improve endurance and build muscle strength. Both of these exercises use a lot of, or most muscles in your body, just like dirt bike riding. If being done as a way to stay healthy, they might be less intense than dirt bike riding (I’m not saying they ARE less intense, just that you can choose to make them less intense) but are decent types of exercise to get you ready for the dirt bike. 

Swimming and cycling improve your overall endurance too. Good endurance is essential for riding dirt bikes, it’s hard and thirsty work. 

How Should I Warm Up Before Motocross?

Any of the above exercises will help you to warm up for motocross, but the main exercise you should be doing before going for a dirt bike ride is stretching. 

Stretching before any type of exercise, demanding or lower key, is crucial for lowering your chance of injury. Stretching loosens your muscles, which allows muscles to become resistant to the impact your exercising might cause them. 

Conclusion

Motocross riding is one of the hardest and most extreme sports in the world, among others. The toll it takes on the human body is tiring and can leave you in a fair amount of pain to wake up to the following day. Consider the above exercises alongside dirt bike riding to stay on top of your fitness and weight loss journey. Pro-tip, sand tracks are heavier than dirt, ride your bike on sand when you’re ready and you’ll get even fitter.