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Fitness for Motor Sports

Being fit is very important to motor sports athletes. A poll about the fitness of car drivers found that most people are very aware of the fitness requirements of motor sport drivers. They need to be both physically and mentally strong, and to use all sport science disciplines to maximize their performance. A more recent poll asked what is the most important fitness component for motorsports athletes.

An article in the Australian in 2007 quoted Toyota's F1 team doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli saying that grand prix racing is the most physically demanding sport in the world. Maybe a bit biased, but he put F1 test driver Franck Montagny head-to-head in a fitness test with a leading Aussie Rules football player, and F1 came out on top. Ceccarelli said formula one drivers include some of the sporting world's best in aerobic capacity, upper body and leg strength, and ability to perform while dehydrated and with heart beats of up to 200 per minute.

Fitness Training for Motorsports

Muscle Strength

Due to the high G-forces that the drivers have to deal with, they should have good neck muscle strength. Normally, the head and helmet weighs about 6 kg. With added G-forces when cornering, the neck has to support up to 30kg! To increase neck strength, you need to train your neck muscles using elastic bands to simulate the G-forces. Specific rowing and weightlifting exercises can also help strengthen the neck muscles. Other parts of the body that are under stress during racecar driving are the shoulders, back, arms and legs, and exercises for these should also be included in any strength training program. Over the course of a race, a F1 driver can potentially be pressing the brake pedal hundreds of times. Core stability is also a very important area to work on.

Cardiovascular fitness

Cardiovascular fitness is important for race car drivers - during a race, the heart rate can be as high as 198 beats per minute, compared to a resting heart rate of 40-60 per minute. As well as plenty of practice laps, race car drivers do extra cardiovascular training such as running, swimming or cycling, to get the body into shape and maintain the appropriate level of fitness.

Related Pages

• Fitness Testing for motorsports athletes.
• poll about the Fitness components for motorsports
• Fitness for Sport