Pump track for downhill training?

hi…i have a question about pump track for fitness…if i train every day on pump track its can be a good train for fitness for downhill(skills , fitness , endurance) ???
i place far of the downhill tracks and i can ride just 2 times a week on there… a pump track can be a good choice for my train + gym ? how stuff of train u recomend? 5 laps full speed…or more…

obs: my pump track is only for bmx bikes because my garden is not too big for mountain bikes…

thanks a lot man…i see ur site many times to see the news

(sorry for my BAD english, im a brazilian and here we not use this language)

Dario

Hey Dario,

Short answer:

Yes, pump track is great training for downhill.

Medium answer:

If you do it right, pump tracking will definitely improve your cornering, bump management, speed, fluidity, work capacity and endurance. Not only are pump tracks fun — they’re also good for you!

Mix it up:

– Rip one lap as fast as you can. Go for some manuals and jumps. This improves your power and speed. And it’s fun.

– Ride several laps as fast as you can. Go until it really starts to hurt, then pin one more lap. Push through the pain! On most tracks for most people, that’ll be 3-5 laps. This improves your work capacity and makes you tough.

– See how many laps you can ride without stopping. This teaches you to be fluid, and it’s great for endurance. I love to rock 100 laps at a time. For DH, that’s less important than …

– Simulate a downhill race. If your DH courses are five minutes long, work on riding the pump track nonstop — and as fast as you can maintain — for five minutes. This will do wonders for your fitness, and it’ll give you the confidence to really attack your race runs. It also teaches you how to pace yourself, which hugely important on a physical downhill course.

BMX bike: Good. That’ll make you even better.

Gym: That’s a great idea as well. But make sure you have time and energy to do on-bike sprint work.

Two days of downhill, two days of sprints and two days of pump track seems like a good weekly routine.

Long answer:

I will put that in “Welcome to Pump Track Nation – Turbo Edition,” which is on my list of things to do. First I have to build a pump track at my new house!

Braaap!

— Lee

Know more. Have more fun!

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