Monthly Archives: June 2011

Check out this video of Elite Training Source BMX racer Karsten Millman training over the past few months. Clips include practices and races from Arizona, Nevada & British Columbia and a National Team camp in Chula Vista, California.

BMX racing is a physically demanding sport that requires an athlete to challenge their anaerobic energy system. Since the length of race can range from 40-60 seconds an individual does not have the ability to utilize oxygen to create energy rather they must rely on immediate energy sources. Do you wonder why when you reach the last straight in a race your muscles begin to feeling like they are on fire? This feeling that we all have experienced has to do with a build up lactic acid. Basically this happens at a point during exhaustive, all-out exercise at which lactic acid builds up in the blood stream faster than the body can remove it. Lactic acid is a by-product of the anaerobic energy pathway, a process which provides energy to muscles by partially breaking down glucose without the need for oxygen.

To give you a little more insight into how our body works lets take a look at anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism produces energy for short, high-intensity bursts of activity (lasting no more than a few minutes) before the lactic acid build-up reaches a threshold where it can no longer be absorbed and, therefore, accumulates. This point is known as the lactate threshold and is usually reached between 50 to 80% of a athlete’s VO2 max. In well trained athletes they will not reach this threshold as early as an untrained individual. As an athlete trains this lactate threshold they can actual increase the amount of lactic acid build-up before the muscle reaches that point of total exhaustion. There are many different training methods that incorporate lactate threshold techniques.

Check back for more information on training techniques to increase your lactate threshold.

Source

Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005) Physiology of Sport and Exercise: 3rd Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

On Saturday, June 4th Sabrina Millman took fourth place in a tough class of elite and junior riders from North America. Some top level athletes made the trip to Abbotsford for the BC Cup Series UCI Race. Unfortunately the track conditions did not allow these top level athletes to race the UCI Supercross start hill. After day one Sabrina finished top of Canadian elite and junior riders but could not get past the US riders.

Results
Rank Name Nat. Age*
1 Alise POST USA 20
2 Brooke CRAIN USA 18
3 Arielle MARTIN USA 26
4 Sabrina MILLMAN CAN 18
5 Rosemary ADAMS CAN 23
6 Amelia WALSH CAN 19
7 Amanda LANDERS CAN 17

Riders will race again on June 5th. If track conditions permit riders will be using the new start hill.

Good luck to all the riders!