Brain training, more recognisably known as cognitive training, is a routine of programmes designed to challenge, stimulate and improve one’s cognitive function. The phrase “cognitive ability” usually refers to components of mental intelligence such as brain capacity and output. Cognitive training supports the hypothesis that cognitive abilities can be trained by exercising the brain, analogous to the physical training is improved by exercising the body. Cognitive training activities can take place in a vast range of physical and mental tasks which can be incorporated into most, if not all, training routines. By incorporating aspects of mental functions such as perception, attention, memory, emotions, language, decision making, thinking and reasoning into a fitness or strength based task, adds a completely different element to one’s training. By overstimulating the neuroplasticity of one’s mental…

It’s something we all wish we had more of. It’s something we know could give us the edge come race day or even just to feel better on the odd Sunday trail ride – but why is it always the last thing we struggle to tackle. Well, every month ill be sharing not only some tips and tricks when it comes to getting fitter for riding but also allowing you to understand the physiology of why, what and how we can become highly tuned athletes. As a Strength and Conditioning Coach working with high performance athletes across a wide range of sporting codes, it wont catch you by surprise when I tell you riders are one of, if not thee fittest when it comes to full body strength and fitness…

With the silly season just around the corner, often the one thing that gets put on the backburner is your health and fitness. Over recent months I have been working with a handful of riders in preparation for the Woodhill 2 Man Series, Taupo’s MX Fest and the Whakatane Summercross and it’s important that we keep our eye on the prize. As we all know, this time of the year is generally a time where we consume too many alcoholic beverages, indulge a few too many calories and probably get an overdose of Vitamin D. So how can we make sure that we do our very best to ensure we don’t revert back too square one and undo all our hard work spent in the gym or out riding through…

Hopefully now, after having read the last few blogs we now have more of and idea what we want to get out of our training. We are hitting the gym in the Winter to win in the Summer. After a Winter of building our aerobic fitness and foundation strength we should be looking to incorporate three of the most important components of any aspiring rider; agility, control and speed. When you are agile you have control, when you have control you have speed. When you have speed you win! As we move towards the start of the race calendar we want to try illuminate as much heavy hypertrophy strength training as possible – Why? Arm pump! As we all know, arm pump is something we have all suffered from at…

Alastair Wootten is taking years of on-track experience off-track to give up-and-coming drivers a fighting fit chance to be race winners. A graduate of the Speedsport Scholarship, a former speedway racer, and now a weekend warrior in the TraNZam Challenge, 27-year-old Wootten has plenty of experience behind the wheel. Having spent years in karting, Formula First, Formula Ford and the Toyota Racing Series, Wootten saw an opportunity to use his own experience to help other drivers understand race fitness. Initially, Wootten wanted to be a professional racing driver, but opportunities didn’t transpire the way he’d hoped. Instead, he got qualified at Auckland University of Technology as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, began working at the Elite Motorsport Academy, and combined his racing background to start his own business—Formula Fit. Based…

‘Diets vs. Healthy Eating’ I filter through a ton of emails every week and one of the most often asked questions is what should I eat on race day or at an event? The answer is not always as easy as most think it should be. The human body is the most insanely complex machine you’ll ever come across – and trying to determine what will deliver optimal performance requires some knowledge, a few trial and error decisions and some trusty Google searches, however, like all things in relation to anatomy and physiology, this is not a one size fits all rule. Remember to check with your doctor for any special considerations – we aren’t all the same! Carbohydrates To the average Joe, regular sports drinks contain sodium, potassium and…