# Arm pump - racing motorbikes



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

Now just after any help and advice on this subject.

My racing has just started again, and get quite bad forearm pump in my throttle arm, i think it is from heavy braking, pulling on the bars quite tightly in like a clenched fist position (and hanging on for dear life).

I believe it causes a lactice build up in the muscle, but has me not being able to ride as hard as usual, and virtualy impossible to open my hand to go for the brakes again.

I have heard that taking asprin will help prevent this by thining the blood, but unsue on this :confused1:

Is there any excercises that could be done to help prevent this :beer:


----------



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

Cheers for that!


----------



## kawikid (Apr 28, 2008)

From experience i found the ony way to cure armpump is to...

A/ Ride the bike more. There is nothing you can do in the gym to replicate the forces you'll get on the bike.

B/ You prob know this already, but try and loosen your grip. With the motocross bike i hold on with my legs whenever possible to give my hands a rest. This helped loads for me.

C/ Stretch your hands, fingers and forearms out and warm them up properly. I find if i dont warm up properly they pump up bad early on and never go away.


----------



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

I have never tried warming up before i race, supose it makes alot of sense, i find if i try to fight through the arm pump in morning qualyfying that i find it hard to go away for the whole day, but i have feel i have done enough in qualyfying then i stop before the arm pump starts.


----------



## Prodiver (Nov 14, 2008)

kawikid said:


> ... the ony way to cure armpump is to... loosen your grip. With the motocross bike i hold on with my legs whenever possible to give my hands a rest...


Yes - if you're having to grip the bars hard you prob don't have an effective steering damper or your riding style needs some thought...

If you can get your head round the way bikes are controlled and steered by countersteering you'll realize you only have to push gently against the bars and not grip them...


----------



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

Yeah, i ride quit eloose on the bike realy, been racing since i was a kid, but for some reason this year i have started to get arm pump really bad. Like i say, it seems to be on tracks where i am really braking hard, i find i can try and relax a bit on corners etc, but when it is a demanding trck that requires a lot of braking/acelerating etc, i really start to struggle.


----------



## Prodiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Stig said:


> Yeah, i ride quit eloose on the bike realy, been racing since i was a kid, but for some reason this year i have started to get arm pump really bad. Like i say, it seems to be on tracks where i am really braking hard, i find i can try and relax a bit on corners etc, but when it is a demanding trck that requires a lot of braking/acelerating etc, i really start to struggle.


Maybe get your rear-sets at exactly the right spot so you don't load your arms up so much when braking.

Also think about a "softer" brake lever ratio and a quicker turn throttle?


----------



## 13stonetarget (Aug 21, 2007)

Get some stomp grip for your bike. I use 'em on my GSXR.

http://www.stompdesign.com/stompgrip/pads.asp

Hope that helps mate.


----------



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

Cheers for that gains, spot on!

I have been trying to stretch my hands out a bit, see if it helps next weekend.


----------



## Gym Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

Stig said:


> Cheers for that gains, spot on!
> 
> I have been trying to stretch my hands out a bit, see if it helps next weekend.


If it doesn't work get yourself checked for carpel tunnel as that can feel like very painful arm/wrist pump.


----------



## bigkiwi (Oct 2, 2008)

I got really bad armpump racing national level motocross. The problem simply comes down to a combination of poor oxygen circulation and gripping the bars too tight. Try relaxing your grip and for the best advice of all - Ephedrine HCL or Ma Huang - it will not only thin your blood but with the increased heart rate....make you ride faster. Just make sure you drink plenty of water prior and after


----------



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

Cheers kiwi, i was actually out practicing today an some guy told me to try ephedrine, said it makes him eride really well as he gets more aggresive on the track, i never asked him how many he took, what do you recomend, or just spread it out through the day?


----------



## bigkiwi (Oct 2, 2008)

On a race day i'd take 2 about an hour before practice/1st moto then top up 1 more half an hour prior to each subsequent moto. YES certainly make you ride more agressively and because they assist with endurance, you can stand on the pegs longer when the tracks get rough without feeling fatigued. Also big confidence booster and feeling of well being. When i finished a 25min moto, i would want to just get back out on the track and do it again......awesome stuff for motox. Ma Huang (herbal ephedra is just as good). If you were ever scared of hitting that 90ft triple at the track try some ephedrine.


----------



## Stig (Oct 8, 2007)

Cheers for that, it is packed in the kit bag and ready to roll for the first big championship race of year, whooo, am getting excited already


----------

