LOOKS like lockdown is forcing fitness buffs to get creative.
Strength and conditioning coach (and SPIN Life fitness columnist) Julio Veloso has been diligently posting his home workouts ever since the enhanced community quarantine began.
Today, he posted something a little different: a workout where he used his Royal Enfield Himalayan — a heavy duty, 400cc off-roader with a listed kerb weight of 182 kilograms — as an improvised weight.
“I thought of doing this workout because whenever I go on the trails, especially when it's muddy or the conditions are not favorable, taking a spill or ‘semplang’ is par for the course,” he told SPIN Life.
“Getting up is normally easy but picking a 180kg bike off the ground is not. I feel strength is one of the reasons I am confident enough to explore new trails alone. So hopefully other riders might get inspired to do some strength training of their own.”
Julio Veloso’s Motorcyle Workout
Deadlifts, 5 reps
Sissy Squats, 10 reps
Reverse Lunge, 5 reps per leg
Watch it below:
With that kind of weight (not to mention how expensive your "gym equipment" is), this is not an easy workout. You want to be careful when working out with a motorcycle. “Obviously,” Veloso said in the video, “you don’t want to work to failure.”
Some pointers for anyone who wants to try this workout? Veloso suggest working out with a bike that’s not topped up, as more fuel means more weight. If you’re also scared of scratching the bike, place a blanket on the ground.
“I [also] suggest you get someone who is ready assist you in case you can't handle the weight of the bike,” he added. Do 1 or 2 reps first and see how it goes. Otherwise, the heavy bike might collapse on you, and that’s the last thing you want.
Veloso is an avid rider. His city bike is a Vespa Primavera, but his main weekend ride now — or at least before the lockdown began — is the Royal Enfield Himalayan.
“The best ride(s) I've been on have to be the ones that go to the Cordillera areas,” he told us. “It's cool, full of twisties and trails, excellent views, and generally has less traffic. I was able to take my wife on a ride of a Baguio-Nueva Vizcaya-Banaue-Sagada-Bessang Pass-Ilocos-La Union-Baguio loop late last year.”
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