The unaware public eye
question why it’s important for NASCAR drivers and pit crew members to workout.
One rebuttal being all drivers do is sit in a car and drive in circles. This
assumption is fair except many ignore the fact that the car weighs 3500 lbs, therefore
the amount of g-force is similar to holding a 40 lb weight in front of you for
three hours – or six hours if you’re talking the Coke 600. Other factors that
tend to be ignored is the temperature. Take what the thermometer says outside
and add roughly 30 degrees for what it feels like inside the heat box, a.k.a
racecar. But I’m not here to preach about how drivers are athletes. A) Because
I’m not a driver so I can’t speak on their behalf about how it may or may not
be an intense profession. B) If you don’t already know they’re athletes then
you probably shouldn’t be reading my blog. What I will tell you though is why
it’s important for drivers and pit crew members to treat their body like athletes.
If you’re an up-and-coming driver or pit crew member this blog is for you!
Losing roughly 10libs
in a three hour time period is not something our bodies are meant to do.
Downing track food like an ill colored pink hotdog at Martinsville Speedway
before a lengthy race is also something that’s not ideal for one’s body. These
are all scenario’s that seem like common sense, but as someone who has spent
some time at the track, scenario two definitely happens. Maybe it’s because
drivers see fellow drivers such as Tony Stewart with his perfectly round belly,
who preaches that he hates working out, win races and championships. Well news
flash – Stewart did have a trainer the year he won his last championship. He
then decided that working out was no longer necessary and hasn’t won a
championship since. I’m not saying there’s a correlation but…
Also an up-and-coming
driver should keep in mind how the times have changed. There are more drivers
with a Carl Edwards and Mark Martin attitude then a Stewart now days, so
hitting the gym could be the difference between landing your dream ride. If
that’s not motivation enough look at it this way – what’s the worst that could
happen from spending at least 30 minutes being active five days a week? Your
stamina will be better, so those three hours won’t seem like an eternity. Blood
will flow through your body better so less leg and arm cramps throughout the
races. And you won’t feel like death when the checkered flag waves. Preparing
your body, whether it’s through an active lifestyle or the way you fuel it with
nutritious food has become the difference between celebrating in victory lane
and laying by the racecar with your pr person patting you down with a cold rag.
What have evolved even
more in racing besides a driver’s tip-top shape are the pit crew members.
Remember the days when pit crew members jacked up the car with a cigarette in
their mouth and pit stops where longer than the commercial break. Well those
days died along with those hideous bubble goggles. Now teams are recruiting
ex-hockey and ex-football players, who bench press tires in their sleep. Long
gone are the days where pit crew members could chug a beer during the long
green flag runs, or never even practice until that first yellow flag was
thrown. Pit crew members are more like athletes than ever - practicing five
days a week, whether it’s through intense cardio, weightlifting, or rigorous
pit stop practice. So if you’re an up-and-coming driver or pit crew member it’s
time to live your life like an athlete – whether the unaware public eye thinks
you are or not.
About Just Learn Balance
Just Learn Balance, JLB for short, is the
one-stop-shop for race teams looking to stand out from the rest. With a desire
for living a healthy lifestyle and a love for racing, founder Jamie Brown
combined her two passions to form JLB. The company focuses on the three C’s:
Challenge, Change, and Create. JLB challenges the inner
winner in future and current drivers, and crewmen, by getting their body in
athlete form. JLB changes a client’s perception of food and dieting into a
healthy way of living. Finally, JLB creates marketing material that highlights
why our clients are winners. For questions or comments about JLB, please
contact justlearnbalance@gmail.com
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