How to Prepare for Karting
Fitness is often overlooked in Karting. Many people think that it’s as easy as jumping in a kart and driving. However, if you regularly race - even if you have only a few laps of practice under your belt - you know that it’s much more than that.
Not paying attention to how you prepare your body and mind for Karting will hurt your chances of progressing in Motorsports, and enjoying it as much as you could.
I’ve grown up competing in sports, running, and consistently pushing myself in the gym, but Karting is the most physically demanding thing that I have ever done.
After my first race, I couldn’t open my hands because of my grip on the steering wheel every second of the race. My eyes hurt, my ribs were bruised, and my legs were struggling to keep me up. I didn’t just jump into the kart with no prior training, either. I’d been exercising regularly, yet still felt the effects of the endurance race for days after.
In this blog post, I’ll break down everything you need to know about preparing your body and mind for Karting, whether you’re racing for fun or professionally.
Why is fitness important for karting?
You can’t expect to perform at a high level in anything without committing time and energy to your preparation for it. Although you’re sitting in a seat, turning a wheel, and pushing pedals in karting, there aren’t many more things that are as physically and mentally demanding.
Motorsport is one of the only sports that requires you to be 100% ON ALL THE TIME. This especially applies to the fast-paced nature of Karting. At any given moment, your muscles are isometrically contracted, your joints are moving, and your brain is focused on the next corner.
That’s why Fitness is so important in Karting. You can’t expect to not prepare for one the most physically demanding sports you can do, and win races.
6 key areas to focus on
Getting yourself fit race doesn’t need to be complicated. The obvious way to improve your Fitness for Karting is to get on track and practice. Karting isn’t cheap though, there may only be a few hours per month where you get the chance to get behind the wheel. In this case, there are six key areas that you need to focus on when building your training routine. In no particular order, they are:
Core
Your core keeps you stable when the kart is throwing you around the track. A strong core is vital to any form of Motorsport, and especially so in Karting where your centre of gravity is so low.
2. Shoulders and arms
Regardless of if you race endurance or sprint, the muscles in your shoulders and arms will suffer if they’re not trained. When training in these areas, prioritise muscular endurance as opposed to muscular strength. Shoulders that are too big will negatively affect your centre of gravity, which could cost you a tenth or two per lap.
3. Neck
Any form of motorsport requires good neck strength. Not only is your head always on a swivel when racing, but it’s responsible for dealing with the G-forces that come with fast corners, hard braking, and fast acceleration. This especially applies to karting. Whether you’re sprint racing or endurance racing, you’re constantly isometrically contracting your neck muscles to keep your eyes on the track.
4. Preparation and recovery nutrition
How you fuel your body is one of the most important factors of success in anything you do. Food might not be at the forefront of your mind on a race day, but you’re only doing harm to yourself if you neglect it. A balanced diet of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins is essential in any diet.
5. Focus
Although it isn’t conventionally fitness-related, focus plays an enormous part on the track. ANY lapse in concentration during a race could mean being overtaken, missing an apex, or crashing.
6. Cardio
Hopefully, this doesn’t come as a surprise, but all five previous key areas drain your energy. At the core of all six areas is cardiovascular fitness. Your heart needs to be on top form to be able to stay focused whilst your body elegantly drives your Kart around the track. If your cardiovascular fitness is poor, every other area will suffer.
How to improve your Fitness for Karting
It’s all well and good knowing what areas you need to focus on, but HOW are you going to focus on them? Well, let’s start with…
Core
The best exercises for the core are often the ones that hurt the most. I like to do at least one movement per week where I am twisting my spine with resistance. My favourite exercises to improve core strength are the cable twist, Russian twist, or plank. All require complete control of all your core muscles, all transferable to karting.
2. Shoulders and arms
Remember to focus on endurance rather than strength for your shoulders and arms. This means higher reps and lower rest time and weight. The best exercises for your shoulders are the overhead press or lateral raise. My favourite exercise for arms is the Scott Zottman Curl. The exercise works on your entire arm if done correctly.
3. Neck
Working on your neck will attract the weirdest stares from other people in the gym (if you’re training in a gym). No one pays attention to strengthening their necks, but you’ve read this article so you know something they don’t. You can get neck strengthening contraptions to attach weights to, but you can still strengthen your neck without equipment. Neck raises are my go-to for building endurance in the neck.
4. Preparation and recovery nutrition
Doing this correctly is pretty much what it says on the tin. Doing as much preparation as you can never be a bad thing. Research online, experiment with what works for you, and reading the Hanscombe Racing blog will give you that edge over your competition.
5. Cardio
I’ve found that the stationary bike is one of the best ways to improve my cardio for karting. I can do intense work and do something else to test my brain. This not only improves cardio but focuses too. Running is also one of the best ways to improve cardio. Try to run for the length of one of your races.
Indoor Karting
You may have clicked on this blog post because you’re going to your local indoor track soon, and want to know what it’s like. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget you!
Indoor karting poses vastly different challenges to your body than outdoor. Firstly, you’re not going to be cold or wet when your racing indoors. There is always a safety risk in any Motorsport, but that risk is reduced with indoor karts where the circuits are smaller, and the karts are slower.
Indoor karting is still a workout, though! You can’t expect to not feel tired after sitting behind the wheel for however long you are. You’ll need to consider these 3 main areas of preparation when getting ready for indoor karting:
Nutrition
You won’t necessarily feel it when the helmet is on, but your heart rate will consistently be over at least 100 BPM. A high heart rate means burning more calories, so you’ll need to fuel your body with the right food and drink (isotonic sports drinks, non-processed foods) beforehand to maintain performance.
2. Focus
It might be just a bit of fun with your mates, but losing focus could be putting your safety at risk. This means no alcohol or drugs before getting out on track. You want your brain to be fully focused on what you’re doing.
3. Stretch
There’s no worse feeling than getting a trapped nerve or pulling a muscle when you’re heading towards a tyre wall at 40mph. Just 5 minutes of stretching beforehand will get your muscles loose and ready to go!
Summary
You’re only cheating yourself if you don’t put energy into your Fitness in preparation for Karting. As I’m progressing through my Motorsports journey, I’m striving to learn different ways to optimise performance for drivers like you every day.
Follow me on social media to stay up to date with what I’m learning, and favourite this website never to miss a nugget of information that could win you a race!
