During a race, heartbeats reach 190 bpm, and thus it is necessary to be able to train for both resistance and strength, or rather "resistant strength". Not having suspensions, the kart produces a huge amount of vibrations and the human body becomes the mechanical center and torsion of the medium. Moreover, if you drive a kart with gears (KZ), the physical effort increases considerably due to the vehicle’s performance and the fact that you are driving for almost half the lap with one hand. The kart driver’s training should, however, not be inspired by bodybuilders, also because the driver must always be careful not to gain too much weight. One of the recommendations we can give is to privilege isometric training, exercises with static muscular contractions, ideal to train for strength and resistance at the same time.

In the Vroom issue of February 2021, we gave you an illustration of the work of Formula Medicine of Dr. Ceccarelli. With this article, we would like instead to give you some practical advice to exercise in the gym in the best way in view of your output on the track, competitive or not.
Let's start with the FOREARM. The first exercise you can do is the one shown below. Kneel on the floor with your forearms on the bench, rotate your wrists with the barbell up and down, for both the front of the forearm and the back.

Another exercise for the forearms is the one below, which is to bring the barbell behind you and slide it down to your fingertips (try not to drop it!), and then regain your grip. Try it to believe how much it exercises your forearms! Alternatively (or to alternate) you can do the "farmer walk", that is walking around the gym with the dumbbells clutched in your hand!



To simulate the physical effort of the steering wheel including the forearm, biceps, shoulders, and pectoral muscles you can take a barbell disc (start gradually with a suitable weight) and simulate the movements of rotation to the right and left, also working isometrically as mentioned above.



Another very important part to train are the RIBS, very stressed in this sport. Not everyone knows that you can train the intercostal muscles. For example, you can take the "lat machine" where you usually train your lats, but this time standing up and with your legs slightly bent and the handle not too wide. By pushing down on the barbell you should really feel the whole intercostal area working! No more rib pain at the end of the competition, or at least a lot less!



Another exercise for the ribs is the one below, to be performed with the cables to the inside left and right.



We now come to the NECK, a muscle that is difficult to exercise and that, to obtain concrete results, must be exercised often and in a prolonged manner. If you have an elastic band to attach to the wall in one of your rooms in the house you can perhaps avoid training these muscles in the gym. The movements for the neck are always those of torsion and lateral flexion. Without going so far as to use Formula 1 neck machines, here are some good exercises to train this important muscle while in the gym.





Finally, it is also important to train the trapezius, muscles that support the neck. To do this simply use the barbell as per the movement below!



One last piece of advice we can give you is about nutrition before the race/track ride. It is important to eat low glycemic index carbohydrates (pasta, but especially rice, are perfect for pre-race lunch). Avoid snacking on sugar-rich snacks because you increase the glycemic index in 5 minutes, but for reasons of human physiology, you will enter the track with less sugar than you had before. Instead, choose a fruit or sip isotonic drinks (Gatorade for example), perhaps diluted with water. In other words, avoid sugary foods and drinks.
Of course, there would also be the issue of training reflexes, but for this maybe we'll write a separate article! Have a great workout!