Help me out here. I saw a guy at Loretta Lynn's rub some kind of ointment on his forarms just before he headed for staging. Anyone have any idea what that might have been?

I've also heard that aspren works too.

 

It was probably icy hot or something similar. I saw Shane Hitt using it in GA and I tried it myself. It works wonders. I will tell ya, I havent had any arm pump since I started using it.

 

Try a couple Advil a hour before a race and drink water all day long!
ERIC

 

Hmmmmm...sports creme. I am going to have to try that. A couple of guys at my track said to take aspirin and eat bananas before you race - thins out your blood and gives you potassium! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

lol.. you guys have some weird pre-race rituals. I guess you get off and smooth the dirt in front of you.. don't you? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

LonestarBanshee - do you get arm pump? By my fourth lap, my poor fingers won't do anything I ask of them - therefore I will try just about anything to ease that a little! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] You know, though, I didn't even know what arm pump was before I started racing - I never got that on the trails or duning.....hmmmm.

 

SandHopper,

I don't get arm pump that bad. I move furniture, so my upper body is in pretty good shape. We have 8 minute practices, and let me tell you, after the 10th lap, my body is jelly! There was another post on here about arm pump, and the guy does the same thing I do. Get a pole.. or broom handle or whatever, and tie a 3ft rope to the end. Then on the other end of the rope, tie a brick, and curl the pole until the brick gets to the top, and let it back down. Lift weights, it will go away with that, and practice!

 

Really? I am definately going to have to try that - I will be really upset if I blow a race just because I don't have the right muscles built up! What about those grip exerciser things - you know, those little handles you squeeze with the big spring in them? Do you think those would help?

 

The handle things will help you out a little bit. I mean, everyone gets arm pump now and then, but they will definately help.

Anohter thing to do, and it might sound weird is to take an ice cream scoop, the ones with a spring to get the ice cream out ya know, and find one with a strong spring and just sit and push the spring in and out with your thumb while you are sitting there watching TV or whatever. This builds the muscles in your thumb, if you run a thumb throttle then thats improtant. I dont know how many times my thumb has gotten so tired and stiff it was either ***** out or nothin on the throttle. After I started doing that then my thumb no longer gets too tired.

 

GREAT IDEA! I never thought of that. You definately need to exercise your thumb!! Overall, I say just ride and practice. Eventually the arm pump will go away.