You don't become an AMA National Hare Scrambles Champion without being fit, and Jason Raines is really fit! The outgoing Am Pro Yamaha rider puts a lot of effort into his training routine, and he loves the physical fitness aspect of the sport so much that he's even started conducting his very own riding and training schools for up-and-coming off-road racers. Raines normally charges a small fee for his fitness advice, but being such a big fan of Dirt Rider he offered to hook our readers up with one of his most-used training secrets at no cost. Here, Raines shows you the T-Bar, one of his favorite stretches that can also be used as a warm-up or even as a component in your workout routine.
"The T-Bar is something that I do that can be a stretch, a warm-up or a workout. What you do is assume the push-up position and then take your left hand off the ground and reach all the way up to the sky until your left arm is straight up and is in line with your body. This is the T-Bar position, and you should hold here for a few seconds, making sure to be steady and in control.
"Once you've held the T-Bar with your left hand up for a few seconds, bring your left hand down and do it opposite so that your right hand is towards the sky. You want your body completely in line with whatever hand is on the ground.
"If you want to mix it up and use this as a warm-up, you can do the stretch but when you bring it back towards the ground you can do a push-up and then bring it back to the opposite side. If you want to do it as a workout, you can put dumbbells in your hands and do them that way. Typically, I'd recommend 20 reps on pushups where you're counting every arm going up as one rep. As a stretch, this is really good for your back, arms and shoulders, and it's a great warm-up to get your blood pumping before a workout or race."