Brad Anderson: Putting the work in
By TMX Archives on 16th Mar 16
Fans love Brad Anderson. The North Eastener is straight-talking, hard-riding, uncompromising and brutally honest whats not to love about him? Sure, he may not ride with the most finesse, but what he lacks in that department he more than makes up for with sheer passion and commitment
At the age of 34, most top riders would be thinking of slowing down... not Brad. If anything he is speeding up - literally!
With ambitions of regaining the British Championship title in 2016, Brad has gone back to what he knows best - a small team set-up where he can concentrate on what works best for him.
Switching to Preston-based Verde Sports KTM is just what he needed. They're local, passionate, knowledgeable and most of all – in sync with him.
But Brad's not just settled with what he needs to do on the track to achieve his goals. Instead he is stepping outside his comfort zone and building his own machine - himself.
Teaming up with Jonny Thompson at CrossFit Cumbria is already proving successful, as we found out when we dropped in on Brad for one of his training sessions to find out more about his brutal new fitness plan, and how his move to Verde Sports KTM is going...
TMX: Firstly, you started the year with a cracking ride at Hawkstone park, taking fourth in the MX1 class and mixing it up with some of the big names on the MXGP circuit. Has that given you confidence going into this season?
Brad Anderson: Am really pleased with my result at the Hawkstone International. It's a great warm up for the start of the season, and for everyone to see where they're placed and if there on their game.
TMX: Did you expect to put in such a good result so early in the season?
Ando: I've changed my training this winter and am feeling in very good form both off the bike and on the bike. A few people have been saying to me... "God your going well on the KTM - You really suit the bike”. But the truth is you never really know where you're at until you get to race - which was Hawkstone.
TMX: What are your main goals for this year? We know that you're in the hunt for the EMX300 title. But should we be looking out for you in any other major series'?
Ando: My goals for sure are to win the EMX 300 title, and also I would love to be British Champion again. There's no point going to that start line if you don't want to win!
I'm hungry and want to win as many races as I can. That's all I have ever wanted to do - to win races. There's some fantastic riders out there, though. The British Championship is stacked out - it's great!
TMX: In the past you have ridden for some big teams including LPE Kawasaki, Buildbase Honda and MBO Power ASA Yamaha. This season you're racing for the relatively new Verde Sports Racing Team. How do you feel about this and how did it come about?
Ando: Verde Sport reminds me of my PAR Honda days. The team is family run so it's not to big and Adie and Niki are lovely people who have made me very welcome. They are based at Preston so it's only 45 minutes from my house. It's great as Adie looks over and does my bikes after practising and they're like brand new every time I pick them up!
He loves motocross and we are working very well together. He knows I will give 110% and nothing less.
I won the British championship riding for Paul Rowlands at PAR Honda - a small family run team, and it worked great. I've also got Steve Clithero back working with me, and Chris Muir on the spanners. I also have Scott Gardner for suspension from Back at PAR Honda. They all know me and my riding style very well, and I feel like I've got the full package this year and everyone is working well together.
TMX: How is the KTM suiting you and your riding style?
Ando: The KTM and my riding style are working well together. I know am a hard rider, but I feel smooth on the KTM and it turns great.. The power is there too
TMX: How does the Team differ from those you have worked with in the past?
Ando: Verde Sport is based close to home which is great for me. I do a lot of travelling up and down the country practising and racing, so it's nice to have the team close by so we can work closely together with the bike which is good.
TMX: You are a household name in British motocross, and many fans admire you for your aggressive riding style. Do you still have the same drive after years and years in the sport?
Ando: I've still got the same drive hell yeah! When that goes it will be time to hang the boots up, but I feel I've still got it, and I want to be running up with the front guys. I feel very fit and strong going into the 2016 season, and am hoping for some good results.
I'm definitely not ready to retire! I do look round at the other riders and they haven't got the wrinkles and grey hairs coming through, but in my heart am just as young and hungry for it as they are.
TMX: As part of your training you are now working with Jonny Thompson (owner of CrossFit Cumbria), how did this come about?
Ando: I was invited down to try a session specifically for motocross, it was so hard! But I saw the benefits straight away so I continued going.
TMX: Does Jonny do all your fitness programming or is it a joint input?
Ando: Jonny does the programming to get the best out of us on any given day. Sometimes we've been riding hard so we work on good movements to recover and improve mobility. Other times we have a few days before getting back on the bike so we hit something heavy. Generally though, most sessions are super testing and push us to the limit.
TMX: CrossFit Boxes (CrossFit affiliates) differ from a lot of mainstream training facilities, and so does their training methods. Does this type of training transfer well to your racing goals?
Ando: Training in a regular gym is great for some people but racing is very intense, so to get the extra edge needed in racing you need to be pushed to another level.
The workouts and movements we do help with all aspects of racing, especially strength. To be fit is not enough, you need to be strong to control the bike but also have the strength endurance in your muscles to sustain it over a long period. Very intense workouts make you comfortable with the high physical demands of a race, you need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable!
TMX: Working at the high intensities that are used in CrossFit is pretty tough - partially due to mixing lots of weightlifting and cardio exercises up and then doing them fast or at high volume. How have you found this?
Ando: At first it was a shock to the system for sure. I actually threw up after the first couple of workouts it was that tough!
At first some of the movements were new to me so I found them difficult, but after learning better technique I can now focus on getting the work done and get the most out of the workouts. I can see how the things we do are much better than what you might find in your regular gym.
TMX: What kind of exercises have you been doing? We have seen a few cool videos on Facebook of you pushing prowlers around - they are a pretty gruesome piece of kit as anyone who has ever used one will know!
Ando: The prowler was actually what made me sick the first time I used it... I hate that thing! But to be fair it is a brilliant piece of equipment to push you to your limits. It tests strength and capacity without much need for technique so all you have to do is push. This makes you mentally strong too which helps in races.
We also do a lot of rotational strength work for controlling the bike, pressing and squatting and loads of bodyweight movements to get us moving naturally and effectively.
TMX: While at CrossFit Cumbria you have also been training with Enduro's Jonny Walker and mountain biker Adam Brayton. Has it been helpful training with the lads?
Ando: The lads are great at pushing each other, the atmosphere in the gym when we're all there is amazing. We time most of our workouts so we can tell how far ahead or behind each other we are. We are all so competitive (obviously) that we don't want to lose, so we push harder that way. We all have our strengths and weaknesses but that makes us all push each other on the things we're maybe not as good at.
TMX: I'm sure there must always be some friendly competition when working out. Who would you say is the one to beat out of the three of you?
Ando: It all depends on the workout, I'm really strong in my arms and can squat well, but Jonny is great at sustaining a high pace for a long time. Adam is strong and fit so between us all we like to take it in turns to be the one to beat. To be honest though, I love beating Jonny when I can!
TMX: You have been training up at CrossFit Cumbria for quite a while now. Do you think this change in your training is already paying off for you on the track?
Ando: I've been trying at CrossFit Cumbria for a few months now and I'm seeing really good improvements in strength and fitness, this definitely makes a difference when I'm racing.
I'm looking forward to seeing what my potential is this year. I'm training hard and it can only help me more as I get fitter in the gym. To be the best you have to do more than other people. I'm focused on doing my best this season so I'm giving it my all in and out of the gym.
TMX: Do you think it has helped you build your mental strength game as well as your physical fitness?
Ando: Definitely! It would be so easy to quit a workout and say "I'm too tired”, but that isn't an option. Just like a race, you would never just give up, you have to fight to win, that's the same in the gym. You fight hard to get the best out of yourself. Even when your body is telling you to stop you have to push on.
TMX: CrossFit has been given some bad press in the past from those who don't really know anything about it. But if you find yourself a coach who understands the demands of what your end goals are, it can actually be a very effective program. Would you recommend CrossFit to other off road riders if they were wanting to build their fitness?
Ando: There are very few places you can do this kind of training. Even if you can find a facility with the equipment you would be lucky to find a coach that understands exactly what you need. I've been doing CrossFit for a while now and I'm still learning loads of technique, it is so important to know what things you can push hard on and what things you should be careful of. I've had loads of injuries from crashing my bike, but I don't want any from a workout - that's why you need a good coach to tell you what's safe and what isn't.
If you just start doing CrossFit on your own without the correct form then you could injure yourself for sure, that's maybe why it gets bad press.
I've seen CrossFit fails on YouTube and half of them aren't even CrossFit, the other half are idiots trying to impress or doing things they shouldn't without the supervision of a good coach!
So yeah, I would recommend anyone who rides to check out your local CrossFit gym and see what they can do for you, or get in touch with Jonny Thompson at CrossFit Cumbria. I know he coaches other riders remotely and writes programs for them.
As with any sport, you need to find someone who knows what they are talking about, a regular PT in a "globo gym” might not understand your needs or have the facility and equipment you need, your nearest CrossFit gym will probably have both.
If your serious about riding you should take your training seriously too, we are all athletes after all!
