Arm pump!
It's not fun.
Your arms are like those of a three year old.
It hurts like hell.
And you can barely hang on to the motorbike.
It's a common problem for all riders whether you are into motocross,
extreme enduro or just trail riding.
And whether you are a pro or learning to ride.
There's isn't a a magic cure.
But the good news is there are many strategies that will reduce or eliminate arm pump.
There is even a big word for it...
Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS).
Just pause if you want to read about it.
So in a nutshell?
Your muscles pump up with blood within a confined space.
If the blood can't escape fast enough, your muscles start to fail.
So all solutions aim at two things:
- Letting your arms do less work
- Increasing that blood flow.
Body positioning!
The less you hang onto the handlebars, the better.
Your body should be toward the rear of the motorbike when braking or going downhill.
And toward the front under acceleration or in the 'attack' position.
Grip the motorbike with your legs.
Your legs are much stronger than your arms so grip that bike firmly to stay balanced.
Also an incredibly useful bit of bling can be Steg Pegz which anchor you to the motorbike.
Most riders rave about them, some hate them. See our review video.
Avoid the 'death grip'.
Most of us hold the handlebars tighter than we need to,
and constant muscle contraction means less blood leaves the arms.
Keep reminding yourself to relax your grip, and only tighten it when needed.
A good rider doesn't try to control the mntorbike too much,
but to an extent lets the motorbike do its own thing and works with it, not against it.
Relax mentally.
A lot of motocross riders say they only get arm pump during the race, but never during practice.
When the adrenalin kicks in, so does the 'death grip'!
Remind yourself to chill out and pace yourself - remember
often you'll be just as fast riding at 90% compared to 100%.
Exercise!
Exercise helps in two ways. In the long term, cardiovascular routines will help improve
your blood flow, and toning your leg and core muscles will help you grip the motorbike better.
In the short term, getting your blood flowing and arms warmed up just before an event will help too.
Some riders even apply warm towels to their arms before a race to get blood vessels dilated.
Hydration.
Good hydration plays its part.
Scrap those energy drinks with caffeine and sugar which won't help at all.
Use electrolytes in hot weather.
Start hydrating the day before.
Motorbike setup.
We've already mentioned Steg Pegz working for some riders.
Make sure your handlebars and hand levers are set up properly to make less work for your arms.
Good suspension setup will mean less hanging on tightly.
If you have a cable clutch, consider changing to an easier hydraulic clutch.
If you have a hydraulic clutch and use it a lot,
consider an ultra light setup like the Clake One Light Clutch...
if you have plenty of cash!
Surgery.
If you get extreme arm pump, an extreme measure is surgery called Fasciotomy.
But this is 'extreme'. It only seems to work 50% of the time,
and might even make things worse. Read more about it here.
And what about drugs?
Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or aspirin can be prescribed if pain continues after riding.
Some riders take these before and during riding.
But this isn't recommended as studies show it can
cause damage to the lining of the intestines during exercise.
So there you go...
hopefully some or all of these strategies will work.
And remember...
if the pain in intense,
see your doctor as it could be carpal tunnel syndrome or another problem.